Śruti

If we want to follow one book which gives us the protocol, then it is the Gita.

Patanjali's Yoga Sutra is not regarded as most authentic or in the line of Shrutis.

We should be very very clear about these things.

The Upanishads are Shrutis.

The Vedas are Shruti and the Gita is also regarded as Shruti.

Patanjali's Yoga Sutras are neither Shruti nor Smriti.

If he does it by the Swabhava because he has practiced, that is fine, but he should not do it because the Vidhi is saying it means he is no more under the control of any Vidhi at that time.

So he is explaining the meaning of the word Vidya because yo vidya sruti sampanna.

So Sruti there is the theoretical knowledge.

Therefore, he says that , that he has studied the Shastra, which are establishing the knowledge of Sankhya, Yoga, Tapasya, Viragya, et cetera.

And the word Vidya means, that knowledge which has dispelled the Avidya.

So he speaks about it.

The Veda itself describes them as Kavya, Satya Shruta, seers who are hearers of the truth and the Veda itself was called Shruti.

A word which came to mean revealed scripture.

So we have in Indian thought Shruti and Smriti.

Wherever there is a conflict, Shruti is the authoritative scripture.

Shruti is primarily the Vedas and the Upanishads which are part of the Vedas.

Of course, new Upanishads have come but primarily the most important Upanishads are part of the Vedas regarded as Jnana Khanda.

So basically they are giving us the understanding of the wisdom, the knowledge part.

So cha munir aamnaataani cha naigamai.

So as he was doing before, puruvat means in the house, family life, as they have been described in the Nigama, the Sruti, Srauti yajnas, they should do that.

So munir vanasthasya naigamai vedaikyair aamnaataani vidhaan.

So muni here refers to the person who is, uh, living in the forest, vanaprastha.

Shrotriya, Brahmanishtha, Akamahata.

So Shrotriya means that guru must be-- Literally, Shrotriya means well-versed in the Shruti, Vedanta.

Shruti means Vedanta.

But you can expand it more and say that person must be an authentic member of a teaching lineage, not a fly-by-night operator.

Mm-hmm.

He said, "Till now, we have all heard in Vedanta, the study of Vedanta, the foundation of Vedanta, the textual foundation of Vedanta is threefold.

The Upanishads, called the Shruti prasthana, which literally means the Vedic foundation of Vedanta.

This is the source texts of Vedanta.

Second, the Bhagavad Gita.

Uh, it is technically called the Smriti prasthana, which means the Smriti foundation.

The Smritis are more like applications.

The Shruti is revelation.

The highest truths which were seen by sages, they put it down in the Upanishads.

Yes.

It has been asked by Vivek Kumar: Is the ultimate authority Shruti itself or the direct recognition of Brahman to which Shruti points?

Um-

Would you please start with explaining what Shruti is? Because I don't know.

Okay.

Yeah.

Shruti means, um...

Shruti basically means the Vedas.