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date: 12 February 2025

śruti and smṛti 

Source:
A Dictionary of Hinduism
Author(s):

W. J. Johnson

A traditional classificatory dualism which distinguishes between two types of authoritative religious texts, based on their perceived origins and, to a lesser extent, their modes of transmission. Whereas texts classified as smṛti, or ‘remembered’ (i.e. memorized), are regarded as having been mediated through human authorship, those classified as śruti, or ‘heard’, are regarded as ‘revelation’, in the sense of having been revealed to (or ‘heard’ by) inspired ... ...

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