Sources of Dharma: Shruti, Smriti, and the Authority of Scripture
This domain tests the hierarchy of dharma sources: what counts as revelation, what is remembered tradition, and how a candidate should resolve conflict between them.
Shruti and Smriti
- Shruti is the Veda: Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva, with their Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka, and Upanishad layers. It is treated as apaurusheya, beginningless revelation, and the primary pramana for dharma.
- Smriti is remembered tradition: Dharmasutras, Dharmashastras, Puranas, and Itihasas. It has human authors but derives authority from shruti.
- Manu 2.6 names four sources: Veda, smriti, sadachara (conduct of the good), and atmatusti (inner satisfaction).
Order of authority
Shruti outranks smriti. A smriti rule that contradicts a clear Vedic injunction is set aside; a smriti rule that fills a Vedic silence governs. Sadachara supplies custom where texts are silent, but custom cannot overturn shruti. Atmatusti is a last resort for a conscientious person, not a licence for private preference.
Worked example. A smriti verse allows a domestic offering without a Vedic mantra, while the shruti prescribes that mantra for the rite. The smriti is not followed on that point: the Vedic injunction controls. If shruti were silent, the smriti would govern, provided established sadachara did not contradict it. The reasoning is hierarchical, not a vote among sources.
Traps that cost marks. Do not call the Veda a single book; do not treat smriti as equal revelation; do not use atmatusti to justify any conduct; do not ignore sadachara; do not cite a smriti verse against a clear shruti text without noting the conflict.