In the next three Shlokas, the orthodox Shastras of our Sampradai are explained, as they are accepted by Lord Swaminarayan to contain the essence of our Hindu Sanatan Dharma. Shastras are many in numbers, each of which propounds Dharma and Gnaan. Lord Swaminarayan, because of this, has chosen eight of these which are his favourite (Ista). Indeed it is these Shastras which will bring about the greatest devotion to God.
The first and foremost Shastra mentioned are the Four Vedas (here specified as one of the eight Shastras). The Vedas are our most important Scriptures, said to have originated from the four faces of Brahma. They are considered to be the oldest Hindu teachings. The word ‘Veda’ literally means ‘knowledge’ or that which is known. It is the knowledge of truth, revealed to Rishis by God and so the knowledge is of a divine nature. The Vedas are therefore also referred to as the Shruti - the revealed Shastras.
The four Vedas are as follows: (1) Rigveda - taught by Palita, mainly deals with Gnaan (knowledge) (2) Samaveda - taught by Jaimini, mainly deals with ‘Upasana’ or worship (3) Yajurveda - taught by Vaisampayana mainly deals with Karma or Action and is in two parts Krishna Yajurveda and Sukla Yajurveda, finally (4) Atharvaveda - taught by Sumanta, is a miscellaneous composition. Note that each Veda is split up into four parts - Mantra or Samhita, Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads or Vedanta.
Shatanand explains that with the listing of ‘Vedas’ here, one should accept also the authority of the Vedangas. Shruti explains, ‘Brahmins should eagerly study the Vedas along with their six limbs (Angas) and have a full understanding of them.’
These six auxiliaries of the Vedas are as follows (1) Shiksha – phonetics, the science of proper pronunciation and articulation, (2) Chanda - prosody science of compiling poetry (3) Vyakarana - grammar (4) Nirukta – etymology, explanations of Vedic words (5) Jyotisha - astronomy and (6) Kalpa - rituals.
The second Shastra is the Vyaas Sutra, otherwise known as Brahmansutra. This scripture is written by Lord Vyaas and discusses the essence of the Upanishads in the first chapter, the Vedantic systems in the second, the spiritual pathway to the supreme goal of life in the third and the nature of God in the fourth. The qualities of a Sutra are given here: ‘with few words, containing Tatva (original or real form), with great knowledge or explanations, cannot be refuted and without fault; such are the characteristics of Sutra.’
The third Shastra mentioned is Shrimad Bhagwat Purana, written by Vyaas again. Vyaas had produced the Vedas, written the Mahabharat, written the eighteen Puranas, and yet was not content with his literary works. By the instruction of Narad, he then took to writing the Shrimad Bhagwat Purana, which expounded Bhakti as the greatest means of attaining God. In this way, the Purana was written which finally dissolved the unrest that Vyaas was feeling.
Bhavarthadipika explains the Bhagwat as, ‘A scripture with 18,000 Shlokas, twelve chapters, containing the Brahmanvidhya (divine knowledge) as explained by Hayagriva and containing the story of the destruction of Vrutrasura. Beginning with the Gayatri Mantra, it is called the Bhagwat.’
Suta Purani explains the characteristic contents of a Purana - ‘(1) Sarga - first stage of creation of the universe (2) Visarga - second stage of creation (3) Vruti - science of behaviour (4) Raksha – protection, personal well being (5) Manavantar - knowledge of time and space (6) Vansha - Katha or stories of God (7) Vansanucharit - stories of Great Kings (8) Mukti - ways of salvation (9) Hetu - desires to support the Jiva and (10) Apashreya.’ An Alpapurana is that which has Sarga, Visarga, Vansa, Vansanucharit and Manvantara. The Bhagwat Mahapurana contains the Avatar Lilas of the twenty-four incarnations of God, of which the story of Shree Krishna is wonderfully documented in the largest of the twelve Skandas, the tenth Skanda.
The fourth Shastra is Shree Vishnusahastranaan. It is taken from Anushasanik Parva of the Mahabharat, written by Vyaas. This Vishnusahastranaan should be taken as different to that which is in Padma Purana. The ‘thousand names of the Lord’ were composed by Sanaka - one of the Kumaras and was recited by Bhishma as the response to the question that Yudhishtira asked - ‘who is that being who is the supreme Lord of all, who is the sole refuge of all and by praising and worshipping whom man gains what is good and attains salvation?’