Shruti

The revealed scripture — “that which is heard.” The Vedas themselves.

Overview

Shruti is the category of scripture that is directly revealed rather than remembered. It refers to the Vedas themselves. In the prasthanatraya scheme, the upanishads are the shruti prasthana — their status as root text derives from their being part of the Vedas.

Contrasts with smriti, the remembered texts.

Related concepts

• Contrasts with smriti
• Applied to upanishads, vedas
• Part of prasthanatraya

Lecture evidence

• Ep. 1 [23:21]: Shruti means the Vedas themselves — the original texts.