Shastras

There are 18 Shastras Shastra means 'That which commands' (Shaasti iti shastraha). It is the Authority. 14 of them are called Dharma Sthanas(abodes of.
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Shastra - Wiktionary

Gradually, as judges lost familiarity with Sanskrit , the ancient texts began to be replaced with contemporary, cosmopolitan juridical and social concepts. We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind. Your contribution may be further edited by our staff, and its publication is subject to our final approval.

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Learn More in these related Britannica articles: The composition of Dharma-shastra s collections of treatises on sacred duties , among which the most often quoted is ascribed to Manu, became important in a period of social flux in which traditional social law and usage were important as precedent. A commentary on the earlier Sanskrit grammar of Panini…. At the same time, a formal and highly complex hierarchical system assigned to each social status a specified number of units called sakdi na that determined the rank within society of the person occupying the status.

At the bottom of the scale, a slave…. The alleged author of the book is the mythical sage Manu, who combined flood-surviving attributes like Noah of Jews and Christians, and Utnapishtim of the Mesopotamians with law-giving propensities like Moses and…. Literature views on death rites In death: Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback. You may find it helpful to search within the site to see how similar or related subjects are covered.


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Any text you add should be original, not copied from other sources. At the bottom of the article, feel free to list any sources that support your changes, so that we can fully understand their context. Internet URLs are the best. Thank You for Your Contribution! All Upanishads have been passed down in oral tradition.

Dharma-shastra

Sage Kapila is traditionally considered as the founder of the Samkhya school, although no historical verification is possible. It is regarded as one of the oldest philosophical systems in India. The nature of dharma isn't accessible to reason or observation, and must be inferred from the authority of the revelation contained in the Vedas, which are considered eternal, authorless apaurusheyatva , and infallible.

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Historically, it has been closely associated with the Hindu school of logic, Nyaya. Elaborate rules are laid out in the Agamas for worship, construction of temple, and so on. Smriti also denotes non-Shruti texts and is generally seen as secondary in authority to Shruti. Tantra deals primarily with spiritual practices and ritual forms of worship, which aim at liberation from ignorance and rebirth, the universe being regarded as the divine play of Shakti and Shiva.

This literary form was designed for concision, as the texts were intended to be memorized by students in some of the formal methods of scriptural and scientific study Sanskrit: Since each line is highly condensed, another literary form arose in which commentaries Sanskrit: Indeed, the epic form prevailed and verse was and remained until very recently the preferred form of Hindu literary works.


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Hero-worship was and is a central aspect of Indian culture, and thus readily lent itself to a literary tradition that abounded in epic poetry and literature. It is at times referred to as the "manual for mankind" and has been highly praised.