Śāstra Jñāna

Thousands of autumns have come to pass since the time the praṇava was first uttered, and in those many years, many volumes have been written exploring even the most subtle aspects of Ṛta and Dharma.

Textual traditions have been the recordings of ancestral opinion, on how they viewed the propagation of Dharma, and these texts have given systemic support to rituals and celebrations resonating within the Indic traditions.

वेदोऽखिलो धर्ममूलं स्मृतिशीले च तद्विदाम्।
आचारश्चैव साधूनामात्मनस्तुष्टिरेव च ॥६॥ (मनुस्मृति २.६)

vedokhilo dharmamūlaṃ smṛtiśīle ca tadvidām
ācāraścaiva sādhūnāmātmanastuṣṭireva ca (Manusmṛti 2.6)

The entire Veda is the root-source of Dharma; also the conscientious recollection of righteous persons versed in the Veda, the practice of good and learned men, and their self-satisfaction.

The source of criticism of textual scholarship is described as two-fold

Misplaced sense of superiority

Envy

The first is explained as condescension toward people who preserve the foundations of the tradition, documenting and interpreting ancient treatises.

The article criticizes claims such as “They know the words, but not the essence,” “These were written by Great Men whose words cannot be faithfully interpreted today,” and “Hinduism transcends the written word.”

It argues that there has always been a rich commentarial tradition, so individual words and concepts can be interpreted through established disciplines such as the Vedāṅgas and Nirukta.

The article also rejects the notion that devotional movements rejected the Vedas, arguing instead that the Nāyanārs, Āḻvārs and Bhakti saints remained deeply rooted in Dharma and the Vaidika mārga.

The other source is envy. The article argues that scholarship requires the humility to learn from those who know more and to teach those who know less.

It concludes by noting that Vedic scholars have preserved critiques of the Vedas as well as rebuttals, and that serious criticism requires actually reading the texts.

Note: The author tweets @pinakasena. The article was first published on his blog.