Śruti facts for kids
| Hindu texts |
 |
| Śruti
Smriti |
Shruti (Sanskrit: श्रुति, IAST: Śruti) is a Sanskrit word that means "that which is heard." In Hinduism, it refers to a very old and important collection of religious texts. These texts are considered the central and most trusted writings in Hinduism.
The Manusmriti, another important Hindu text, says: Śrutistu vedo vijñeyaḥ, which means "Know that the Vedas are Śruti." This tells us that the four main Vedas are part of Shruti. These Vedas include different types of texts: the Samhitas, the Upanishads, the Brahmanas, and the Aranyakas.
Many Hindus believe that Shruti texts were not created by humans. Instead, they are seen as a kind of revelation or wisdom that ancient wise people, called Rishis, experienced directly. However, the texts themselves suggest that Rishis skillfully created them, much like a carpenter builds a chariot.
All six main schools of Hindu thought accept the importance of Shruti. But not all scholars in these schools believe that Shruti texts are divine or from a god. A famous quote from the Manusmriti says that for those seeking to understand sacred law, Shruti is the highest authority.
Shruti is different from other Hindu texts, especially smṛti, which means "that which is remembered." Shruti texts are very old, starting with some of the earliest known writings and including the later Upanishads. Among all the Shruti texts, the Upanishads are the most widely known. Their main ideas form the spiritual heart of Hinduism.
Contents
What does Shruti mean?
The Sanskrit word "श्रुति" (IAST: Śruti) has several meanings. It can mean "hearing" or "listening." It can also refer to a call to "listen to a speech," or any kind of communication made of sounds, like news or a rumor.
In ancient Indian geometry, śruti meant "the diagonal of a square" or "the longest side of a right triangle." In old Indian music, śruti referred to a very small division of a musical octave, like a quarter tone. It's the smallest sound a person can hear.
In studies about Hinduism, śruti specifically means the ancient Vedic texts from India. Scholars like Monier-Williams explain that this meaning comes from the idea of sacred knowledge that was heard and passed down verbally from generation to generation by the earliest Rishis.
Shruti vs. Smriti: What's the difference?
Smriti literally means "that which is remembered." These are Hindu texts that usually have a known author and were written down, though they were often changed over time.
Shruti texts, on the other hand, are considered to have no human author. They were passed down verbally for many generations and were kept exactly the same.
- Shruti:
* Considered more authoritative. * Believed to be fixed and preserved without changes. * Passed down verbally. * Thought to be of divine origin by some, but not all, Hindu traditions.
- Smriti:
* Considered less authoritative. * Exists in many versions and could be rewritten. * Written down. * Seen as human thoughts or interpretations based on Shruti.
Some ancient Hindu philosophers did not think Shruti texts were written by a god. The Mīmāṃsā school of thought, for example, focused on the meaning of Shruti and its values for people, rather than its origin.
Some older philosophical schools, like the Cārvākas, did not accept Shruti's authority at all. They saw them as human works with inconsistencies. However, most Hindu traditions believe that all Smriti texts are ultimately based on or inspired by Shruti.
What texts are Shruti?
The Shruti literature includes the four main Vedas:
Each of these Vedas contains different types of texts that are all part of the Shruti collection:
- Samhitas (the main collection of hymns and prayers)
- Brahmanas (texts explaining rituals and ceremonies)
- Aranyakas (forest texts, often about rituals and symbolism)
- Upanishads (philosophical texts about spiritual knowledge)
Among all these Shruti texts, the Upanishads are the most widely known and studied. Their core ideas form the spiritual basis of Hinduism. As scholar Patrick Olivelle explains, even though all Vedic texts are considered revealed truth, it's the Upanishads that truly continue to influence Hindu life and thought. They are seen as the most important scriptures of Hinduism.
How Shruti guides Hindu law
Shruti texts are seen as the highest authority in Hinduism. Smriti texts, like the Manusmṛti, are considered less authoritative than Shruti.
The Vedas (Shruti) are seen as the main source of sacred law or dharma. Other sources include traditions, the good behavior of wise people, and what feels right to one's own conscience.
While the main parts of the Vedas (Samhitas) don't directly give rules for behavior, the Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and Upanishads do contain many rules and guidelines for how people should act.
The importance of Shruti in Hinduism comes from the belief in a higher cosmic order, called Rta (later known as Dharma). This order guides the universe and helps everything grow and thrive, including gods, humans, animals, and nature.
In Hindu law, Shruti and Smriti act as guides. The tradition teaches that what is good or bad depends on the specific situation. Later Hindu texts mention four sources for dharma: what satisfies one's conscience, the good customs of virtuous people, Smriti, and Shruti.
How Shruti texts were passed down
The Shruti texts are incredibly old, some dating back to around 1500 BCE. For nearly 2,000 years, these texts were not written down. Instead, they were developed and passed down verbally from one generation of teachers to the next. Most printed versions we have today come from manuscripts that are only about 500 years old.
Michael Witzel describes this oral tradition as being like a "tape-recording." Not only were the exact words preserved, but even the ancient musical tones were kept perfectly.
Ancient Indians created special ways to listen, memorize, and recite Shruti texts. Many different recitation methods, called pathas, were designed to make sure the Vedas and other knowledge texts were passed down accurately. For example, all 1,028 hymns of the Rigveda, with 10,600 verses, were preserved this way.
Here are some of the ways they recited texts to ensure accuracy:
- Samhita-patha: Reciting the words continuously, following the rules of how sounds blend together in Sanskrit.
- Pada-patha: Reciting with a clear pause after each word, bringing each word back to its original form.
- Krama-patha: A step-by-step recitation where words are paired up and recited in sequence (e.g., "word1word2 word2word3 word3word4"). This method helped check for accuracy.
These amazing memorization techniques ensured that Shruti texts remained fixed and accurate for thousands of years, not just in their word order but also in their sound. This is why the Rigveda, one of the oldest Indian religious texts (from around 1500 BCE), has been so well preserved.
Learning, memorizing, and practicing these texts was a key part of a Vedic student's education, known as svādhyāya. This systematic method allowed the texts to be passed down with incredible faithfulness from one generation to the next.
Images for kids
-
A friendly robot, like the one on Kiddle.co
See also
- Hindu law
- Upanishads
- Vedas
- Śāstra pramāṇam in Hinduism
