ruti

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For microtones in Indian music, see Shruti (music). For other uses, see ruti
(disambiguation).
Part of a series on

Hindu scriptures and texts

Shruti
Smriti

Vedas[show]

Upanishads[show]

Other scriptures[show]

Related Hindu texts

Vedangas[show]

Puranas[show]

Itihasa[show]

Shastras and sutras[show]

Timeline[show]

v
t
e

Shruti or Shruthi (Sanskrit: ; IAST: ruti; IPA for Sanskrit: [rut i]) in Sanskrit means
"that which is heard" and refers to the body of most authoritative, ancient religious texts
comprising the central canon of Hinduism.[1] It includes the four Vedas including its four
types of embedded texts - the Samhitas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the early
Upanishads.[2]
rutis have been variously described as a revelation through anubhava (direct experience),[3]
or of primordial origins realized by ancient Rishis.[1] In Hindu tradition, they have been
referred to as apaurueya (authorless).[4] The ruti texts themselves assert that they were
skillfully created by Rishis (sages), after inspired creativity, just as a carpenter builds a
chariot.[5]

All six orthodox schools of Hinduism accept the authority of ruti,[6][note 1] but many scholars
in these schools denied that the rutis are divine.[8][9] Nstika (heterodox) philosophies such
as the Crvkas did not accept the authority of the rutis and considered them to be flawed
human works.[10][11]

Shruti (ruti) differs from other sources of Hindu philosophy, particularly smti which is
remembered or textual material. These works span much of the history of Hinduism,
beginning with the earliest known texts and ending in the early historical period with the later
Upanishads.[12] Of the rutis, the Upanishads alone are widely known, and the central ideas of
the Upanishadic rutis are at the spiritual core of Hindus.[13][14]