SMRTI

(Sanskrit: Recollection), that class of Hindu sacred literature based on human memory, as distinct from Vedic literature, which is considered to be Sruti, or revealed. Smrti literature elaborates, interprets, and codifies Vedic thought but, being derivative, is considered less authoritative than the Vedic Sruti. Most modern Hindus, however, have a greater familiarity with Smrti scriptures. The texts include the important religious manuals known as the Kalpa-sutras; the compilations of ancient myth, legends, and history, the Puranas; and the two great epics of India, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The latter contains within it probably the single most influential text in Hinduism, the Bhagavadgita. In time the term Smrti came to refer particularly to the texts relating to law and social conduct, such as the celebrated lawbook, the Manu-smrti (Tradition of Manu).