The Sacred Books of the East – all 50 volumes

Sacred Books of the East - free pdf e-books download here
The Sacred Books of the East

The Sacred Books of the East is an enormous project undertaken by Max Müller and various authors from 1879 and 1910. The group’s work was published by Oxford University Press and to this day many of the translations are the only ones existing or the most precise. These translations might be some of the most important literature in one collection the world has ever seen. It is not possible to buy the complete set of these works, but Google Books and Microsoft have done an effort to scan them all from library sources since they are now in the Public Domain. Please keep in mind that these volumes are huge, some of the files are more than 50 MB and have up to 3.000 pages. In total, The Sacred Books of the East are more than a hundred thousand pages. The books are now in the Public Domain and available here for free download in their complete length.

The Sacred Books of the East
The Sacred Books of the East is an enormous project undertaken by Max Müller and various authors from 1879 and 1910.
Written by: Various oriental scholars, edited by Max Müller
Published by: Oxford University Press
Available in: Ebook

Download The Sacred Books of the East here as PDF-files:

1. The Upanishads, Part 1 of 2. Chandogya Upanishad. Talavakara (Kena) Upanishad. Aitareya Upanishad. Kausitaki Upanishad. Vajasaneyi (Isa) Upanishad.

2. The Sacred Laws of the Aryas, vol. 1 of 2. The sacred laws of the Aryas as taught in the school of Apastamba, Gautama, Vâsishtha, and Baudhâyana. pt. I. Apastamba and Gautama. (The Dharma Sutras).

3. The Sacred Books of China, vol. 1 of 6. Part I of The Texts of Confucianism. The Shû king (Classic of History). The religions portions of the Shih king (Classic of Poetry). The Hsiâo king (Xiao Jing).

4. The Zend-Avesta, vol. 1 of 3. The Vendîdâd.

5. Pahlavi Texts, vol. 1 of 5. The Bundahis, Bahman Yast, and Shayast La-Shayast.

6. The Qur’an, vol. 1 of 2.

7. The Institutes of Visnu.

8. The Bhagavadgita With the Sanatsugâtiya and the Anugitâ.

(We have several other translations of the Bhagavad Gita, here: Link)

9. The Qur’an, vol. 2 of 2.

10. The Dhammapada and The Sutta-Nipâta, a collection of discourses; being one of the canonical books of the Buddhists, translated from Pāli; and The Dhammapada, a collection of verses, translated from Pāli.

11. Buddhist Suttas. The Mahâ-parinibbâna Suttanta, The Dhamma-kakka-ppavattana Sutta, The Tevigga Sutta’anta, The Âkankheyya Sutta’a, The Ketokhila Sutta’a, The Mahâ-Sudassana Sutta’anta, The Sabbâsava Sutta’a.

12. The Satapatha Brahmana according to the text of the Mâdhyandina school, vol. 1 of 5.

13. Vinaya Texts, vol. 1 of 3. The Patimokkha. The Mahavagga, I-IV.

14. The Sacred Laws of the Aryas, vol. 2 of 2. The sacred laws of the Aryas as taught in the school of Apastamba, Gautama, Vâsishtha, and Baudhâyana. pt. II. Vâsishtha and Baudhâyana.

15. The Upanishads, part 2 of 2. Katha Upanishad. Mundaka Upanishad. Taittiriya Upanishad. Brhadaranyaka Upanishad. Svetasvatara Upanishad. Prasña Upanishad. Maitrayani Upanishad.

16. The Sacred Books of China, vol. 2 of 6. Part II of The Texts of Confucianism. The Yi King: (I Ching).

17. Vinaya Texts, vol. 2 of 3. The Mahavagga, V-X, the Kullavagga I-II.

18. Pahlavi Texts, vol. 2 of 5. The Dâdistân-î Dinik and the Epistles of Mânûskîhar.

19. The Fo-sho-hing-tsan-king, a life of Buddha, by Ashvaghosha, Bodhisattva; translated from Sanskrit into Chinese by Dharmaraksha, A. D. 420.

20. Vinaya Texts, vol. 3 of 3. The Kullavagga, IV-XII.

21. The Saddharma-Pundarika or The Lotus of the True Law.

22. Jaina Sûtras, vol. 1 of 2, translated from the Prâkrit. The Âkârânga sûtra. The Kalpa sûtra.

23. The Zend-Avesta, vol. 2 of 3. The Sîrôzahs, Yasts, and Nyâyis.

24. Pahlavi Texts, vol. 3 of 5. Dinai Mainög-i khirad, Sikand-Gümanik Vigar, Sad Dar.

25. The Laws of Manu. Translated, with extracts from seven commentaries.

26. The Satapatha Brahmana according to the text of the Mâdhyandina school, vol. 2 of 5, Books III-IV

27. The Sacred Books of China, vol. 3 of 6. Part III of the texts of Confucianism. The Lî Kî (Book of Rites), part 1 of 2.

28. The Sacred Books of China, vol. 4 of 6. Part IV of the texts of Confucianism. The Lî Kî (Book of Rites), part 2 of 2.

29. The Grihya-sutras; rules of Vedic domestic ceremonies. vol. 1 of 2. Sankhyayana-Grihya-sutra. Asvalayana-Grihya-sutra. Paraskara-Grihya-sutra. Khadia-Grihya-sutra.

30. The Grihya-sutras; rules of Vedic domestic ceremonies. vol. 2 of 2. Gobhila, Hiranyakesin, Apastamba (Olderberg); Yajña Paribhashasutras (Müller).

31. The Zend-Avesta, vol. 3 of 3. The Yasna, Visparad, Afrînagân, Gâhs, and miscellaneous fragments.

32. Vedic Hymns, vol. 1 of 2. Hymns to the Maruts, Rudra, Vâyu, and Vâta., with a bibliographical list of the more important publications on the Rig-veda.

33. The Minor Law-Books: Brihaspati. (Part 1 of 1).

34. The Vedanta-Sutras, vol. 1 of 3. Commentary by Sankaracharya, part 1 of 2. Adhyâya I-II (Pâda I-II).

35. The Questions of King Milinda, vol. 1 of 2. Milindapañha.

36. The Questions of King Milinda, vol. 2 of 2. Milindapañha.

37. Pahlavi Texts, vol. 4 of 5. Contents of the Nasks.

38. The Vedanta-Sutras, vol. 2 of 3, commentary by Sankaracharya, part 1 of 2. Adhyâya II (Pâda III-IV) -IV.

39. The Texts of Taoism, Part 1 of 2. The Sacred Books of China, vol. 5 of 6. Also: The Tâo the king (Tao te Ching): The writings of Kwang-tze, books I-XVII.

40. The Texts of Taoism, Part 2 of 2. Includes The Writings of Kwang Tse, books XVII-XXXIII, The Thâi-shang tractate of actions and their retributions, other Taoist texts, and the Index to vols. 39 and 40.

41. The Satapatha Brahmana according to the text of the Mâdhyandina school, vol. 3 of 5. Books V, VI, VII.

42. Hymns of the Atharvaveda, Together With Extracts From the Ritual Books and the Commentaries.

43. The Satapatha Brahmana according to the text of the Mâdhyandina school, vol. 4 of 5, Books VII, IX, X.

44. The Satapatha Brahmana according to the text of the Mâdhyandina school, vol. 5 of 5, Books XI, XII, XIII, XIV.

45. Jaina Sûtras, vol. 2 of 2, translated from Prâkrit. The Uttarâdhyayana Sûtra, The Sûtrakritânga Sûtra.

46. Vedic Hymns, vol. 2 of 2. Hymns to Agni (Mandalas I-V).

47. Pahlavi Texts, vol. 5 of 5. Marvels of Zoroastrianism.

48. The Vedanta-Sutras, vol. 3 of 3, with the commentary of Râmânuja.

49. Buddhist Mahâyâna Texts. Part 1. The Buddha-karita of Asvaghosha, translated from the Sanskrit by E. B. Cowell. Part 2. The larger Sukhâvatî-vyûha, the smaller Sukhâvatî-vyûha, the Vagrakkedikâ, the larger Pragñâ-pâramitâ-hridaya-sûtra, the smaller Pragñâ-pâramitâ-hridaya-sûtra, translated by F. Max Müller. The Amitâyur dhyâna-sûtra, translated by J. Takakusu.

50. General index to the names and subject-matter of the sacred books of the East.

 

68 thoughts on “The Sacred Books of the East – all 50 volumes”

  1. I am so Grateful to You. The Books are carefully scanned placed carefully for Download. This is Unique Collection by Oxford-University; Through Hon. F Max Muller. All Eastern six Religions on fingertip of World Scholars. It’s a HIGHEST obligation of Century…….. (on blessings from Information Technology)

    Reply
  2. thanks so much for sharing these masterpieces. I am Iranian and at the moment I’m researching on old these holy books. Although I’m familiar with my old Persian language and especially my golden cultures in Avesta and also Vedic heritages, these series can help to me to know more the perception of west scholars into sacred texts of East.
    Sincerely
    Mohammad.Sharafoleslami

    Reply
  3. YOU are the BEST ! Just thouht You msy need to know your appreciated. You have saved so much time TRYING TO LOCATE THE MISPLACED INDEXES.

    THANK YOU FOR GOING OUT OF YOUR WAY TO lead us to the proper locations of THESE most beautiful, most invaluable , Righteous TEXTS for the Mind,Body & Soul…..Truely Spiritually enlightening Gift from the universe….
    …….Real food for the soul & now easily accessible.Love It !!
    Much gratitude & Many blessings to You & Yours,
    PEACE, JEANNETTE

    Reply
  4. To whomever may read this comment; this material is some of the most important literature the world has ever seen. And yet upon reflection, perhaps it is the most important. We are so very very privileged to be able to read it. To be able to know our future we must first look to the past. Thank you so much to the person/s responsible for collecting it and making it available. I am so fortunate to be a Kiwi (New Zealander of both Scottish & English ancestry)

    Reply
  5. Appreciate your effort in making these books available.

    Volume 2 is the wrong link though , it provides volume 4 in error

    Thanks

    Reply
  6. juste vous remercier pour ce site . I’m togolese but i live in Dakar (senegal) .I like spiritual books. And it’s my first time to see a website like this .Thank you verry much
    my what’sapp number +221 77 115 05 82 for more about me .Thanks

    Reply
  7. Dear all,
    – You can find Volume 2 (Sacred Laws of the Aryas, Part 1 of 2) in Volume 1, The Upanishads, Part 1 of 2, page 440 of 1394 of pdf.
    – You can also find Volume 3 (Sacred Books of China, Part 1 of 6) in Volume 1, The Upanishads, Part 1 of 2, Page 835 of 1394 of pdf.

    Salam

    Reply
  8. I’m having the same problem as Glen above. The link to Volume III, on the sacred texts of China, at redirecting me to Vol. X; The Dhammapada and The Sutta-Nipata.
    How can I fix this? Please and thank You.

    Reply
  9. Thank you SO much for an exceptional compilation and reference source!

    The link to Volume III of The Sacred Books of the East (The Sacred Books of China / Confucianism Part 01) unfortunately redirects and downloads Volume X (ten) which is The Dhammapada and The Sutta-Nipata.

    Kindly advise whether you are able to fix this link, and/or where I can source Volume III (Confucianism Part 01).

    Thank you ever so much!
    Glen

    Reply
  10. Thank you so so so much for this. Fantastic job such a noble thing! I downloaded so many books and would never have found these if not for you. May you always have the blessings of Mata Sarasvati.

    [Ps. Do you know where I could find all the esoteric codex books? Thank you again.]

    Reply
  11. Guys, please be kind enough to correct the links of SBE 2 & 3.

    A big thank you for making this available,

    Cheers

    Reply
  12. looking for Sri Narada Pancharatnam: The Jnanamrita Sara Samhita. I t was in the Sacred books of the east series.

    Reply
  13. 2. The Sacred Laws of the Aryas, vol. 1 of 2. The sacred laws of the Aryas as taught in the school of Apastamba, Gautama, Vâsishtha, and Baudhâyana. pt. I. Apastamba and Gautama. (The Dharma Sutras).
    this link is misplaced by Zend Avesta part 1 of 2704 page plz upload the sacred laws of the aryas vol.1

    Reply
  14. I could cry I am so happy, for All of you concerned with the translations, the uploading,editing, Anything…Thank You, from my heart that is swollen with love at the mere thought of being able to read these words of wisdom. Thank You, Thank You, Thank you. XXX

    Reply
  15. I am student phd and my proposal is comparative between Asha,Dharma,Rita,Tao.
    I need help for free donload of texts and books.
    Thank you

    Reply
  16. 2. The Sacred Laws of the Aryas, vol. 1 of 2. The sacred laws of the Aryas as taught in the school of Apastamba, Gautama, Vâsishtha, and Baudhâyana. pt. I. Apastamba and Gautama. (The Dharma Sutras).

    this link is misplaced by Zend Avesta part 1 of 2704 page plz upload the sacred laws of the aryas vol.1

    Reply
  17. I am thankful to this wonderful website for keeping the books of the questions of milinda .
    The website has and will have done an immortal work.

    Salutations.

    Reply
  18. I needed the questions of milinda very much. thanks for keeping those in the website. You have actually done a great work for me.

    Salut.

    Reply
  19. I really appriciate the great contribution to human civilization reserve and spead and therefore promote cross-cultural communication.I am a Chinese student, and treasure the availability of reading original holy books enabling me to get better understanding of the world. Thank you all for such significance work. Salute to you with gratitude!

    Reply
  20. A million thank you for being kind enough to upload these ebooks-the Sacred Books of the East. In the past we had a lot of problems finding English translations of some of them and had to search all over India to locate a few. May God bless you!

    Reply
  21. Hello,

    First of all thank you very much for uploading this, I am very grateful. Also, for the rest of the site.

    Second, as Victor Baerner pointed out, Books 2 and 3 are incorrectly linked, they do not link to pdfs of the titles mentioned. It would be really cool if you could fix them. Thanks.

    Reply
  22. The Sacred Books of the East are many translations which are limited by the Imperialist age in which they were translated. They seek to force a Western perspective on the texts. Enough said, but what is truly wonderful are the translations done and some of which I have continued to use, I refer to the Amitabha (Pure Land) sutra texts. A graceful end note is this was a tremendous undertaking only equaled by the Buddhist translations and editions of the British Pali Text Society.

    Reply
    • Dear Mudrooroo I agree, all translations are limited by the cultural background of the editors and translators of the specific period. However, these works are unique in their scope and I do not believe we will ever see such projects on the topic again. This is the best we have :-)

      Reply
  23. Blessed be the creators of this site. I am a christian but I enjoy reading about other religions and it makes me happy that i have made the right choice in accepting Jesus. As a Chinese I am very pleased to be able to know more about my Chinese ancestors through their beliefs. Many thanks also to Google for this achievement in understanding humanity through their souls and beliefs.

    Reply
  24. I missed the set of sacred books due to that I don’t have enough money to buy the full set then…I am pleased to find it here…my utmost desire is to translate the full set in Urdu for my people,so the can become aware of the other sacred books of the east too….

    Reply
  25. Thank you for compiling this list. An incredible help with my research.

    A couple of technical glitches:
    Volumes 34 and 39 link to corrupted files which cannot be downloaded.

    Also, is it possible to obtain volumes 1, 2 and 3 as separate files?

    Reply
  26. Thanks for such hard work. Records of these are very valuable for humanity.

    It seems like volume 2 and 3 are mislinked. They don’t like to the Aryas of Sacred Books of China vol. 1. If possible please fix the links. Thanks.

    Reply
  27. Thank you four all your greatness to put all Vols. of S. B. E. available. I had already downloaded most of them but i found vol 19 just here.
    God Bless you.

    Reply
  28. This is blessing for me to have a soft copy Max Mullers -all 50 vol.
    As I got a collection of 50 vol hard copy.
    Thanks a lot for this full mobile copy
    It’s really a great job, thank you very much indeed.
    Aboobacker Hajee

    Reply
  29. i SALUTE THE MANAGERS OF THIS WEBSITE FOR SHOWING US how the word or shabda becomes almost eternal, even though it is mediated through technology!! Hence, the symbiotic co-existence of Vidya( the spiritual knowledge) and Avidya ( material knowledge or knowledge of the material world, secular knowledge)!! The volumes may be juxtaposed in iterms of their thematic contiguity or similarities.
    Regards

    Reply
  30. i really enjoy reading all of the different books that are on this site!!! this is a great site!!! need more on ancient religions and practices…. thank you!!!

    Reply

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