Divine Scriptures

The continuation of sacred scriptures in Hinduism.

Divine Scriptures

In the previous blog, we provided the classifications of Hindu scriptures as  Krit Granth, Smrit Granth and Vinirgat Granth. Krit Granths are texts written by mortal beings, Smrit Granth are scriptures written by enlightened souls or God-realized beings, and Vinirgat Granth are scriptures that are revealed by God Himself.

We will focus only on scriptures in the Smrit and Vinirgat categories because they contain true knowledge of God.

Vinirgat Granth

The only scripture in the category of Vinirgat Granth is the Vedas. The Vedas contain scriptural knowledge directly revealed by God through His natural breath. Therefore, they are called apaurusheya, meaning 'not composed by a human.' During the dissolution of the universe (pralaya), the Vedas merge within God. They are manifested when God reveals the universe again (srishti).

The Vedas were first revealed by God to the creator Brahma and then passed from Guru to disciple in the oral tradition. The Guru would recite and explain the various shlokas (Sanskrit lyrical couplets) to the disciples, who would then memorize them. Since they were not written down and were passed on through hearing and learning from one generation to the next, the Vedas are also referred to as shruti, which means 'what is heard.' Around 5000 BCE, the Vedas were written down and organized into the following four books by Sage Ved Vyas:

 a)   Rig Ved

b)   Yajur Ved

c)   Saam Ved

d)   Atharva Ved.  

Each Ved is divided into four sections: Sanhita, Brahman, Aranyak, and Upanishad. The Upanishads, which are the final sections of each Ved, contain the essence of the Vedic knowledge. They are sometimes referred to as Vedant, meaning the end of the Vedas. Upanishads contain the Vedic knowledge in its most refined form.

Smrit Granth

Smrit Granth are written by God-realized souls who have a complete understanding of God. This body of literature is born of a divine mind and is in accordance with the message of the Vedas. These scriptures expand upon and clarify the teachings of the Vedas. Smrit Granth includes the following:

a)   Purans

b)   Itihaas

c)   Smritis

d)   Darshan Shastras

Purans: Purans convey the knowledge of the Vedas through stories that highlight universal values such as:

a) non-violence (ahinsa)

b) charity (daan)

c) penance (tap), and

d) compassion (daya)

The Puranic stories demonstrate adherence to dharm (righteous conduct) despite upheavals in the lives of the characters.

The eighteen Purans are composed by Sage Ved Vyas. Altogether, they contain 400,000 shlokas.  The 18 main Purans listed alphabetically are: Agni Puran, Bhagavat Puran, Brahm Puran, Brahmand Puran, Brahmvaivart Puran, Bhavishya Puran, Garud Puran, Koorm Puran, Ling Puran, Markandeya Puran, Matsya Puran, Narad Puran, Padm Puran, Shiv Puran, Skand Puran, Varah Puran, Vaman Puran, and Vishnu Puran. In addition, there are 18 secondary Purans, known as Up-Purans.

Itihaas: Itihaas means ‘History.’ In Hindu scriptures, there are two historical epics – Ramayan and Mahabharat.

Lord Ram from Bhakti Mandir, Kripalu Dham, UP, India

Ramayan

Narrates the story of Shri Ram and presents Him as ‘Maryada Purushottam’ (embodiment of righteousness). There are multiple versions of the Ramayan. Valmiki Ramayan, written in Sanskrit by Sage Valmiki, consists of 24,000 verses. The more popular version of Ramayan was penned in verse by Gosvami Tulsidas in 1574 CE. This version, known as Ramcharitmanas, is written in the Avadhi dialect, which is very similar to Hindi. Ramcharitmanas made the story of Ram accessible to the masses who did not know Sanskrit.

Lord Krishna explaining the Bhagavad Gita to his best friend Arjun

Mahabharat

Recounts the tale of the Kauravs and Pandavs. Comprising of 100,000 verses, it stands as the longest poem in Indian literature. It was narrated by Ved Vyas 50 years after the fierce battle was fought. Ved Vyas dictated his epic poem to Lord Ganesh who transcribed it. The Bhagavad Gita, which contains 700 verses, is a part of the Mahabharat. The Gita is the most well-known Hindu scripture and has been translated into many languages. It was disclosed by Supreme Lord Krishna to Arjun on the battlefield of Kurukshetra before the start of the Mahabharat war.

Smritis

Describe a code of conduct related to social life. They include descriptions of rites and rituals to be observed by people in all age groups, the definition of right conduct, sins and good deeds, rituals that can be performed for the atonement of sins, etc. There are 18 main Smritis, and are also sometimes referred to as Dharm Shastras (books on righteousness).

Darshan Shastras

Contains details about various systems of Hindu philosophy. There are 6 main philosophic works: Nyaya, Vaisheshik, Sankhya, Yog, Poorv Meemansa, and Uttar Meemansa (Brahm Sutra). All six systems of philosophy accept the authority of the Vedas.

It is imperative to acknowledge that the texts mentioned above are truly divine and authoritative. Those seeking divine love should rely solely on these texts, as they have been written and manifested by perfect beings with flawless knowledge, rendering them completely free of error.