The Brāhmaṇas (Devanagari: ब्राह्मणं) are part of the Hindu śruti literature. They are commentaries on the four Vedas, detailing the proper performance of rituals. Each Vedic shakha (school) had its own Brahmana, and it is not known how many of these texts existed during the Mahajanapadas period. About twenty Brahmana have survived into modern times.