Verse 1.144

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 1.144:

अनादिमव्यवच्छिन्नां श्रुतिमाहुर कर्तृकाम् ।
शिष्टैर्निबध्यमाना तु न व्यवच्छिद्यते स्मृतिः ॥ १४४ ॥

anādimavyavacchinnāṃ śrutimāhura kartṛkām |
śiṣṭairnibadhyamānā tu na vyavacchidyate smṛtiḥ || 144 ||

144. Scripture (Śruti) has been declared to be beginningless, continuous and without an author. Written tradition (Smṛti) is composed by cultured Ancients and has continuity.

Commentary

There are those who accept the authority of Scripture only and consider only the sacred books as trustworthy in regard to matters having invisible fruit and the views of men as doubtful and, therefore, not authority. According to them, even though there is no difference between Scripture and written Tradition as far as continuity of what is taught is concerned, yet Scripture has no deviations in the rules relating to accent, phoneme, sequence, place and time of study nor has it been established differently by any other person and it has always been established in all the countries in divisions according to branches. Written Tradition, on the other hand, has continuity of meaning, but is composed by the cultured differently at different times in prose, verses, sentences etc.

Some teachers think as follows: No act has, in itself, a visible or invisible fruit. It is only by acting according to Scripture that merit is manifested and by going against Scripture that one is tainted with sin. Scripture itself ordains that an act like the killing of a Brāhmana which is a sin in some contexts becomes the cause of divine happiness if done in another context.¹

Others, on the other hand, think that Scripture only makes known the specific power of objects. What would be the interest of Scripture to be a playful cause (of merit and demerit) and favour or harass men? It is seen to be better to assume that it (the causing of merit or demerit) is the nature of substances rather than that it is the nature of Scripture. In such written traditions as that of the Science of treatment, it is things like poison or herbs which have the capacity to fulfil a purpose and not the traditional texts. Therefore, it is nature of substances which is followed by Scripture, as it is the nature of Scripture in the other view. Just as, in the world, causes of benefit or harm are clearly distinguished, in the same way, there is uninterrupted establishment of the means of knowing them.[1]

Notes

[1. Vṣṛabha points out that in Puruṣamedha and Sautrāmaṇī, brāhmaṇavadha leads to heaven. As he puts it—Puruṣamedhe sautrāmaṇyāṃ ca svargāṅgatvam,]

 What is meant is that the power to produce their effects, good or bad, belongs naturally to substances, but, by uninterrupted tradition, it is Scripture that makes it known. Similarly, the power of correct words to produce merit and that of incorrect words to produce demerit are inherent in them. Grammar only makes them known]