Are there any Hindu sacred texts from modern times, such as during the Mughal Empire all the way to the modern era? I feel some of the more recent scriptures don't get the love they deserve, mostly because secular interpreters are always come up with political reasonings for them, even if the accusations make no sense. I would love to know what they say about the other major religions in the world. Preferably texts in Sanskrit as they link more naturally to the older scriptures.

  • Something that is structured like scripture and not doctrine. Also, I was thinking of the Upapurāṇa, which while newer than most are still not in the modern era. Oct 4, 2020 at 17:32
  • you are confusing terms used in different religions. There are no 'doctrines' in Hinduism. Additionally, there are many different texts, in Sanskrit, of a 'modern' vintage, but they are not accepted by all the different philosophical schools of Hinduism. Oct 5, 2020 at 5:00
  • There being no doctrines in Hinduism is why I said no doctrines. Also, I could not find a scripture from the modern era, so I wanted to see if someone knew one. Oct 5, 2020 at 6:54
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    Many of the Kerala bhakti-kavyas were written rather recently. E.g., the Narayaniyam (by Melpatur) and Harinamakirtanam (by Ezhuthachan) were written circa 1500s, when the Mughals ruled North India. Oct 5, 2020 at 12:23
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    @AupakaranaAbhibhaa The Narayaneeyam is in Sanskrit. It is considered a summary of the Bhagavata Purana. Oct 5, 2020 at 12:24

2 Answers 2


Some Sanskrit works from Malabar fit these periods.

  1. Nārāyaṇīyaṁ, a summary of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa attributed to Mēlpatūr Nārāyaṇa Bhattatirippād. Composed ca. 16th century.

  2. Tantrasamuccayaṁ, a guide on temple-building, nitya pūjas, and other knowledge on tantra. Composed by Cēnnās Nārāyaṇan Nambūdirippad in the 15th century. The author's descendants are the chief tantrīs of the Guruvāyur Śrī Krishnā Temple.

There are many other Malayalam works that are considered authoritative by Malayalis.

  1. Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇaṁ Kil̥ippāttu, Harināmakīrtanaṁ, and Dēvīmāhātmyaṁ by Tuncat Rāmānujan Ezhutaccan.

  2. Krishṇagātha by Ceruśēry Nambūdiri.

  3. Jnānappāna and Santānagōpālampāna by Pūntānaṁ Nambūdiri.


Most of Swami Desikan's works (14th century) - written in Sanskrit, Tamil and ManiPravala fit this period.

One of his works - Abheetistavam, prayer to Ranganatha for Abhayam, is a response to Mughal invasion of Sri Rangam.

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