Of Srutis, Smritis and Shastras

[kiamzattu]

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Hello Everyone
I'm slightly confused on the correlation of the Shastras and our Sutras

I belong to Bharatvaja Gotra and in the Abhivadayae it comes as I follow Dhrayahana Sutra. So I did a google search and I found that its a Srauta Sutra and ppl who belong to Samaveda follow the Gautama Dharma Sutra and the Aslavanaya Grihaya Sutra.

Ok now that being said we are also Smartha Brahmins, meaning we follow smritis too. So how do we correlate which smriti to follow based on the above sutras which we are ordained to follow. And why would we need a separate smriti if we already have the sutras to guide us.

I also know that Sutras are highly abridged versions, so is that why we need Shastras which are like more of a prose version of the sutras?

Are the three- Sutras, smritis and Shastras related?

Thanks and regards
Anand

 

[sankara_sharmah]

Are the three- Sutras, smritis and Shastras related?

They are the same. Different names for the same text. Google the words Sutras, smritis and Shastras separately.

 

[nachi naga]

Hello Everyone
I'm slightly confused on the correlation of the Shastras and our Sutras

I belong to Bharatvaja Gotra and in the Abhivadayae it comes as I follow Dhrayahana Sutra. So I did a google search and I found that its a Srauta Sutra and ppl who belong to Samaveda follow the Gautama Dharma Sutra and the Aslavanaya Grihaya Sutra.

Ok now that being said we are also Smartha Brahmins, meaning we follow smritis too. So how do we correlate which smriti to follow based on the above sutras which we are ordained to follow. And why would we need a separate smriti if we already have the sutras to guide us.

I also know that Sutras are highly abridged versions, so is that why we need Shastras which are like more of a prose version of the sutras?

Are the three- Sutras, smritis and Shastras related?

Thanks and regards
Anand

anand,

googling helps.but see sankara mattams,sai baba speaks,paramarthananda...vedanta groups....websites,are so many...i mean these days,if one takes initiative and researches,they get all info with a click of a mouse or swirl of a finger pointing device ...becoz recently one memeber mentioned to me,all of us here,show off our knowledge and nothing is worthwhile,i was simply stunned and dismayed as a indian first and as an alien now

 

[sangom]

Hello Everyone
I'm slightly confused on the correlation of the Shastras and our Sutras

I belong to Bharatvaja Gotra and in the Abhivadayae it comes as I follow Dhrayahana Sutra. So I did a google search and I found that its a Srauta Sutra and ppl who belong to Samaveda follow the Gautama Dharma Sutra and the Aslavanaya Grihaya Sutra.

Ok now that being said we are also Smartha Brahmins, meaning we follow smritis too. So how do we correlate which smriti to follow based on the above sutras which we are ordained to follow. And why would we need a separate smriti if we already have the sutras to guide us.

I also know that Sutras are highly abridged versions, so is that why we need Shastras which are like more of a prose version of the sutras?

Are the three- Sutras, smritis and Shastras related?

Thanks and regards
Anand

Dear Anand, Greetings. Good that you consented to reveal your name.

AFAIK gotra and sutra are two choices made at some point in the remote past by our ancestors. I shall give the prevalent distinctions in Bharadwaja gotra itself:
(Pravara~Sutra~gotra)

1. Angirasa-bARhaspatya-bhAradwAja-Sounga-SaiSira~kAtyAyana or laugAkshi~bharadwAja

2. Angirasa-bARhaspatya-bhAradwAja-mAntRavara-Atmabhuva~matsya~bharadwAja

3. Angirasa-bARhaspatya-bhAradwAja~bOdhAyana or Apastamba~bharadwAja

4. Angirasa-bARhaspatya-bhAradwAja-maudgalya-SaiSira~matsya~bhAradwAja

There are 3 more kindred gotras, bhAradwAjAgnivESya, bhAradwAjani, bhAradwAjAyana following ASvalAyana (first one) and bOdhAyana (the other two) with different pravaras.

(Ref: ரிஷிகளும் கோத்திரங்களும் , லிப்கோ வெளியீடு)

In the present times, priests who are familiar with the conduct of rituals as prescribed in some of the rare sutras like matsya, laugAksi or even bOdhAyana are not available at some places. So people have to satisfy themselves with the Apastamba system in such places.

The grihya sutras (to which the term "sutra" in the abhivAdaye refers to) are manuals for the 16 samskaras which are compulsory for brahmins, as prescribed by different authorities and are known by different names.

If your ancestors chose to follow drAhyAyana sutra, it is OK, you also follow it. It has nothing to do with the veda you are supposed to learn. You will find that even in the list I gave above, drAhyAyana is not there; perhaps it is followed by relatively small number of people belonging to bhAradwAja gotRa.

As a matter of curiosity, pl. verify and let me know whether your priest is conversant with the drAhyAyana prescriptions for the rituals. Thanks.

 

[kiamzattu]

Hi, thank you all for the replies. I did a lot of googling before posting here and I've mentioned that in my post.

@ Sangom
The grihya sutras (to which the term "sutra" in the abhivAdaye refers to) are manuals for the 16 samskaras which are compulsory for brahmins, as prescribed by different authorities and are known by different names.

Are you sure that its the Grihayasutra that is mentioned in the Abhivadyae because when I googled I found out that it was the SrautaSutra that comes in Abhivadayae. I'm not sure and plz correct me if I'm wrong.

As a matter of curiosity, pl. verify and let me know whether your priest is conversant with the drAhyAyana prescriptions for the rituals. Thanks.

Oh yes I'll do that.But first I need to confirm whether we belong to drAhyAyana sutra in first place and I think only my father's uncle who is the oldest in our father's side can answer that.

Comin back to the question, I just want to know if ther are any relation between the Sutras we follow and the smritis. say for eg, ppl belong to my sutra should follow Parasara smriti. Is ther any connection between them?

 

[nachi naga]

kiamzattu,

thnx to you,i remembered my abhivadaye again.owing to lack of resources,at the age 7,symbolically as a dad,i did the yagyonopaveetham for my son singularly,minus pomp show ceremony or priest,with agni as sakshi.my son repeated the gaytri mantram that dayonly and cooly left the written instructins i gave in his desk,lol.like father like son and now grandson...so brahmana bandhu i have become