What is Shastra?
Hindu scriptures are called Shastras. The word shastra
literally means ‘that which protects through instruction’.
Sri Shankaracharya compares shastras to a mother. A mother
instructs her child and protects it. When the mother says, “Do not touch
fire.”, she intends to save the child from a physical injury. When she says
“eat good food”, she intends to facilitate nourishment of the child.
Likewise, the shastras are the greatest well wishers of
mankind. They prevent us from spiritual downfall and facilitate our spiritual
unfoldment.
Is shastra an authority?
Our tradition does not look upon shastra as ‘authority’.
Instead, shastra is a pramana – a means of knowledge.
I make use of my eyes to look at the table in front of me. Eyes
are the means of knowledge to know the presence of the table. We do not say
“eyes are the authority for the table”. Similarly, shastras are the means
to know certain facts that we cannot know through other means of knowledge.
What are our primary shastras?
Our primary shastras are the Vedas.
What does the word Veda mean? According to some, it means
‘knowledge’.
The word Veda, when used to refer to the shastra, does not
mean ‘knowledge’. The etymological sense of the word Veda is ‘means of
knowledge’.
Vedas are the means to know the presence of certain truths
that cannot be known through other means of Knowledge. Vedas reveal the presence
of Isvara, presence of life after death, invisible effects of our actions etc.
What is the difference between Veda and Sruti?
There is no difference. The words ‘Veda’ and ‘Sruti’ are synonyms.
What are the four Vedas?
The four Vedas are Rg-veda, Yajur-veda, Sama-veda and
Atharva-veda.
Is Bhagavadgita a part of Veda?
No, it is not. It is a part of Mahabharata. It contains the
essence of the teaching of Vedas.
Who wrote the Vedas?
According to the tradition, the Vedas are not composed by a
human author. They were revealed to the Rishis – the spiritually
advanced beings – in the beginning of the Universe.
