Can somebody provide a list of Hindu Vedas, Purana, Up-Puranas, Upnishads, etc in a chronological manner and also provide their creation dates (if they could be dated by any means)?
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4I think this is too broad for the site – Mr. Alien Jan 12 '15 at 11:49
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I don't think major books of Hinduism are more than 100. And just listing the names in chronological order along with dates (such as 3000 BC, etc) should not be a too broad answer. – Aby Jan 12 '15 at 12:09
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I feel that listing them by their accurate creation dates i.e. the dates when they were put down into writing, would be hard because they are hardly known. But modern researchers may have made some chronology, but that too are not accurate and only waving the stick in the dark. For example, Rig Veda is said to be composed from 1500–1200 BCE by some and some others believe it to be 1700–1100 BCE. Similarly Samaveda is said to be from around 1700BCE and Yajur from 1200–1000 BCE.
Rigveda, 1500 – 1100 BCE
Samaveda, 1500 - 500 BCE
Yajurveda, 1500 - 500 BCE
Atharvaveda, 1500 - 500 BCE
Upanishads, 1200 - 500 BCE
Bhagavad Gita, 500 BCE - 200 BCE Ramayana, 400 BCE - 400 CE
Mahabharata, 400 BCE - 400 CE
Mimamsa Sutra, 300-200 BCE
Arthashastra, 400 BCE - 200 CE
Nyaya Sutra, 2nd century BCE
Vaiseshika Sutra, 2nd century BCE Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 100 BCE - 500 CE
Puranas, 3rd - 16th century CE
Shiva Sutras, 8th century CE
Abhinavabharati, 950 - 1020 CE
Yoga Vasistha, 10th - 14th century CE
(you can view wikipeida page for the list of their research source).
So no researcher or scholar actually knows their accurate creation dates. So they cannot be trusted completely. I don't mean to say they are wrong, just that they might not be accurate to be trustworthy completely. I am no researcher or expert, so only sharing here what I know from scriptures about their order so that it may be useful.
Please see this answer for the chronology of the 18 major puranas as mentioned in the Vishnu Purana. But it doesn't mentions the exact date of creation, only their sequence. Similarly, the Muktika Upanishad [from verse 30 to 40] lists a sequence of 108 upanishads as below without their date of creation:
- Isa
- Kena
- Katha
- Prasna
- Munda
- Mandukya
- Taittiri
- Aitareya
- Chandogya
- Brihadaranyaka
- Brahma
- Kaivalya
- Jabala
- Svetasva
- Hamsa
- Aruni
- Garbha
- Narayana
- Paramahamsa
- Amritabindu
- Amritanada
- Atahrvasirah
- Atharvasikha
- Maitrayini
- Kaushitakibrahmana
- Brihajjabala
- Nrisimhatapini
- Kalagnirudra
- Maitreya
- Subala
- Kshurika
- Mantrika
- Sarvasara
- Niralamba
- Sukarahasya
- Vajrasuchika
- Tejobindu
- Nadabindu
- Dhyanabindu
- Brahmavidya
- Yogatattva
- Atmabodha
- Naradaparivrajaka
- Trisikhi
- Sita
- Yogachudamani
- Nirvana
- Mandalabrahmana
- Dakshinamurti
- Sarabha
- Skanda
- Tripadvibhuti-Mahanarayana
- Advayataraka
- Ramarahasya
- Ramatapani
- Vasudeva
- Mudgala
- Sandilya
- Paingala
- Bhiksu
- Mahat
- Sariraka
- Yogasikha
- Turiyatita
- Sannyasa
- Paramahamsaparivrajaka
- Akshamalika
- Avyakta
- Ekakshara
- Annapurna
- Surya
- Akshi
- Adhyatma
- Kundika
- Savitri
- Atma
- Pasupata
- Parabrahma
- Avadhutaka
- Tripuratapini
- Devi
- Tripura
- Katharudra
- Bhavana
- Rudrahridaya
- Yoga-kundali
- Bhasma
- Rudraksha
- Ganapati
- Darsana
- Tarasara
- Mahavakya
- Panchabrahma
- Pranagnihotra
- Gopalatapini
- Krishna
- Yajnavalkya
- Varaha
- Satyayani
- Hayagriva
- Dattatreya
- Garuda
- Kalisamtarana
- Jabali
- Saubhagyalakshmi
- Sarasvatirahasya
- Bahvricha
- Muktika
And regarding upapuranas I don't know any order. Sharing the order of puranas again here for ease of reference:
- Brahma Purana
- Padma Purana
- Vishnu Purana
- Shiva Purana
- Bhagavata Purana
- Narada Purana
- Markandeya Purana
- Agni Purana
- Bhavisya Purana
- Brahmavaivarta Purana
- Linga Purana
- Varaha Purana
- Skanda Purana
- Vamana Purana
- Kurma Purana
- Mastya Purana
- Garuda Purana
- Brahmanda Purana
Update:
I didn't notice you said etc. in your question. If you meant a list off all Hindu texts, not just the spiritual ones, then that would be too broad. But, this wikipeida page will be helpful for you.
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- Vedas are older than the dates listed. The RgVeda was once dates as being >8000 years old. Latest research on Rama Setu should tell us that Vedas are older than 1.7 million years 2. Which also dates the Ramayana to >1.7 million years 3. Yoga Vasishta was written by Valmiki which again dates it much before the dates you cite 4. These are only a few examples and Wikipedia is not always the most accurate source.
– Jan 12 '15 at 17:49 -
Dear @moonstar2001, thank you for the comment. But I am already aware of the inaccurate dating of the modern researchers. Hence I mentioned that too in the post (did you read?). And because I am no researcher, I didn't give any guesstimates without any reference. Only shared what I knew. If you have done some research and have proper sources and proofs, please feel free to cite them and update the Wikipedia pages. That would be so nice and helpful! – Be Happy Jan 13 '15 at 05:22
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I understand @jabahar. But don't you think we do a disservice ( to the SE and the questioner and the body of knowledge when we post an answer that we know inaccurate, disclaimers notwithstanding? – Jan 14 '15 at 01:00
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@moonstar2001 haha....yes. You are right. But what can we do? There are no real researchers here and even the so called researchers and experts accept those datings. But I want to clear the confusion if any, that these are dates believed to be when they were put into writing, not the date of their first coming into existence. – Be Happy Jan 16 '15 at 06:04
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Writing on palm leaves existed way before those dates. So even by that count, the dates are inaccurate. – Jan 16 '15 at 06:34
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@moonstar2001 yes...yes my friend i know. What do you want me to do, sue the researchers? :D – Be Happy Jan 16 '15 at 06:39
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@moonstar2001 Incorrect or not, those datings are from researchers and accepted by scholars. So they are the standard ones. Only when we can prove them wrong by our own researches that we can say they are incorrect. Until then... glory to the almighty God, cause of and solution to all our delusions. :D – Be Happy Jan 17 '15 at 08:15
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They have already been proven wrong by other researchers and scholars who dated the Rama Setu. – Feb 10 '15 at 15:14
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All dates regarding the chronological order of texts (including scripture) is western academic conjecture. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says in numerous places, and this is only one place (IV. v. 11.) - "As from a fire kindled with wet fuel various [kinds of] smoke issue forth, even so, my dear, the Rig-Veda, the Yajur-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Atharvangirasa, history (itihasa), mythology (purana), the arts (vidya), Upanishads, verses (slokas), aphorisms (sutras), elucidations (anuvyakhyanas), explanations (vyakhyanas), sacrifices, oblations in the fire, food, drink, this world, the next world, and all beings are all [like] the breath of this infinite Reality. From this [Supreme Self] are all these, indeed, breathed forth."
Also VI. v. 1-4.
All were breathed forth from Brahman at the same time.
Swami Vishwananda
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So, are you saying that The Brahman created all the Scriptures at the time of the creation of universe? – TheLoneKing Jan 14 '15 at 13:15
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Not me. The Upanishads say. What was "breathed forth" from Brahman was breathed forth at one and the same time. Now, that does not mean that the stories being related in scripture did not occur. The gods, saints, and sages still lived and still said the words they said in the various scriptures. In one of the Puranas Vishnu in his Boar incarnation says to goddess Earth 'Every time I carry you this way...'. Vivekananda said 'An infinite number of times this has been, and an infinite number of times this will be repeated...even the combination of physical forms is eternally repeated.' – Swami Vishwananda Jan 15 '15 at 05:59