Smartha Sect
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A Smarta or Smartha is a denomination of the Hindu religion. This term is usually used to denote a certain category of Brahmins. Smartas consider the Vedas supreme. The predominant majority of members of Smartha community are followers of Advaita. In practicallity, Smarta and Advaita have become almost synonymous because of the prevalence of Advaita philosophy among Smarta Brahmins. But not all believers in Advaita are Smarthas. In ancient times, all Brahmins who specialized in the Karma Kanda of the Vedas, and who followed the Vedas and Shastras (both Smriti and Shruti) came to be known as Smarthas. They therefore should not be confused with followers of Advaita philosophy who may not or need not come from this family tradition.
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Definition
In Sanskrit smarta means "one who remembers, a teacher, (etc)", and smārta means "relating to memory, recorded in or based on the smrti, based on tradition, prescribed or sanctioned by traditional law or usage, (etc)", from the root smr = "remember".
Why they became distinguished from others
The Smartas consider themselves followers and propagators of Smriti or religious texts derived from Vedic scriptures. It is from this that the name is derived. This term is used with respect to a certain specialized category of Brahmins. Not all Brahmins specialized in this Smriti tradition. Some were influenced by Buddhism, Jainism or Charvaka tradition and philosophy. This did not mean that all these people rejected the authority of Vedas, but only that their tradition of worship and philosophy was based not on smriti texts. In time, Shankaracharya brought all the Vedic communities together. He tried to remove the non-smriti aspects that had crept into the Hindu communities. He also endeavoured to unite them by arguing that any of the different Hindu gods could be worshipped, according to the prescriptions given in the smriti texts. He established that worship of various deities are compatible with Vedas and is not contradictory, since all are different manifestations of one nirguna Brahman. Shankaracharya was instrumental in reviving interest in the smritis, and the entire Vedic community rallied around him and are known as smarthas. Also his philosophy Advaita was also followed by all the smarthas. And even those smarthas who did not followed the Advaita philosophy considered Shankaracharya as a guiding light for reviving the smriti texts and tradition.
Thus, a bedrock of Smarthas who also follow Advaita philosophy is its belief in the essential sameness of all deities, the unity of Godhead, and its conceptualization of the myraid deities of India as various manifestations of the one divine power. Smartas (followers of Smriti Texts and rituals) who also follow Advaita philosophy accept and worship the six manifestations of God, (Ganesha, Śiva, Śakti, Vishnu, Surya and Skanda)and the choice of the nature of God is up to the individual worshipper since different manifestations of God are held to be equivalent.
However a few centuries later, the Smarthas who followed Advaita philosophy divided again. New sects were formed which considered themselves not to follow the Advaita philosophy. The philosophy of the new sects was directed against the teachings of Advaita philosophy. The new sects distinguished themselves and separated from Smarthas. These new groups followed different philosophies like Dvaita and Vishistadvita and also changed their rituals. However, old Smartas continued to follow smartha rituals and Advaita philosophy. Thus, truly speaking, a Smarta need not be a follower of Advaita but need to follow smartha ritual and smriti texts. For example, Adi Shankara's own community, the Namboothiris are also Smarthas, yet they follow 'Purva Mimamsa' philosophy. The decision to follow a particular school of philosophy is thus left to individual members. As another example, Appaiah Deekshita, an Iyer followed Sreekanta's Sivadvaita philosophy in his early days. This philosophy was similar to Vishishtadvaita of the Sri Vaishnavas. Siva Advaita however considers Shiva to be the supreme God.
Main Beliefs
The Smartha worldview is influenced by Advaita philosophy, as most Smartha Gurus believe in Advaita. But in order to be a Smartha one need not follow Advaita philosophy. Also, a follower of Advaita philosophy need not be a Smartha. However, Advaita itself was firmly established and propagated by Adi Shankaracharya, who was born in a smartha family tradition.
However, it was most essential for smartha brahmins to specialize in the Karma Kanda of Vedas and associated rituals dilligently and teach to the subsequent generations. This is the only reason that these families continue to be called Smarthas. This family vedic tradition is what distinguishes them from other non-smartha brahmins; and not the school of philosophy an individual adhere to.
God, according to Smarthas who also happen to follow Advaita philosophy, is both Saguna and Nirguna.As a Nirguna he is pure consciousness dissociated from matter. He(the gender itself is meaningless here) has no attributes,and has no form. As a saguna,there is quality that can be attributed. He is infinite and thus can have a multitude of attibutes. Accordingly, the scriptures hold that Vishnu and Shiva are ultimately the same. Ayya Vazhi also hold this view. The Smarta theologians have cited many references to support this point. For example, they interpret verses in both the Shri Rudram, the most sacred mantra in Shaivism, and the Vishnu sahasranama, one of the most sacred prayers in Vaishnavism, to show this unity. Vishnu Purana carries a story about how Maha Vishnu,becomes Brahma,Vishnu and Shiva.In other words,these forms and names are just different manifestations of Nirguna Brahman- the Ultimate Reality. This is how the advaitins would like to interpret the scriptures.
By contrast, a Vaishnavite considers Vishnu as the one true God, worthy of worship and other forms as subordinate. See for example, an illustration of the Vaishnavite view of Vishnu as the one true God, at this link. Accordingly, Vaishnavites, for example, believe that only Vishnu can grant the ultimate salvation for mankind, moksha. See for example, this link. Similarly, many Shaivites also hold similar beliefs, as illustrated at here and here.
Notably, Shakti is worshipped to reach Shiva, whom for Shaktas is the impersonal Absolute. In Shaktism, emphasis is given to the feminine manifest through which the male unmanifested , Lord Shiva, is realized. Additionally, Shaivites and Vaishnavites often regard Surya as an aspect of Shiva and Vishnu, respectively. For example, the sun is called Surya Narayana by Vaishnavites. In Saivite theology, the sun is said to be one of eight forms of Siva, the Astamurti. Additionally, Ganesh and Skanda for them, would be aspects of Shiva and Shakti. According to smartism, most Hindus worship Saguna Brahman as Vishnu or Shiva.
Most Smarthas thus worship at least one of the following Gods: God Shiva, God Vishnu, God Ganesha, the Sun God Surya, Goddess Durga, and/or God Skanda.
Adi Shankaracharya recommended the Smarthas to follow Panchayatana worship. This puja or worship included the worship of the first five deities mentioned above. (This was later extended to include the sixth God, Skanda). In this form of worship, the favorite family deity is placed in the center. All other Gods were placed around this central God and worshipped.
This is not always followed and some families worship only certain individual deities. In those periods when worship through rituals were considered to be superior, some families preferred and considered the practice of rituals as very important than worship of God through prayer. That is they gave more stress to Karma Yoga than to Bhakti Yoga.
Basically the smarthas were distinguished by their strict adherence to the sacred laws of Smritis and rituals. However, since Advaita has become the dominant philosophy for smarthas, the smarthas started to worship all of the Hindu Gods since all are different manifestations of one nirguna Brahman.
In fact even smartha advaitic theologians do not discourage smarthas who understands the nature of Ultimate Reality in a dual(dvaita) sense.This is because they believe that, dual experience is part of growing up. They say that it is a stage in an individual's spiritual growth and ultimately the individual would realize the Advaitic Truth.Thus, as long as there is open mindedness, people could follow their own philosophy that would define their experience.
But here it must be pointed out that smarthas are very much against any kind of idea that opposes the smriti texts and the Vedas.
Many smarthas today,are very much men of the world. Besides the advaitic textbooks that are read,their worship is limited to a few of the basic rituals.Though they continue to preserve their open minded outlook, there is very little time to practice elaborate rituals. Worship is limited to an hour of prayers and the ancient practices of elaborate rituals are no longer common. Today only a very small number of smarthas learn the vedas and scriptures.
Some Rules and Regulations
There are different sets of rules for each stage of an individual's life.The stages of life prescibed in the Vedic scriptures are Brahmacharya ashrama,Grihastha ashrama, Vanaprashta Ashrama and Sanyasa Ashrama.
There is hardly anyone in modern times who follows the Vanaprastha Ashrama.But everyone who undergoes the Brahmacharya Ashrama are expected to learn Vedas and scriptures besides leading a celibate Life. They are expected to eat satvik food.
Besides some of the rules specific to the ashrama,all smarthas are expected to perform rituals without any compromise. Some of the daily rituals include Sandhya Vandana, Agni Homa etc. The other rituals followed include Amavasya and Shraddha.
Smarthas are recommended to follow the Brahma form of Vedic marriage (a type of arranged marriage). The marriage ceremony is based on Vedic prescriptions. Women acquire the traditions of her husband's family.
Smartha Contributions to Advaita
Smarthas have been instrumental in providing theoretical foundation for Advaita philosophy. Advaita is today the dominant philosophy of Hinduism in India. The Smartha theorists have written innumerable works on Advaita. One of the Greatest Advaita scholars and saints, Adi Shankaracharya, had born into a family of Smartha tradition. There were other great Smartha Scholars like Appaiah Dikshitar who have strengthened and laid solid foundation to Advaita.
Smartha Contributions to other Philosophies
Sreekanta was the founder of Siva Advaita.
Tyagaraja was a Bhakti Saint and musical genius who inspired Hindus of many different sects.Deeply immersed in Bhakti,this devotee of Lord Rama,was acceptable to even non Smarthas.In his compositions,the Saint is a simple and humble Bhakta.In one of his compositions he asks which one is better "Dvaita or Advaita?".He leaves the question open.He belonged to that category of saints who believe in Bhakti as the path to God.In this sense his teachings were suitable to people of all the three major south Indian sects- Advaitas, Sri Vaishanavas and madhvas.His music was so enchanting that even people of other castes flocked to listen to him.
Tulsidas,a bhakti saint of the north may have been a Smartha.
The modern philosopher J.Krishnamurthy refused to be tied down even by his own tradition.Initially influenced by theosophy,he later moved away from even this.He believed in independantly evaluating all spiritual questions and refusing to be tied down by any sect or tradition.
Besides these there were a number of other Non Advaitic Scholars among Smarthas prior to Shankaracharya.
Smarthas who split away from their group
Ramanujacharya,Madhavacharya,Vallabahacharya were only some of the Smartha who broke away from the parent group and founded their very own sects.
Important Religious Books followed
The main Hindu texts are the main religious books followed by the Smarthas. These include:
1.The Vedas (Rig Veda,Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda). These are considered primary spiritual resources; every Brahmin family is affiliated to one or more of the Vedas. The vedas are considered divine revelation, which only an advanced spiritual student can grasp.
2.The Upanishads, which are part of the Vedas, are often mentioned separately, given their especial importance as products of past intellectual ferment.
3.The "Smrithis" are religious books based on Vedas and are written by important Sages/Rishis of the past. Each of them contain recommendations and practices unique to itself. The Book an individual followed depended on his family. Thus, ritual practices sometimes varied from family to family, depending on family tradition. Some of the more common religious law books were the Manu Smriti, the Apastamba Smriti and the Bodhyayana Smriti.
4.The Puranas were optional texts in the ancient times. They are basically a collection of sacred historical events that were passed from one generation to the next in the form of mythological stories. Smartha philosphers used the puranas to get a better understanding of Vedas, but do not consider them as completely authentic texts. However, the eighteen Puranas are revered by Smarthas, just like any other Hindus. Today the Puranas are the main inspiration for Smarthas, who are not conversant with higher spiritual literature.
5.The smarthas also recite Shlokas and other devotional hymns composed by Great Bhaktas.
Prominent Communities
Prominent Smartha communities of South India include the Iyer community of Tamil Nadu, the Namboothiri community of Kerala, and the vaidiki Mulukanadu, Vaidiki Velanadu, vaidike Badaganadu, Vaidiki Telanganya, Babboor Kamme, Sankethi, Hoysala Kannada, Kota, Arvel Niyogi and Gaud Saraswat communities of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, among many others.
Communities like the Sri Vaishnavas, Madhwas and Veera Saivas are some of the other Hindu sects which have branched/broken away from the Smartha stream. A distinctive feature of these communities is the fact that none of them subscribe to Advaita. Some of these sects have also accepted people who came from outside the Smartha Brahmin fold; indeed, the Veera Saiva community includes non-Brahmins. Another feature of these sects is that they follow rituals recommended by their lineage of Gurus, which are different from the rituals of the Smarthas.
External links
- http://www.namboothiri.com/
- http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part14/chap9.htm (oneness of God and also see chapter 10.)
- http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/ad_faq.html#8 (oneness of God, through the six forms.)
- http://sringeri.org/
- [(Description of Smartism among the four major divisions of Hinduism.)]
- Vaishnava.com's site on facts about Hinduism that features a good overview of the four divisions of Hinduism and 9 core Hindu beliefs.
- Overview of the three major divisions, from the book, Hindu Dharma, Saivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism, and the three other schools devoted to Ganesh, Skanda and Surya.
- Great overview of the six schools.
- Divine Life Society Swami view of Smartism-inclusive monotheism
