Smartha Tradition - Scriptures

Scriptures

Smartas follow the Hindu scriptures. These include:

• The Vedas (Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda). These are considered primary spiritual resources; every Brahmin family is affiliated to one or more of the Vedas.

• The Upanishads, which are part of the Vedas, are often mentioned separately, given their especial importance as products of past intellectual ferment.

• The Bhagavad Gita, a summary of the Upanishads is highly revered. Adi Shankaracharya wrote the very first and major commentary on it. It is a text that is recommended for daily readings and many Smarthas still do so. Other Advaita commentaries are by Madhusudhana Saraswati and Sridhara Swami.

• The Smritis" are religious books based on Vedas and are written by important Sages/Rishis of the past. Each of them contains recommendations and practices unique to itself. The Book an individual follows depends on his family. Thus, ritual practices sometimes varied from family to family, depending on family tradition. Some of the more common religious law books were the Manu Smriti, the Apastamba Smriti and the Bodhyayana Smriti.

• The two epics Ramayana of Valmiki and the Mahabharata have been commented by many Smarta philosophers and scholars. Harikathas, Pravachanams, Upanyasams, Kalakshepams on these texts are still very popular. The Ramayana is the text of choice for daily devotional reading or Nitya Parayanam for many Smarthas and it has pervaded and guided Hindu conscience for centuries.

• The Puranas contain the lore and explanations of the theology of the Vedas. They are a collection of sacred historical events that were passed from one generation to the next in the form of mythological stories. Smarta philosophers use the puranas to get a better understanding of Vedas, but do not consider them as completely authentic texts. However, the major Puranas are revered by Smartas. The Srimad Bhagavatham and Vishnu Purana are treated with the same reverence as the major epics, as also being the chosen texts for daily devotional reading (Parayana grantham). "Sridhariyam" on the Bhagavatham, and "Bhavartha-Dipika" on the Vishnu Purana are well known Advaita commentaries both by Sridhara Swami.

In addition to the above scriptures, Smarthas also recite various hymns or Shlokas and Stotras composed by Hindu saints and poets. The afore mentioned scriptures are also the texts of choice for daily reading by the Acharyas of the Shankara mutts.