Tendulkar, the highest run-scorer in both Test and one-day cricket and the only batsman to make 100 international centuries, said he had been "living a dream" since his debut in 1989, but recognised it was now time to call it quits.
"It's been a huge honour to have represented my country and played all over the world," he said in a statement.
India will play a two-Test series against the West Indies at home next month which would enable Tendulkar, who has already played 198 Test matches, to become the first cricketer to reach the 200 landmark.
The right-handed batsman, who has scored 15,837 Test runs since his debut against Pakistan in Karachi in November 1989, has struggled for form in recent times.
His 100 centuries in international cricket includes 51 Test tons, but his last century in the longer format came against South Africa in January 2011.
Tendulkar retired from one-day internationals late last year and played his last Twenty20 match earlier this month in an appearance for the Mumbai Indians.
Tendulkar captained India for several years but the high point of his career came in 2011 when, in his sixth World Cup, he helped India win the coveted one-day title at home in Mumbai.
n the past two years, batting became a struggle for Tendulkar and it's hard to avoid the conclusion that he stayed too long. His most recent Test century was in January, 2011, and that was 21 Tests ago. The batsman who was accustomed to dominating attacks seemed to bat within himself, and an innings of 70 or 80 became a triumph.
The adulation surrounding Tendulkar meant that that no one could tell him when it was time to go; that decision had to come from within. The emergence of batsmen such as Virat Kohli and Sikhar Dhawan, both outrageous talents, and the staggering of the retirements of the older champions, suggests the Indian team will get along without him. But his retirement will leave a massive hole in the game. Cricket, in its modern guises, is unlikely to produce another player like him.
