A History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature, so far as it illustrates the Primitive Religion of the Brahmans c8.35

c8.35

Now, it ought not to be overlooked, that in all these discussions the distinction between Śruti (Mantras and Brâhmaṇas) and Smṛiti (Sûtras) is always taken for granted. If, at the time of the first controversies between Bauddhas and Mîmânsakas, the authors of the Mantras or Brâhmaṇas, and particularly the founders of the so-called ancient Brâhmaṇas, had still been alive, or their names generally known, even a Brahman could not have ventured to stand up for the divine and eternal origin of this part of the Śruti. On the other hand, nothing could have prevented the Brahmans from ascribing the same supernatural origin to the Sûtras, if at the time of the rising power of Buddhism their authors also had been lost in oblivion. The distinction, therefore, between Śruti (revelation) and Smṛiti (tradition) which is a point of such vital importance for the whole Brahmanic system, will also be found significant in an historical point of view.