Lost in Scriptures, stories, beliefs? What should we believe

If you try to count the holy books in our Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism), your head will start spinning. Seriously! We have Vedas, Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, so many Gitas, and thousands of Sutras.

Sometimes, one book says "Do this pooja," and another book says "No, do meditation only." It is very natural to get confused. You might think, "Arre, what should I actually follow? Which book is the final authority?"

Don't worry, There is a  simple Golden Rule to solve this confusion. Scriptures are divided into just two buckets: Shruti and Smriti.

Let us understand this in simple language.

1. Shruti: Vedas

Shruti means "That which is heard.". Think of Shruti as the Constitution of the Universe. It is the highest authority. No human written it. It is considered Apaurusheya (not made by man). The Rishis didn't "write" the Vedas; they "heard" or "saw" these truths by research or during deep meditation. If Shruti says something, that is the final word. Full stop.

2. Smriti: The Helper

Smriti means "That which is remembered."

Think of Smriti as the friendly guide that explains the Constitution. These are written by humans (great Sages and Rishis). The Puranas (stories of Gods), the Epics (Ramayana, Mahabharata), and the Law Books (Dharma Shastras). They take the raw truth of the Vedas and serve it in a way that common people can digest.

The Golden Rule: Who Wins?

Here is the main point you must remember.

If there is a fight between Shruti and Smriti, Shruti always wins.

Think of it like The Landscape vs. The Map.

Shruti is the actual Landscape (The Ground Reality). It is the raw truth, exactly as it is. Smriti is a Hand-Drawn Map of that landscape.

The purpose of a map is to be practical. It helps you find your way easily without getting lost in the wild. But, to make the map easy to read and fit on a piece of paper (articulation), the map-maker has to leave out some details. They cannot draw every single tree, rock, or curve of the road.

Sometimes, in the pursuit of making the truth easy to understand, the Smriti might miss a point or simplify it too much.

So, if the Map says "Go Straight," but you see a big mountain in front of you (The Landscape), who do you trust? You trust the Landscape.

In the same way, Smriti is amazing for guidance, but if it ever contradicts the Vedas, we stick to the Vedas.

Why Do We Need Smriti?

You might ask, "If Vedas are supreme, why do we need Smriti, Puranas, and Epics at all?"

The reason is simple: Vedas are very hard to understand. They are like high-level science or raw philosophy. Not everyone can just pick up a Veda and understand the deep meaning of life. It is too complex for the common man.

This is exactly why we have Smriti.

Smriti texts (like the Puranas and Epics) take the same truth from the Vedas and wrap it in a story or a practical example so we can understand it easily.

The Vedas might say, "Speak the Truth (Satyam Vada).". The Smriti (like Ramayana) tells the story of Harishchandra or Lord Rama to show us what happens when you speak the truth and follow Dharma, even when life gets hard.

So, Smriti is the practical application of the Vedas. It makes the divine knowledge accessible to everyone, whether you are a scholar or a simple villager.

Conclusion

When you see a contradiction, look at the context.

If a Purana tells a story that seems to go against the Vedas, remember the Vedas (Shruti) are the final authority.

The Puranas and Epics are there to help us, not to confuse us. They use different flavors—sometimes fear, sometimes love, sometimes logic—to get us to the same destination: the Truth spoken in the Vedas.

So, respect the Smriti, but root your faith in the Shruti. Every other text is trying to explain Smriti in its own way.