Smṛti

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Smṛti

Smṛti (Sanskrit: स्मृति, : smṛti, transl.'what is remembered'), also spelled smriti, smruti, is a body of Hindu texts representing the remembered, written tradition in Hinduism, rooted in or inspired by the Vedas. Smṛti works are generally attributed to a named author and were transmitted through manuscripts, in contrast to Vedic or śruti literature, which is based on a fixed text with no specific author, and preserved through oral transmission. 
Smṛti are derivative, secondary works and considered less authoritative than śruti in Hinduism, except in the Mīmāmsa school of Hindu philosophy. The authority of smṛti accepted by orthodox schools is derived from that of śruti, on which it is based.

The smṛti literature is a corpus of varied texts that includes: the six Vedāṅgas (the auxiliary sciences in the Vedas), the epics (the Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa), the Dharmasūtras and Dharmaśāstras (or Smritiśāstras), the Arthasaśāstras, the Purāṇas, the kāvya or poetical literature, extensive Bhashyas (reviews and commentaries on śruti and non-śruti texts), and numerous nibandhas (digests) covering politics, ethics (nītiśāstras), culture, arts and society.

Each smṛti text exists in many versions, with many different readings. Smṛti works were considered fluid and freely rewritten by anyone in ancient and medieval Hindu tradition.

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Etymology

Smṛti is a Sanskrit word, from the root √smṛ (स्मृ), which means the act of remembering. The word is found in ancient Vaidika literature, such as in section 7.13 of the Chandogya Upanishad. In later and modern scholarly usage, the term refers to tradition, memory, as well as a vast post-Vedic canon of "tradition that is remembered". David Brick states that the original meaning of smriti was simply tradition, and not texts.
Smṛti is also a symbolic synonym for number 18, from the 18 scholars who are credited in Indian tradition for writing dharma-related Smṛti texts (most have been lost). 

These 18 Smṛtis are namely,
1. Atri
2. Viṣṇu
3. Hārīta
4. Auśanasī
5. Āngirasa
6. Yama
7. Āpastamba
8. Saṁvartta
9. Kātyāyana
10. Bṛhaspati
11. Parāśara
12. Vyāsa
13. Śaṅkha
14. Likhita
15. Dakṣa
16. Gautama
17. Śātātapa
18. Vaśiṣṭha

Yājñavalkya gives the list of total 20 by adding two more Smṛtis, namely, Yājñavalkyasmṛti and Manusmṛti. Parāśara whose name appears in this list, enumerates also twenty authors, but instead of Samvartta, Bṛhaspati, and Vyāsa, he gives the names of Kaśyapa, Bhṛgu and Prachetas.
The Vedic sage Shandilya is also credited for a Smriti text called as Shandilya Smriti. The modern scholar Brahma Dutt Shastri had compiled the text Shandilya Smriti in his six volumes series work Smriti Sandarbha.

In linguistic traditions, Smṛti is the name of a type of verse meter. In Hindu mythology, Smṛti is the name of the daughter of Dharma (transl.morality, ethics, law, duty, right living) and Medha (lit. transl.prudence).