Time spent laughing is time spent with the Gods. - Japanese Proverb

The Immensity of the Hindu Scriptures
Part 2

Gyan Rajhans P. Eng.

As stated in Part 1 published in the October issue there is no such thing as one single book that can be called the Hindu scripture due to the immensity of the Hindu scriptures. You learned in Part 1 that there are two types of sacred writings, which constitute the Hindu scriptures. The first one is called “Shruti” – which means that which has been heard. The second one is called “Smriti” – meaning that which has been memorized. Shruti scriptures consisting of the Vedas and Upanishads were explained in Part 1. In this article I will give you the details of Smriti scriptures.

Smriti scriptures

As stated before, Smriti means that which is remembered. Smriti scriptures are derived from the Vedas and are considered to be of human origin and not of divine origin like the Vedas and the Upanishads. They were written to explain and elaborate the Vedas, making them understandable and more meaningful to the general population. All authoritative writings outside the Vedas and Bhagwad Gita are collectively referred to as Smriti. There are six important Smriti scriptures that every Hindu should know of:.

1. Dharmshastras – They describe the codes of the human conduct, righteousness, personal hygiene, social administration, ethical and moral duties. The best known Dharmashastra is the Manu Smriti or the Codes of Conduct developed by Sage Manu Manu prescribed Hindu conduct on the basis of self-control, non-injury, compassion, and non-attachment. All of which were emphasized as necessary prerequisites for a just and virtuous society. Therefore, Manu Smriti is a code of law for righteous living which continues to dominate Hindu ethics even today.

2. Puranas- There is a lot of controversies about the Puranas. But one should first understand what the Puranas are. The wealth of the mythological knowledge is found in the Puranas. All Puranas contain information on incarnations, cosmology, creation, genealogy of kings and of time cycles. Veda-Vyasa is the compiler of the Puranas (you can read about in June and July 2005 issue).

The purpose of the Puranas is the same as that of the Itihasas (see below). They explain the Vedic principles and the ethics and rituals of religion with examples and parables for the consumption of the common man. Another purpose is to instill in the populace a feeling of devotion and worship. There are eighteen main Puranas and an equal number of subsidiary Puranas.

The main Puranas are:

1. VishnuPurana,
2. NaradiyaPurana,
3. ShrimadBhagavataPurana,
4. Garuda(Suparna)Purana,
5. PadmaPurana,
6. VarahaPurana,
7. BrahmaPurana,
8. BrahmandaPurana,
9. BrahmaVaivartaPurana,
10. MarkandeyaPurana,
11. BhavishyaPurana,
12. VamanaPurana,
13. MatsyaPurana,
14. KurmaPurana,
15. LingaPurana,
16. ShivaPurana,
17. Skanda Purana, and
18. AgniPurana.

The most popular among the Puranas is the Shrimad Bhagavata. The Shrimad Bhagavata Purana is a chronicle of the various incarnations of Lord Vishnu, but focuses on Lord Krishna. Each Purana has a specific purpose and was first narrated on a special occasion. The purpose of the Shrimad Bhagavata Purana is to enable a person to overcome the fear of death. Sukhdev Muni, the son of Ved-Vyasa narrated it to King Parikshit, when Parikshit was cursed to die in a week’s time.

The longest Purana is the Skanda Purana, which has 81000 couplets. The shortest is the Markandeya Purana, which has 9000 couplets.

3. Epics or the Ithiasas- The two great epics of Hindu religion are the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. These are the most popular spiritual books among Hindus. The Ramayana was originally written by Sage Valmiki. The story describes how Lord Vishnu appeared on earth as Lord Ram and killed the demon king Ravana, who had oppressed his kingdom through his lust for power. The epic illustrates the ideals of personal, social and public life. The Ramayana also illustrates the ideals of brotherhood, friendship, chastity for both men and women.

The Mahabharata is written by Ved-Vyas, which is sometimes also referred to as the fifth Veda because of its deep influence on Hindus of all walks of life. It’s a story of a great war that took place between the Kauravas and the Pandavas for the ownership of the ancient kingdom of Kurukshetra. In the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna was the charioteer of Arjuna (one of the Pandavas) who upon seeing his friends and relatives gathered on the other side of the battlefield told Krishna he was not prepared to kill his own friends and relatives for the sake of a kingdom. This led to an immortal dialogue between Arjuna and Lord Krishna, known as the Bhagwad Gita (described in Part 1). The message of the Bhagwad Gita is universal and includes the basic beliefs of Hindu religion.

4. Agmas (or the Tantras) - The Tantras are the sectarian scriptures of the three major theological traditions of Hindu religion, namely Vaishnavas, Shaivas, and Shakts. The Vaishnavas adore the ultimate reality as Lord Vishnu, the Shaivas revere the ultimate reality as Lord Shiva and Shaktas venerate the ultimate reality as the divine mother of the universe. Each Agma consists of four parts. The first part includes philosophical and spiritual knowledge. The second part covers yoga and mental discipline. The third part specifies rules for the construction of temples and for sculpting the statues and figures of deities for worship in the temples. This is where all the idol shapes came from. The fourth part includes rules pertaining to the observances of the religious rights, rituals and festivals.

5. Darshanas or Philosophies- The religious literature in this category can be classified into two divisions, Heterodox and Orthodox. The Heterodox reject the authority of the Vedas and include Buddhists, Jains, and the Charvakas. The Orthodox school accepts the Vedas and the Vedic literature as authoritative. There are six Orthodox schools; the two Mimansa schools (Purava Mimansa and Uttara Mimansa) directly based on the Vedic literature, the Nyaya, the Vaisheshika, the Sankhya and the Yoga schools are based on slightly different ideology but are consistent with the Vedas. Each Darshana or school has its writings attributed to its founder, including a number of commentaries written later by the followers of these schools.

6. Yogvashistha- It is the dialogue between Lord Ram and His Guru Sage Vashistha. It comprises 29,000 Sanskrit verses and it is said to have been written by Sage Valmiki, who wrote the epic Ramayana (see above). In poetic language and through curious stories and philosophical discourses, Yogvashistha expounds Vedanta philosophy with seemingly more emphasis on Audwatic doctrine of the Vedanta philosophy. Audwatic means no distinction between the human being and the supreme Brahman.

This is all one needs to know in brief about the Smriti scriptures. Each and every Hindu Scripture can be expanded on but it requires more space and can be a cause of further confusion. If one knows what is mentioned in Part 1 and Part 2 (this article), he or she should have the knowledge to answer the question “What are the scriptures of the Hindu religion?”

[Gyan Rajhans, an internationally recognized heath & safety professional has been broadcasting the only non-commercial Vedic religion radio program in North America since 1981 & worldwide web cast on www.bhajanawali.com since 1999. Mr. Rajhans has published extensively on religious and spiritual matters. Some articles are available on the Bhajanawali web site. He has translated Sri Mad Bhagvad Gita in English for the younger generation. Mr Rajhans has been conferred various titles, including that of Rishi by Hindu Prarthana Samaj of Toronto Hindu Ratna by Hindu Federation of Toronto. He received Canadian Journalists' and Writers' Club (CEJWC) award  for 2005 in the Internet category - Opinion - for his Spirituality columns in South Asian Outlook e-Monthly.]

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