Hinduism / by Monier Williams.

  • Monier Monier-Williams
Date:
1877
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Hinduism / by Monier Williams. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    down by tradition/ though believed to be founded on this direct revelation, is thought to have been delivered by human authors. In its widest acceptation Smriti may be said to denote almost the whole of Post-Vedic literature, under four heads: (a) the six Vedangas (viz., i. the Kalpa, or Srauta-siitras, which are rules for applying the Mantra and Brahmana to Vedic sacrifices; 2. Sikshd, or the science of pronuncia- tion ; 3. Chandas, or metre ; 4. Nimkta, or exposi- tion of the Veda; 5. Vydkarana, or grammar; 6. Jyoiisha, or astronomy); (b) the Smarta-sutras, under the two divisions of Grihya-sutras, or rules relating to domestic rites; and Samaya'carika-sutras, relating to conventional usages ; (c) the Dharma-sastras, or ‘ Law-books/ especially the laws of Manu, Yajna- valkya, and other so-called inspired lawgivers, sup- posed to have grown out of the Smarta-sutras ; (d) the Bhakti-sastras, including the Jti/idsas, or ‘ legendary poems/ viz., the great epic poem called Maha- bharata, and the other great epic called Ramayana (though the latter is rather a Kdvya by a known human author, than an Itihasa, attributed to super- human authorship); and including also the eighteen Purd?ms, or ancient legendary histories, with their train of eighteen Inferior Puranas (Upapurdnas), and subsequent Tantras. Although it is not part of our present plan to describe in detail all these divisions of Sanskrit litera- ture, yet to understand the various phases through which Hinduism has passed, it is essential to have some knowledge of the principal wrorks under four departments—viz., I. The three portions of the Veda,
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