Smriti
(स्मृति)Literal Meaning
That which is remembered
Etymology & Sanskrit Root
From Sanskrit 'smri' (to remember); the body of Hindu scripture composed by human authors and transmitted through memory and tradition — including the Dharmashastras, epics, and Puranas — secondary in authority to the directly revealed shruti.
Spiritual Insight & Context
Because smriti is understood as human interpretation adapted to time and place, later commentators could revise its social prescriptions without denying its value, unlike the fixed, eternal shruti.