Smriti Literature of Vedic Tradition – Best Notes

This post is the next part of the Vedic Literature Notes in which we will cover the Smriti Literature of Vedic Tradition. In this post, we will understand – what is Vedangas? important notes on Vedangas, Smritis dharmashastras, Mahakavyas, Puranas, Upvedas, and Shad Dharshanas.

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Smriti Literature of Vedic Tradition

In the last part, we have covered the Vedic Literature (Shruti) topic thoroughly which is a part of our best History notes. Literature that was written based on human memory is called Smriti. These smritis were written between 600 BC – 600 AD and can be classified into 6 categories –

1. Vedangas
2. Smritis Dharmashastras
3. Mahakavyas
4. Puranas
5. Upvedas
6. Shad – Dharshanas

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Vedangas – Smriti Literature

• Vedangas literary means the limbs of Vedas.
• They are six in number.
• Just like the limbs of the body, they perform various supportive and augmenting functions in the study, preservation and protection of the Vedas and Vedic traditions.
• The six Vedangas are:
  1. Shiksha (Phonetics)
  2. Kalpa Sutras (Rituals)
  3. Vyakarana (Grammar)
  4. Nirukta (etymology)
  5. Chhanda (Metrics)
  6. Jyotisha (Astronomy)
• These subjects were an integral and essential part of the ancient Vedic education system, aimed to promote an all-round development of the students with a better understanding of the Vedas and Vedic Practices.

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Types of Vedangas and their dealings

Vedangas Types	Deals with the study of __	Important Points
Shiksha	sounds and pronunciation associated with each syllable.	“Pratishakhya” is the oldest text on phonetics.
Chhanda	Mastery of rhyme and meter.	Chhandasutras (written by Pingal) is the famous text
Vyakarna	word and sentence structure	Ashtadhyayi (written by Panini) is the oldest grammar book in the world.
Nirukta	complex words and phrases	Nirukta (written by Yask) is the oldest dictionary in the world
Jyotisha	Heavenly bodies to find auspicious time for rituals	Vedanga Jyotish is the oldest Jyotisha text
Kalpa	ethical, moral and procedural percepts	Shrauta Sutras/ Shulva Sutras deal with the sacrifices Grhya Sutras deal with family ceremonies Dharma Sutras deal with varnas Ashramas etc

Smritis Dharmashastras

• These are six (6) in numbers
• the oldest one is Manu Smriti

Mahakavyas (Epic) Smriti Literature

• Ramayana
  • written by Valmiki
  • also known as Adi Kavya
  • the oldest Epic of the world
• Mahabharata
  • written by Ved Vyasa
  • there is a total of 18 chapters called Parvan.
  • the longest epic of the world
  • Bhagwat Gita is extracted from Bhishma Parvan of Mahabharata.
  • Shanti Parvan is the largest Parvan of Mahabharata.

Purana Smriti Literature

• There is a total of 18 famous Puranas.
• Matsya Purana is the oldest Puranic text

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Upavedas Smriti Literature

Upavedas or Upved is a type of Smriti literature and a type of traditional sciences or technical literature having no connection with Sruti. These are the Sastras derived from Vedas for materialistic life.

Vedas	Upavedas	Field associated
Rig Veda	Ayur Veda	Medicine
Sama Veda	Gandharva Veda	Music
Yajur Veda	Dhanur Veda	Archery
Atharva Veda	Arthaveda ShilpVeda	Science of wealth Science of Craft

Shad Darshan

Shad Darshan is also a type of Smriti Literature. 6 schools of Indian Philosophy called Shad Darshan:

Darshana	Founder	Basic Text
Sankhya Darshana	Kapila	Sankhya Sutra
Yoga Darshana	Patanjali	Yoga Sutras
Nyaya Darshana	Akshapada Gautama	Nyaya Sutra
Vaishesika Darshana	Uluka Kanada	Vaishesika Sutra
Mimansa or Purva Minansa	Jaimini	Purva Mimansa Sutra
Vedant/ Uttara Mimansa	Badarayana	Brahma Sutra / vedant Sutra

Sources of Our Notes:
1. Vedic Heritage Portal, Government of India
2. NCERT Books
3. NIOS History Books
4. Lucent Gk Books

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