The article is from a series of questions answered by Shekhar Bodhakar
What makes think there are only six shastras of what was termed ‘Hinduism’ by the British in the early nineteenth century.
‘Hinduism’ was, what we cancall ‘Indianism’ today. It has nothing to do with religion as is commonly but falsely assumed.
Shastras (instructions manuals), derived from the root word shastra which means weapon, reminds one of the phrase “pen is mightier than the sword”.
Knowledge is like a powerful weapon. knowledge which can be used in defence or attack, when systemised is called a shastra.
What are the shastras of the Indian subcontinent, a land once known as Hindustan, once a Buddhist empire known as Jambudeep? There are thousands upon thousands of shastras and many countless thousands that were kept in the only universities of that era, were destroyed in fires during the decline of Buddhism.
There are mathematics and scientific shastras, philosophical and religious shastras, music and arts shastras, languages, craft, history, medical etc shastras.
The oldest sets of shastras are:
1. The Tipitaka, which forms the Buddhist canon written by monks, exported to Sri Lanka by Ashoka’s son, the monk Mahinda.
2. The Vedas & Smritis composed by Brahmins sages and scholars not written until the AD era
The Tipitaka, being the oldest available written shastra is from the Ashokan era in the Pali language
These two sets of shastras, with conflicting ideologies, shaped the future of the Jambudeepians, Hindustanis and today’s Indians and are the shastras of ‘Indianism’, the way of life of the Indians.
NOTES:
1. The terms Hindu and Hindustan WERE geographical Identities and not religious identities. Hindustan split into Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar (Burma). After each country got it’s independence, the citizens of Hindustan, the Hindus became Pakistanis, Indian, Bangladeshis, Nepalis etc and are no more Hindus.. just as there are no more Soviets since the Soviet Union split into independent states too.
Therefore, their (the ex-Hindus) way of life cannot be called Hinduism anymore. It makes more sense to refer to these multiple ways of lifeas Pakistanism, Indianism, Banglaism or Nepalism etc Even the PM, Mr Modi admits that
2.If by Hinduism you mean Brahminism, the way of life of society controlled by Brahmins, then why not call it what it is.. ie Brahminism.Yourquestion would then become :
“What are the names of the six shastras of Brahmanism?”, which warrants a different answer.
