Shruti, Smruthi, Purana

I had prepared the enclosed note on 'Shruthi, Smruthi and the Puranas ' at the request of one of my readers from

Canada. I am sending a copy of the note to you on the preumtion it might interest you


B.M.N.Murthy, 9th Feb 2010

SHRUTHI, SMRUTHI and the PURANAS

Our ancient Hindu Religion has been in existence ever since the dawn of creation. Nobody has founded our religion and similarly nobody has written our Vedas.
The Vedas have just come down to us by word of mouth. Since the Vedas were unwritten words or rather unwritten sounds, there was no question of any books or any printing of the Vedas. It was just by word of mouth that they were transmitted down from one generation to the other. That is why they are called ’Shruthi’ [What is heard]

The Maharshis captured these sounds of the Vedas from space [Akasha] by their great penance and were able to pass them down to us from generation to generation by word of mouth. Therefore the sounds that we get from the Vedas when we hear them are pure and there is no question of their being any distortion or disturbance in their sounds.
There are innumerable branches of the Vedas. However, for the convenience and easy understanding of all of us who are now living in Kaliyuga, Veda Vyasa codified them towards the end of the Dwapara Yuga into Four main Vedas namely Rig-Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda.

In spite of the codification done for our convenience and understanding by Veda Vyasa, it is difficult for people to follow the Vedic injunctions and do our duties accordingly. Further it is very difficult to understand the meaning. Therefore Dharma Shastras, popular as Smruthis, have been written by great Maharshis with a view to tell us more clearly and more easily the purport of the Vedas and what actions we have to perform and how to do them as per Vedic injunctions. These Smruthis have been written at various times and while writing these Smruthis the Maharshis have taken into consideration the social scene prevailing at the time of their writing. However, it must be noted that the Smruthis are not independent texts and that they are always founded on the foundation of the Vedas or the Shruthis. That is why even a great poet like Kalidasa in his magnum opus Raghuvamsha says “Shrutheriva Artham Smruthih Anvagacchath”
this means ‘that the Smruthis followed the path laid by the Shruthis’

The Puranas magnify the injunctions contained in the Vedas in the form of stories easily understood by man.

The Shruthi, The Smruthis and the Puranas have the same purpose of teaching us as to how to lead a Dharmic way of life that leads us to Self-Realization. The purpose is the same but the manner of their preaching and the emphasis vary between the Shruthi, the Smruthis and the Puranas.


B.M.N. Murthy




SHRUTHI, SMRUTHI and the PURANAS
Created: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 2:17 AM