Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita: the three books at the heart of Hindu life

Ask any family which books they would save first and the answer is nearly always the same three: a Ramayana, a Gita, and somewhere on the shelf a Mahabharata. The two epics (itihasa, "thus it happened") carry the stories every child grows up on, and the Bhagavad Gita, which sits inside the Mahabharata, is the single most read text of the tradition. This guide explains what each contains, how they are used in daily life, and which of our editions suits which reader. All of them live in the Sacred Books collection.

The Ramayana

The story of Rama, the prince of Ayodhya who is exiled for fourteen years, loses Sita to Ravana and wins her back with Hanuman and the vanara army, is the oldest and most retold story in India. It exists in three forms that most homes will meet.

Valmiki Ramayana: the original

Maharshi Valmiki's Sanskrit epic runs to about 24,000 verses in seven kandas, from Bala Kanda (Rama's birth) to Uttara Kanda. It is the source every later Ramayana draws on, and it is read for the character studies as much as the story: Rama as the ideal son and king, Sita as steadfastness, Lakshmana as service, Hanuman as devotion. The single volume Hindi edition carries the Sanskrit with a running translation; the illustrated Part 1 and Part 2 split it into two large books with colour plates, and the English edition follows the same two part layout. The Sundarkand of Valmiki is also sold alone, as the Sanskrit text or with commentary.

Shri Ramcharitmanas: the Ramayana of the people

In the sixteenth century Goswami Tulsidas retold the story in Awadhi, the language of the villages around Ayodhya, in seven kands of chaupais and dohas meant to be sung. The Manas became the Ramayana of North India: it is performed as Ramlila every autumn, recited over nine days as the Navah Parayan, and read a few verses at a time in millions of homes. The illustrated Hindi edition with commentary is the classic family copy: Awadhi text, a Hindi explanation of every verse and full colour plates. The Mool Gutka is the original text alone in a compact size for daily path. English readers can choose the Romanised edition (Awadhi in Roman script with English meaning) or the English translation.

Sundarkand and Hanuman Chalisa

Sundarkand, the fifth book of the Manas, follows Hanuman across the sea to Lanka, to Sita in the Ashoka grove and back with news for Rama. It is the part of the Ramayana most often recited on its own, traditionally on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and in the tradition it is believed to give courage and remove obstacles. The pocket Sundarkand is available in Hindi, Gujarati, Bangla and Nepali, and the original text edition in Hindi. The forty verse Hanuman Chalisa, also by Tulsidas, is the most recited hymn in India; the Satik edition adds a verse by verse meaning.

Adhyatma Ramayana

A shorter Sanskrit Ramayana from the Brahmanda Purana, told as a dialogue between Shiva and Parvati, that reads Rama as the supreme Brahman. Tulsidas drew on it heavily. The Hindi edition is the natural companion for readers who want the philosophy behind the story. For children, the Balchitra Ramayana tells it in pictures, and the Mula Ramayana is the hundred verse summary from Valmiki's first chapter.

See the full Ramcharitmanas and Ramayana collection.

The Mahabharata

At roughly 100,000 verses the Mahabharata is the longest poem in the world: the rivalry of the Pandavas and Kauravas, the dice game, the exile, the eighteen day war at Kurukshetra and the long reflections that follow it. Vyasa's claim in the opening is famous: what is found here may be found elsewhere, but what is not found here is found nowhere. Inside it sit three texts that are read on their own: the Bhagavad Gita, the Vishnu Sahasranama and the Vidur Niti.

Which Mahabharata to buy

• The abridged family edition: the Sankshipt Mahabharat in two parts (Part 2 here) tells the whole story with selected Sanskrit verses in Hindi or Gujarati. This is the one most homes keep.
• The complete text: the six volume edition gives all eighteen parvas with translation and illustrations, more than seven thousand pages. Individual volumes such as Volume 1 (Adi and Sabha Parva) and Volume 5 (Shanti Parva) are sold separately.
• The appendix: the Harivansh Puran is the Mahabharata's supplement on the life of Krishna, and a bridge to the Puranas.
• For character study: Mahabharat ke Kuchh Adarsh Patra (Hindi) and Some Exemplary Characters of the Mahabharat (English) profile Bhishma, Karna, Vidura and the rest.

The wisdom books inside it

• Vidur Niti: Vidura's counsel to King Dhritarashtra on the eve of the war, a short classic on statecraft, friendship and self control. Hindi, English, Tamil and Nepali.
• Vishnu Sahasranama: the thousand names of Vishnu taught by Bhishma from his bed of arrows, here with Shankaracharya's commentary; a pocket edition for daily recitation.
• Pandav Gita and Hamsa Gita: two of the lesser known "Gitas" from the epic and the Bhagavat, in one small book.

The Bhagavad Gita

Eighteen chapters of the Mahabharata's Bhishma Parva in which Krishna teaches Arjuna on the battlefield. In seven hundred verses it lays out karma yoga (acting without attachment to results), bhakti yoga (devotion), jnana yoga (knowledge of the self) and dhyana (meditation), and it is the one text every school of Vedanta claims. It is read for guidance in decisions, recited daily by many, and chanted in full on Gita Jayanti in the month of Margashirsha.

Which Gita to buy

• For daily reading: the Saral Shrimad Bhagavad Gita gives each Sanskrit shloka with a plain meaning under it, in Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Bangla, Odia, Marathi, Nepali and Gujarati. The large print edition suits older readers, and the Shlokarth Paath edition is laid out for recitation.
• In English: The Song Divine is a compact English verse rendering; Gita Roman gives the Sanskrit in Roman script for those who want to chant but do not read Devanagari.
• For study: the Gita Tattva Vivechani is a verse by verse explanation available in ten languages; the Gita Sadhak Sanjivani is written for the practising sadhak and runs to nearly 1,400 pages. For the classical schools, the Ramanuja Bhashya presents the Vishishtadvaita reading and the Shridhar Swami commentary the devotional one.
• Beyond the Gita: the Gita Sangrah collects twenty five other "Gitas" from the epics and Puranas (Ashtavakra, Uddhava, Rama, Guru and more) in one volume.

Browse every edition in the Bhagavad Gita collection.

Reading them together

The three books answer different questions. The Ramayana shows what dharma looks like when it is lived: the right way to be a son, a husband, a brother, a king. The Mahabharata shows how hard that is when duties conflict, and refuses easy answers. The Gita, spoken at the very moment the Mahabharata's conflict is sharpest, gives the principles that let a person act rightly anyway. Read in that order, story first, then complication, then teaching, they form a complete education. The other pillars of the tradition are covered in our guides to the Vedas and Upanishads, the Puranas and the Shastras.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Bhagavad Gita part of the Mahabharata?

Yes. It is chapters 25 to 42 of the Bhishma Parva, the sixth book of the Mahabharata. Every Gita edition prints those eighteen chapters on their own.

What is the difference between the Ramayana and the Ramcharitmanas?

The Valmiki Ramayana is the original Sanskrit epic. The Ramcharitmanas is Tulsidas's sixteenth century retelling in Awadhi, shorter, devotional in tone and meant to be sung. Most families in North India read the Manas; Valmiki is read for the full story and the Sanskrit.

Which should a beginner read first?

The Gita, then Sundarkand, then an abridged Ramayana or Mahabharata. Editions marked "saral" (simple), "sachitra" (illustrated) or "sankshipt" (abridged) are the easiest starting points.

Descriptions of traditional or spiritual use reflect Vedic belief and are shared for cultural context. They are not medical or professional advice.