Sacred Texts

वेद

The oldest scriptures of Hinduism - four collections of hymns, rituals, and philosophical teachings that form the foundation of Hindu thought.

Over 10,000 hymns composed between 1500-500 BCE. Ralph T.H. Griffith translation (Public Domain).

महाभारतम्

The longest epic poem in history - 200,000 verses exploring dharma, duty, and the great war at Kurukshetra. The Bhagavad Gita is one section of this work.

Kisari Mohan Ganguli translation (1883-1896, Public Domain).

रामायणम्

The epic story of Lord Rama - devotion, duty, and the triumph of good over evil across seven books and 24,000 verses.

Ralph T.H. Griffith translation (1870-1874, Public Domain).

योगसूत्र

The foundational text of classical Yoga - 196 aphorisms on meditation, ethics, and the eight limbs of yoga practiced by millions today.

Charles Johnston translation (1912, Public Domain).

ติปิฏก

The complete Buddhist canon - three "baskets" of scripture containing the Buddha's discourses, monastic rules, and philosophical analysis.

Thousands of texts. ZION.FM hosts the Dhammapada, Diamond Sutra, and Heart Sutra from this canon.

सद्धर्मपुण्डरीकसूत्र

One of the most influential Mahayana sutras - teaches that all beings can attain Buddhahood. Central to Tendai, Nichiren, and many East Asian schools.

H. Kern translation (Sacred Books of the East vol. 21, 1884, Public Domain).

བར་དོ་ཐོས་གྲོལ

A guide for the consciousness after death - describes the experiences of the intermediate state (bardo) between lives.

Evans-Wentz translation (1927, Public Domain).

الحديث

The recorded sayings, actions, and approvals of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The six major collections (Kutub al-Sittah) are foundational to Islamic law and practice.

Complete searchable collections with Arabic text and English translation.

תלמוד

The central text of Rabbinic Judaism - oral law, ethics, philosophy, customs, and history. Expands on the Mishnah with extensive rabbinic discussion.

ZION.FM hosts 26 Mishnah tractates. The full Talmud commentary is available at Sefaria.

זֹהַר

The foundational work of Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah) - a mystical commentary on the Torah exploring the nature of God, creation, and the soul.

Attributed to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (2nd century CE). Full text with translation on Sefaria.

מגילות ים המלח

Ancient manuscripts discovered 1947-1956 near the Dead Sea. Include the oldest known copies of Hebrew Bible texts and sectarian documents.

High-resolution images and translations from the Leon Levy Digital Library.

ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ

The eternal living Guru of the Sikhs - 1,430 pages of devotional hymns by Sikh Gurus and saints from Hindu and Muslim traditions.

ZION.FM hosts Japji Sahib (the opening prayer). Full Guru Granth Sahib available at SriGranth.

اوستا

The complete Zoroastrian scripture - liturgical texts, hymns, laws, and mythology of one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions.

ZION.FM hosts the Gathas (core hymns by Zarathustra). Full Avesta available at Avesta.org.

كتاب الأقدس

The Most Holy Book of the Baha'i Faith - laws, ordinances, and principles revealed by Baha'u'llah for a new world order.

Official Baha'i texts freely available in multiple languages.

rw nw prt m hrw

Ancient funerary texts - spells, prayers, and instructions to guide the soul through the underworld to eternal life with Osiris.

E.A. Wallis Budge translation (1895, Public Domain).

Sha naqba imuru

The oldest surviving work of great literature - a Sumerian king's quest for immortality, friendship, and the meaning of life.

R. Campbell Thompson translation (1928, Public Domain). From cuneiform tablets ~2100 BCE.

enūma eliš

The Babylonian creation epic - how Marduk defeated the chaos-dragon Tiamat and fashioned the world from her body.

L.W. King translation (1902, Public Domain). Discovered at Nineveh, ~1100 BCE.

A collection of early Christian and Gnostic texts discovered in Egypt in 1945. Includes the Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Philip, and the Apocryphon of John.

Complete translations by the Coptic Gnostic Library Project.

孟子

The collected teachings of Mencius (Mengzi) - the "Second Sage" of Confucianism who argued that human nature is inherently good.

James Legge translation (1895, Public Domain). Part of the Four Books of Confucianism.

Pop Wuj

The creation narrative of the K'iche' Maya - the Hero Twins, the creation of humanity from maize, and the founding of the Maya world.

Lewis Spence translation (1908, Public Domain). One of the few surviving pre-Columbian texts.

Diné Bahaneʼ

The Navajo emergence narrative - the People's journey through four worlds to reach the present Glittering World.

Collected from oral tradition. Washington Matthews and other ethnographers (Public Domain).

The Dreaming (Tjukurpa) - creation narratives of Aboriginal Australians describing how ancestral beings shaped the land, law, and life.

Collected by various ethnographers. Note: many stories remain in oral tradition held by Indigenous communities.

Scripture of the Latter-day Saint movement - a record of God's dealings with ancient inhabitants of the Americas.

Official LDS scripture library with study tools, footnotes, and cross-references.

日本書紀

The Chronicles of Japan - the second oldest book of classical Japanese history, covering mythology and early imperial history.

W.G. Aston translation (1896, Public Domain). Compiled in 720 CE.