thumb|Sacred Books of the East
The Sacred Books of the East is a monumental 50-volume set of English translations of Asian religious texts, edited by Max Müller and published by the Oxford University Press between 1879 and 1910. It incorporates the essential sacred texts of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, and Islam.
All of the books are in the public domain in the United States, and most or all are in the public domain in many other countries. Electronic versions of all 50 volumes are widely available online.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Volumes of the Sacred Books of the East
|-
! Vol. !! Title and contents!! Group !! Translator !! Published
|-
! 1
| The Upanishads, part 1/2:
- Khândogya Upanishad
- Talavakâra or Kena-Upanishad
- Aitareya-Âranyaka
- Kaushîtaki-Brâhmana
- Vâjasaneyi-Sâmhita Upanishad
|Hindu
| Max Müller
|1879
|-
! 2
| The Sacred Laws of the Âryas (Dharmaśāstra), part 1/2:
- Âpastamba
- Gautama
- Vâsishtha
- Baudhâyana
|Hindu
| Georg Bühler
|1879
|-
! 3
| The Sacred Books of China, part 1/6 – the texts of Confucianism:
- The Shû King (Classic of History)
- Book of Thang
- Books of Yü
- Books of Hsiâ
- Books of Shang
- Books of Kâu
- Shih King, the Book of Odes (Classic of Poetry)
- I. Odes of the Temple and the Altar
- II. Minor Odes of the Kingdom
- III. Major Odes of the Kingdom
- IV. Lessons from the States
- The Hsiâo King (Classic of Filial Piety)
|China
| James Legge
|1879
|-
! 4
|Zend-Avesta, part 1/3:
- Vendîdâd
|Zor
| James Darmesteter
|1880
|-
! 5
|Pahlavi Texts, part 1/5:
- Bundahis
- selections of Zâd-sparam
- Bahman Yast
- Shâyast lâ-Shâyast
|Zor
| E. W. West
|1880
|-
! 6
|Qur'an part 1/2 – chapters I-XVI
|Islam|| E. H. Palmer
|1880
|-
! 7
| The Institutes of Visnu.
|Hindu|| Julius Jolly
|1880
|-
! 8
| The Bhagavadgîtâ:
- Sanatsugâtîya
- Anugîtâ.
|Hindu
| Kâshinâth Trimbak Telang
|1882
|-
! 9
| The Qur'an, part 2/2 – chapters XVII-CXIV
|Islam|| E. H. Palmer
|1880
|-
! 10
|Dhammapada: a collection of verses
Sutta-Nipâta: a collection of discourses, one of the canonical books of the Buddhists
|Bud
| Max Müller (Dhammapada from Pāli, Sutta-Nipata from Pāli)
|1881
|-
! 11
|Buddhist Suttas:
- Mahā-parinibbāṇa Suttanta
- Dhamma-kakka-ppavattana Sutta
- Tevigga Sutta'anta
- Âkankheyya Sutta'a
- Ketokhila Sutta'a
- Mahâ-Sudassana Sutta'anta
- Sabbâsava Sutta'a
|Bud
| T. W. Rhys Davids
|1881
|-
! 12
|Satapatha Brahmana, part 1/5:
- Mâdhyandina Shakha I-II
|Hindu
| Julius Eggeling
|1882
|-
! 13
| Vinaya Texts, part 1/3:
- Pāṭimokkha
- Mahâvagga, I–IV.
|Bud
| T. W. Rhys Davids and Hermann Oldenberg
|1881
|-
! 14
| The Sacred Laws of the Âryas, part 2/2:
- Vâsishtha
- Baudhâyana
- Parisishta
|Hindu
| Georg Bühler
|1882
|-
! 15
| The Upanishads, part 2/2:
- Katha Upanishad
- Mundaka Upanishad
- Taittiriya Upanishad
- Brhadaranyaka Upanishad
- Svetasvatara Upanishad
- Prasña Upanishad
- Maitrayani Upanishad
|Hindu
| Max Müller
|1884
|-
! 16
| The Sacred Books of China, part 2/6 – the texts of Confucianism:
- Yi King (I Ching).
|China
| James Legge
|1882
|-
! 17
| Vinaya Texts, part 2/3
- Mahavagga, V–X
- Kullavagga, I–II
|Bud
| T. W. Rhys Davids and Hermann Oldenberg
|1882
|-
! 18
|Pahlavi Texts, part 2/5
- Dâdistân-î Dinik
- Epistles of Mânûskîhar
|Zor
| E. W. West
|1882
|-
! 19
| The Fo-sho-hing-tsan-king: a life of Buddha, by Ashvaghosha, Bodhisattva; translated from Sanskrit into Chinese by Dharmakṣema (A. D. 420).
|Bud|| Samuel Beal
|1883
|-
! 20
| Vinaya Texts, part 3/3:
- Kullavagga, IV–XII.
|Bud
| T. W. Rhys Davids and Hermann Oldenberg
|1885
|-
! 21
|The Saddharma-Pundarika or The Lotus of the True Law.
|Bud|| H. Kern
|1884
|-
! 22
| Jaina Sûtras, part 1/2
- Âkârânga Sûtra
- Kalpa sûtra
|Jain
| Hermann Jacobi
from the Prâkrit
|1884
|-
! 23
|Zend-Avesta, part 2/3:
- Sîrôzahs
- Yasts
- Nyâyis
|Zor
| James Darmesteter
|1883
|-
! 24
|Pahlavi Texts, part 3/5:
- Dinai Mainög-i khirad
- Sikand-Gümanik Vigar
- Sad Dar
|Zor
| E. W. West
|1884
|-
! 25
| The Laws of Manu: with extracts from seven commentaries.
|Hindu|| Georg Bühler
|1886
|-
! 26
|Satapatha Brahmana, part 2/5
- Mâdhyandina Shakha III–IV
|Hindu
| Julius Eggeling
|1885
|-
! 27
| The Sacred Books of China, part 3/6 – the texts of Confucianism:
- The Lî Kî I (Book of Rites)
|China
| James Legge
|1885
|-
! 28
| The Sacred Books of China, part 4/6 – the texts of Confucianism:
- The Lî Kî Ii (Book of Rites)
|China
| James Legge
|1885
|-
! 29
|Grihya-sutras, part 1/2 – rules of Vedic domestic ceremonies:
- Sankhyayana-Grihya-sutra
- Āśvalāyana-Grihya-sutra
- Paraskara-Grihya-sutra
- Khadia-Grihya-sutra
|Hindu
| Hermann Oldenberg
|1886
|-
! 30
|Grihya-sutras, part 2/2 – rules of Vedic domestic ceremonies:
- Gobhila
- Hiranyakesin
- Apastamba
- Yajña Paribhashasutras
|Hindu
| Hermann Oldenberg (Apstamba),
Max Müller (Yajna)
|1892
|-
! 31
|Zend-Avesta, part 3/3:
- Yasna
- Visparad
- Afrînagân
- Gâhs
- miscellaneous fragments
|Zor
| Lawrence Heyworth Mills
|1887
|-
! 32
|Vedic Hymns, part 1/2
- Hymns to the Maruts
- Hymns to Rudra
- Hymns to Vâyu
- Hymns to Vâta
- Bibliographical list of the more important publications on the Rigveda
|Hindu
| Max Müller
|1891
|-
! 33
| The Minor Law-Books: Brihaspati
|Hindu|| Julius Jolly
|1889
|-
! 34
|Vedanta-Sutras, part 1/3
- Commentary by Sankaracharya, part 1 of 2
- Adhyâya I–II (Pâda I–II).
|Hindu
| George Thibaut
|1890
|-
! 35
| The Questions of King Milinda, part 1/2
- Milindapañha
|Bud
| T. W. Rhys Davids
|1890
|-
! 36
| The Questions of King Milinda, part 2/2
- Milindapañha
|Bud
| T. W. Rhys Davids
|1894
|-
! 37
|Pahlavi Texts, part 4/5
- Contents of the Nasks
|Zor
| E. W. West
|1892
|-
! 38
|Vedanta-Sutras, part 2/3
- Commentary by Sankaracharya, part 2 of 2
- Adhyâya II (Pâda III–IV)–IV
|Hindu
| George Thibaut
|1896
|-
! 39
| Texts of Taoism, part 1/2
- Tâo Teh King (Tâo Te Ching) of Lâo Dze (Lao Tsu)
- The Writings of Kwang-tze (Chuang-tse), I–XVII
|China
| James Legge
|1891
|-
! 40
| Texts of Taoism, part 2/2
- The Writings of Kwang Tse, XVII–XXXIII
- The Thâi-shang tractate of actions and their retributions (Treatise on the Response of the Tao)
- Other Taoist texts
- the Index to vols. 39 and 40
|China
| James Legge
|1891
|-
! 41
|Satapatha Brahmana, part 3/5:
- Mâdhyandina Shakha V–VII
|Hindu
| Julius Eggeling
|1894
|-
! 42
| Hymns of the Atharvaveda, Together With Extracts From the Ritual Books and the Commentaries
|Hindu|| Maurice Bloomfield
|1897
|-
! 43
|Satapatha Brahmana, part 4/5:
- Mâdhyandina Shakha VII, IX, X.
|Hindu
| Julius Eggeling
|1897
|-
! 44
|Satapatha Brahmana, part 5/5:
- Mâdhyandina Shakha XI–XIV.
|Hindu
| Julius Eggeling
|1900
|-
! 45
| Jaina Sûtras, part 2 of 2:
- Uttarâdhyayana Sûtra
- Sûtrakritânga Sûtra
|Jain
| Hermann Jacobi
(from Prâkrit)
|1895
|-
! 46
| Vedic Hymns, part 2/2:
- Hymns to Agni (Mandalas I–V)
|Hindu
| Hermann Oldenberg
|1897
|-
! 47
|Pahlavi Texts, part 5/5:
- Marvels of Zoroastrianism
|Zor
| E. W. West
|1897
|-
! 48
| Vedanta-Sutras, part 3/3, with the commentary of Râmânuja
|Hindu|| George Thibaut
|1904
|-
! 49
|Buddhist Mahâyâna Texts, part 1/2:
- Buddha-karita of Aśvaghoṣa
Buddhist Mahâyâna Texts, part 2/2:
- Longer Sukhâvatî-vyûha
- Shorter Sukhâvatî-vyûha
- Vagrakkhedikâ
- the longer Pragñâ-pâramitâ-hridaya-sûtra
- the shorter Pragñâ-pâramitâ-hridaya-sûtra
- Amitâyur dhyâna-sûtra
|Bud
| Edward Byles Cowell (part 1, from Sanskrit), Max Müller, and Takakusu Junjiro (Amitâyur)
|1894
|-
! 50
| General index to the names and subject-matter of the Sacred Books of the East.
|Index|| Moriz Winternitz, with a preface by Arthur Anthony Macdonell
|1910
|}
References
External links
- Sacred Books of the East on archive.org
- Sacred Books of the East, at sacred-texts.com (html)
- Sacred Books of the East, PDF ebooks at holybooks.com