Scriptures are the Authority: Part 3

Śāstra” is a Sanskrit word that refers to “scriptures” such as the Vedas, the Itihāsas, and the Purāṇas. In one of its other, perhaps lower, meanings, “śāstra” denotes a treatise or text on a specific field of knowledge—a book or instrument of instruction; a manual or compendium on any subject, including religious ones. Accordingly, there are śāstras such as Yoga-śāstra, Nyāya-śāstra, and Dharma-śāstra.

In these lesser senses, the texts may not fully represent or faithfully reflect the teachings found in the major works, such as the Śrutis, Itihāsas, or Purāṇas. The śāstras are both descriptive and prescriptive. The Purāṇas, for instance, are examples of śāstras that embody both aspects. Those unfamiliar with the teachings of Hinduism—or unaccustomed to the way the śāstras are structured—and who do not comprehend the import and purposes of these texts, often complain that they are inconsistent, or even contradictory in parts.

The Dharma-śāstras, for instance, contain conflicting views and opposing theories. This is partly because they present an ideal of human behaviour while at the same time acknowledging the need to accommodate human frailty. The śāstras do not portray life as it was lived; rather, they express an ideal of how life ought to be lived. The śāstra literature constitutes one of the great bodies of writing of the ancient world.

Śrī Svāmi Velukkudi Kr̥ṣṇan has addressed this matter of the so-called inconsistencies and contradictions found in our śāstras.