A History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature, so far as it illustrates the Primitive Religion of the Brahmans c8.116

c8.116

The evidence which has been brought together is sufficient to establish the fact, that the distinction between Śruti and Smṛiti, revelation and tradition, had been established by the Brahmans previous to the rise of Buddhism, or, at all events, previous to the time when the Sûtra style began to be adopted in Indian literature. There existed, previous to the Sûtra period, a body of literary works propagated by oral tradition, which formed the basis of all later writings on sacred subjects, and which by the Brahmans was believed to be of divine origin. The idea expressed by the verb śru, to hear, *i. e.* to receive by inspiration, is known in the Brâhmaṇas. The name of Smṛiti seems to occur for the first time in the Taittirîya-âraṇyaka², though it is said to be used there in the sense of Śruti. In the Sûtras, however, the distinction between Śruti and Smṛiti is distinctly stated. We find it in the Anupada-sûtras¹, which we have reason to reckon amongst the earliest specimens of this class of literature. In the Nidâna-sûtras also, ancient tradition is mentioned by the name of Smṛiti²; and although in Pâṇini the technical distinction between Śruti and Smṛiti is not mentioned, it would be wrong to draw any conclusions from this, as there can be little doubt that Pâṇini is later than the Anupada-sûtras.