Questions to Ravisankar S Mayavaram (was French scholars translations)

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Sat, 17 Oct 1998, Giridhar wrote:

> >Being a part of the MahAbhArata,  I should first think tat It should go
> >under the heading of smRti, but I start to doubt here also :
> >a) because it belongs to he prastAnatraya, and, as such, has perhaps
> >been lifted up to the same level as the Sruti,
> >b) because in the text itself written down probably a  very very long
> >time ago every chapter ends with the words:
> >iti SrimadbhagavadgItAsUpanishatSu...
> >which I had until now understood as being only a form of special
> >reverence, but that I should perhaps have understood more word for word.
>
> Gita is definitely Smriti and can be read by all. The classification of what
> is shruti and what is smriti is marked for most texts.

Interestingly enough Bhatta Bhaskara, a younger contemporary of
Shankaracharya (his philosophy never went anywhere and is extinct now.)
thought the Gita should be off-limits to women and Shudras precisely for
the reasons Guy mentions.

But that is a minority view.  We believe that out of mercy for those who
have no right to hear te Vedas, Vyas Maharshi took the essence of the
Vedic teachings and wrote the 18 puranas and the Mahabharata which
includes the Gita as a part.

So it is ok for everyone as you say.

--
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>

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