| Part of a series on |
| Hindu scriptures |
|---|
| Vedas |
| Rigveda · Samaveda Yajurveda · Atharvaveda |
| Vedangas |
| Shiksha · Chandas Vyakarana · Nirukta Kalpa · Jyotisha |
| Upanishads |
| Rig vedic Aitareya |
| Puranas |
| Brahma puranas Brahma · Brahmānda Brahmavaivarta Markandeya · Bhavishya |
| Itihasa |
| Mahabharata (Bhagavad Gita) |
| Other scriptures |
| Manu Smriti Artha Shastra · Agama Tantra · Sūtra · Stotra Dharmashastra Divya Prabandha Tevaram Ramcharitmanas Yoga Vasistha |
| Scripture classification |
| Śruti · Smriti |
| Timeline |
| Hindu texts |
The Viṣṇu Smṛti is one of the latest books of the Dharmaśāstra tradition in Hinduism and the only one which does not deal directly with the means of knowing dharma. The text has a strong bhakti orientation, requiring daily puja to the god Viṣṇu. It is also known for its handling of the controversial subject of the practice of sati (the burning of a widow on her husband’s funeral pyre). A Banaras pandit, Nadapandita, was the first to write a commentary on the Viṣṇu Smṛti in 1622 but the book was not translated into English until 1880 by Julius Jolly.[1]
Contents |
It is commonly agreed upon that the Viṣṇu smṛti relies heavily on previous Dharmaśāstra texts such as the Manu and Yājñavalkya smṛtis. However, some scholars see it as a Vaiṣṇava recast of the Kathaka Dharmasutra [2] while others say that the Kathakagrhya and metrical verses were added later. Precise dating eludes scholars, with limits being placed anywhere between 300BCE and 1000CE.[3] According to the latest research by Olivelle, there is reason to doubt the likelihood of repeated editing and revising.[4] He argues that the Viṣṇu Smṛti is the work of a single Brahmin expert in the Dharmaśāstra tradition and also a devotee of Viṣṇu. Furthermore, Olivelle shows that the text was very likely composed between 700 and 1000CE, based on several factors: 1) the centrality of written documents and events which occurred in the Common Era cited within the text itself, 2) the vocabulary used (for example, the word pustaka which finds its earliest use by a sixth century astronomer), 3) the fact that the Viṣṇu Smṛti is the only Dharmaśāstra to mention satī or to deal comprehensively with tīrthas, and 4) unique iconographic correlations between descriptions of Vaiṣṇava images in the text and actual specimens found only after the eighth century in Kashmir.[5]
The Viṣṇu Smṛti is divided into one hundred chapters, consisting mostly of prose text but including one or more verses at the end of each chapter. The premise of the narration is a frame story dialogue between the god Viṣṇu and the goddess Earth (Pṛthvī). This frame story remains present throughout the text, unlike many Dharmaśāstras where the simple expounding of laws takes over for the majority of the books.
The text begins when Viṣṇu realizes that Earth is submerged underwater. He dives in to rescue her, lifting her up out of the water and exposing her surface. Earth is grateful but worries who will continue to support her in the future. Viṣṇu then assures her that she should not worry because, “Good people who take delight in the conduct of the social classes and the orders of life who are totally devoted to the śāstras, O Earth, will support you. The task of caring for you is entrusted to them.” (1.47). Having been comforted, the Earth continues, asking, “Tell me, O Eternal One, the Laws of the social classes and orders of life.” (1.48-1.49). From this question, Viṣṇu then launches into his teachings of dharma.[6]
The following is a break-down of the subjects discussed in each of the 100 chapters of the Viṣṇu Smṛti:[7]