State the difference in authority between shruti and smriti.

Shruti is eternal and cannot be altered, so it is the final court of appeal, while smriti holds a derived authority and is set aside where it clearly contradicts revelation.

Why do most Hindus know the smriti texts better than the shruti texts?

The epics and Puranas come as stories and are met through drama, film, song and vernacular retellings, whereas vedic recitation is in Sanskrit and belongs mainly to trained priests.

What is the Gayatri mantra, and where is it found?

It is a verse asking that the mind be illumined by the divine light of the sun, found at Rig Veda 3:62:10 and recited daily by many Hindus.

WJEC A-Level Religious Studies 603-0277-X

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Christianity: Key Religious ConceptsChristianity

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Christianity: Religious Life and Moral PrinciplesChristianity

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Islam: Religious Life and Moral PrinciplesIslam

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Buddhism: Practices and Religious IdentityBuddhism

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Hinduism: Religious Figures and Sacred TextsHinduism

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Fletcher and Situation Ethics

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Christianity: Historical Developments in Religious Thought

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Christianity: Social Developments in Religious Thought

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Christianity: Movements, Change and Contemporary Issues

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Islam: Texts, Authority and Key Figures

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Islam: Historical Developments in Religious Thought

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Islam: Social Developments in Religious Thought

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Islam: Movements, Change and Contemporary Issues

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Judaism: Texts, Authority and Key Figures

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Judaism: Social Developments in Religious Thought

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Judaism: Movements, Change and Contemporary Issues

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Buddhism: Social Developments in Religious Thought

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Hinduism: Social Developments in Religious Thought

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Sikhism: Social Developments in Religious Thought

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Sikhism: Movements, Change and Contemporary Issues

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Meta-Ethics

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Determinism and Predestination

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Free Will and Libertarianism

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Psychological Challenges and Atheism

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Religious Experience and Miracles

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Religious Language: Symbol, Myth and Language Games

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New Testament: ParablesNew Testament

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New Testament: MiraclesNew Testament

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New Testament: The Letters (1 Peter)New Testament

Topic overview Authorship, Silvanus and the readership of 1 Peter The purpose of 1 Peter and its place among the New Testament letters Close study of the set passages of 1 Peter Debates about authorship, submission and suffering in 1 Peter

New Testament: Apocalyptic LiteratureNew Testament

Topic overview Defining apocalyptic literature and its characteristics The purposes of apocalyptic writing and how Revelation is interpreted Close study of Revelation 1, 6 and 21 Debates about Revelation's genre, violence and value

Hinduism: Religious Figures and Sacred Texts

Shruti, smriti and Hindu texts in daily life

3 things to know
AS Unit 1

Overview

Difference in authority between shruti and smriti and gayatri mantra.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

Where are the Vedas chiefly used in Hindu life today?

Key term

What does shruti mean, and which texts belong to it?

Key term

What does smriti mean, and which texts belong to it?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What does shruti mean, and which texts belong to it?
Model answer
Shruti means that which is heard, and it covers the Vedas including the Upanishads, held to have been received by the rishis rather than composed by any human author.
2
What does smriti mean, and which texts belong to it?
Model answer
Smriti means that which is remembered, and it covers texts of human authorship handed down in tradition, such as the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Puranas and the law books.
3
State the difference in authority between shruti and smriti.
Model answer
Shruti is eternal and cannot be altered, so it is the final court of appeal, while smriti holds a derived authority and is set aside where it clearly contradicts revelation.
4
Why do most Hindus know the smriti texts better than the shruti texts?
Model answer
The epics and Puranas come as stories and are met through drama, film, song and vernacular retellings, whereas vedic recitation is in Sanskrit and belongs mainly to trained priests.
5
Where are the Vedas chiefly used in Hindu life today?
Model answer
They are used ritually, as mantras recited at weddings, sacred thread ceremonies, funerals and the consecration of a temple, usually by a priest.
6
What is the Gayatri mantra, and where is it found?
Model answer
It is a verse asking that the mind be illumined by the divine light of the sun, found at Rig Veda 3:62:10 and recited daily by many Hindus.

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