Knowra Śruti Śruti Śruti is the Hindu category of sacred knowledge regarded as heard or revealed rather than authored by humans. Its central texts are the four Vedas and their associated compositions.
Vedas : The foundational collection of Sanskrit sacred texts in Hinduism, comprising the Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda. They form the core of śruti and give the category its best-known textual examples.
Vedic chant : The structured recitation of Vedic texts using prescribed accents, pitches, and melodic patterns. Chant makes the oral performance of śruti audible and formally regulated.
Vedic period : The era of South Asian history associated with the composition and early transmission of the Vedas. The Vedas took shape and circulated during the period from which śruti derives its central texts.
Śrauta ritual : Vedic public ritual performed according to prescriptions found in śruti texts. These rites directly enact the ritual instructions preserved in Vedic śruti.
Dharma : A Sanskrit concept encompassing duty, law, right conduct, and the order that sustains life and society. Śruti supplies foundational sources for understanding dharma in Hindu traditions.
Ṛgveda : The oldest Veda, a collection of Sanskrit hymns addressed chiefly to deities. Its hymns exemplify the early poetic material preserved as śruti.
Vedic accent : The pitch accent system used in Vedic Sanskrit, distinguishing syllables by tonal patterns. Preserving accent is part of transmitting the sound of Vedic śruti accurately.
Vedic Sanskrit : The archaic Indo-Aryan language in which the Vedas and other early Vedic texts were composed. Its linguistic forms preserve the ancient register of much śruti.
Vedānta : A Hindu philosophical tradition centered on interpreting the Upaniṣads, Brahma Sūtras, and Bhagavad Gītā. Vedānta grounds its competing accounts of reality and liberation especially in the Upaniṣads.
Hindu philosophy : A range of South Asian philosophical traditions shaped by Hindu texts, practices, and debates. Debates over śruti’s authority run through several Hindu philosophical schools.
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