What is Told and What is heard

Published on 10th October, 2015, in the Economic Times. Vedas are called shurti, that which needs to be heard. It is distinguished from later literature, which is called smriti, that which is remembered. Vedas are considered pure while smriti literature, such as the dharma-shastras, are considered contextual, even contaminated by human prejudice. This nomenclature draws attention to the gap between what is told and what is actually heard. And the gap between what is told and what is heard is a function of the memory of the receiver. Our memories create the filter of prejudice that distorts all that we hear. So what we hear ..