ABSTRACT

There are different weights and dimensions to scriptural authority in Hinduism. Traditionally, in Brahminic Hinduism the sacred word par excellence has been the Veda. The Veda is canonical scripture: that which is theoretically the norm for saving knowledge. Veda comes from the root vid, to know. Thus the Veda refers to that normative knowledge which saves the human being from the predicament of unfulfilled existence, in this world or hereafter. As such, Veda is a religious term. There are many different views in Hinduism as to what the saving content of Vedic knowledge is and how it works. In due course we shall enquire into some of these views. But there is broad agreement under the umbrella of Brahminic Hinduism (wide-ranging as it is) that in theory at least, the Vedas are the source of saving knowledge, even though (a) in practice most Hindus have had no direct access to the Vedas, either in written form or aurally; and (b) for all practical purposes many branches of Hinduism resort to alternative scriptures which seem to have no direct connection with the Vedas.