Queen's College

Religious Education

Submission date: 19th July,2023

Group Members:
Jasiah Langhorne
David Persaud
1. With use of examples differentiate between Shruti and Smriti texts (4
marks)

Smriti
Smriti, a collection of Hindu sacred literature based on the Vedas and
belonging to the class of shastras below the sruti, contains traditional
teachings (such as on religious, household, and social conduct). Smriti has
several examples, such as Viu, Hrta, Auanas, ngirasa, and Yama.

Shruti
Hinduism's most respected body of sacred literature, Shruti Shruti
(Sanskrit: "What Is Heard"), is thought to be the result of divine revelation.
The entirety of the primary corpus of Hinduism's sacred books produced
during the Vedic era is designated as Shruti literature. These works were
originally a part of the Shruti tradition, and some examples include the
Vedas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and Upanishads.

Difference

A group of Sanskrit manuscripts known as shruti are said to contain

revelation. As we have seen, shruti literally translates to "that which is
heard." Smriti, which means "recollection" in Sanskrit, refers to a group of
works that are based on memory and so traditions. Its responsibility has
been to elucidate, clarify, interpret, and interpret fundamental revelation.

2. Identify the name of all 4 Vedas and briefly explain their role in the Hindu
belief system (12 marks)

The four Vedas and their roles in hinduism are as follows

● Rigveda

One of the most significant writings in Hinduism is the Rig Veda, the oldest
of the four Vedas. It is a sizable collection of hymns to the gods that are
chanted at different rites. They were written in Vedic, an ancient tongue
that eventually gave rise to classical Sanskrit.
 ● Yajurveda

The Yajurveda (Sanskrit:, yajurveda, from yajus meaning "worship" and

veda meaning "knowledge") is the branch of the Veda that contains
predominantly prose mantras used in worship rites.

● Samaveda

They were the repertoire of the udgt or "singer" priests and served a
liturgical purpose. Like other Vedas, the Samaveda has multiple layers of
text, with the Samhita being the oldest and the Upanishads being the
newest.

● Atharvaveda.

The "Atharva Veda" contains hymns that are devoted to extending life and
curing ailments, finding herbal remedies, finding love or a companion, world
peace, and the nature of good and evil. Only the first three Vedas were first
acknowledged and approved; the "Atharva Veda" was afterwards accepted.

3. List two biblical books which fall under the following categories.

- Poetry - Two biblical books which fall under poetry are: Proverbs and
Psalms. These poetic books of the old testament are called mankind's
reach towards God.

https://comment.org/how-and-why-we-should-read-the-poetry-of-the-old-
testament-for-public-life-today/#
- Law - Exodus and Deuteronomy are two biblical books that fall under
Law. Both of these biblical books contain 613 laws together.

https://www.cefonline.com/articles/sunday-school-solutions/teaching-the-
divisions-of-the-bible-law-sunday-school-solutions/#:~:text=The%20Law
%20is%20made%20up,Leviticus%2C%20Numbers%2C%20and
%20Deuteronomy.

- History - The books Joshua and Ruth both fall under History. These
biblical books simply tell stories of events that occurred in historical time.
-
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/historical-books/#:~:text=In
%20the%20Protestant%20Bible%2C%20twelve,Ezra
%E2%80%93Nehemiah%2C%20and%20Esther.

- Gospel - The books John and Matthew fall under Gospel, these books tell
us about life and death.

https://overviewbible.com/four-gospels/#:~:text=The%20first%20four
%20books%20of,and%20resurrection%20of%20Jesus%20Christ.

4. State the name of the individual who is widely accepted as being the
author of the books of the law.

The individual who is widely accepted as the author of the biblical books of
law is Moses. Throughout these books we can see Moses doing his
divinely appointed duty of the Law-giver of Israel.

3. List two biblical books which fall under the following categories.

- Poetry - Two biblical books which fall under poetry are: Proverbs and
Psalms. These poetic books of the old testament are called mankind's
reach towards God.

https://comment.org/how-and-why-we-should-read-the-poetry-of-the-old-
testament-for-public-life-today/#
- Law - Exodus and Deuteronomy are two biblical books that fall under
Law. Both of these biblical books contain 613 laws together.
https://www.cefonline.com/articles/sunday-school-solutions/teaching-the-
divisions-of-the-bible-law-sunday-school-solutions/#:~:text=The%20Law
%20is%20made%20up,Leviticus%2C%20Numbers%2C%20and
%20Deuteronomy.

- History - The books Joshua and Ruth both fall under History. These
biblical books simply tell stories of events that occurred in historical time.
-
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/historical-books/#:~:text=In
%20the%20Protestant%20Bible%2C%20twelve,Ezra
%E2%80%93Nehemiah%2C%20and%20Esther.

- Gospel - The books John and Matthew fall under Gospel, these books tell
us about life and death.

https://overviewbible.com/four-gospels/#:~:text=The%20first%20four
%20books%20of,and%20resurrection%20of%20Jesus%20Christ.

4. State the name of the individual who is widely accepted as being the
author of the books of the law.

The individual who is widely accepted as the author of the biblical books of
law is Moses. Throughout these books we can see Moses doing his
divinely appointed duty of the Law-giver of Israel.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/old-testament-seminary-
teacher-manual/introduction-to-the-book-of-deuteronomy?lang=eng

References

Shruti and Smriti: Some Issues in the Re-emergence of Indian

Traditional Knowledge | Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies

 and Analyses. (n.d.). Idsa.in. Retrieved June 19, 2023, from

https://idsa.in/issuebrief/ShrutiandSmriti_PKGautam_120213#:~:text=S

hruti%20(as%20we%20have%20seen

British Library. (n.d.). Www.bl.uk. https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/rig-

veda#:~:text=The%20Rig%20Veda%20is%20the

Shruti | Hindu sacred literature | Britannica. (2020). In Encyclopædia

Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shruti