Hindu Scripture - The Smritis

from Hinduism, Ancient and Modern

The word Smriti means the remembrance of the meaning of the Vedas by the rishis, and, secondarily, the treatise recording their recollections. The Smritis are Manu, Atri, Vishnu, Harita, Yajnavalkya, Angira, Yama, Apastamba, Samvarta, Kaytyayan, Vrishapati, Prasara, Vyasa, Sankha, Likhita, Daksha, Gautama, Satatapa and Vahinsistha. The most important of these are Manu and Yajnavalkya. Manu, as now available, is apparently founded on the Manava Dharma Sutras. Yajnavalkya is the basis of the well-known Mitakshara. The subjects treated of by the Smriti writers comprise the whole course of social, domestic and religious duties, and Manu stands unsurpassed, not only in Indian, but in the literature of the world, for some of his rules regarding individual conduct and social duties. We shall quote from the Smritis largely in the sequel. Here we shall only give Manu's conception of the aim of life. "Two kinds of duties are prescribed by the Vedas, those relating to worldly prosperity and those relating to release from the world. By following the former one attains to equality with the gods, but by following the latter he attains to that which is beyond the five elements. He who sees the self in all beings, and all beings in the self, such a one who sacrifices all unto self, obtains his own kingdom. Let one devote himself to the acquirement of knowledge of the self and attainment of tranquility after relinquishing every other duty. This is the fruition of one's birth in this world, especially of one who is born as a Dvija and a Brahman. Having attained to it, the twice-born attains all, not otherwise." (Manu Smriti, Chapter 12, verses 88 to 93).

"He who sees the self in all beings,
and all beings in the self,
such a one who sacrifices all unto self,
obtains his own kingdom." (Manu Smriti)

There are some who think that the picture given by Manu is of an ideal, and not an actual state of society in India But even if it were so, it sets before us a very lofty and pure ideal, and one which we ought steadily to keep before us. Both from the secular as well as the religious standpoint, there are but few rules of Manu which will not serve useful guides in most occasions of the daily life of the Hindus. His rules of jurisprudence or of kingly duties may not be applicable to the India of the twentieth century. But his rules of life are as applicable to the Hindus of today as to those of the time when his institutes were promulgated, and the Hindus will at once find themselves rising higher in the scale of even modern civilized nations, were they to attempt to make some approach to the ancient lawgiver’s ideals regarding the preservation of their manhood, honoring of women, regulation of charity and to their regard for truth and duty. Manu does not teach blind adherence to authority in matters of religion. Reason rightly directed, is held up by him to be as much a guide in determining a course of conduct as revelation. But he is opposed to skepticism and irreligiousness. "The Vedas, the smritis, practices of the wise, and what appears good to one's own conscience – these four are the indications of dharma according to the wise."

This is the dictum of Manu. Let India follow that. Those dicta of Yajnavalkya, Parasara, and others are similar. If they differ, they do so in details of social or domestic life, but not in the goal of life. For instance, in the Parasara Smriti we have, the much disputed text of sanctioning the marriage of girls at 8, 9, or 10, and in all cases before they attain puberty, side by side with one permitting the re-marriage of widows (not found in Manu). But the goal of Parasara is not different from that of Manu. Most of these smritis seem to have been compiled from earlier dharma and grihya sutras by authors who have probably concealed their identity under those of the authors of the Sutras. But it is unsafe even to say so much, or to give anything definite as to the date of their compilation.

European thinkers say that Manu's institutes, as now available, were compiled in the second century AD. But few native thinkers will accept this. The Mahabharata embodies the doctrines that seem to be based upon the same teachings as Manu. But which of the two is earlier is uncertain.

Source: Nath, Rai Bahadur. Hinduism, Ancient and Modern.

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