#125, Smritis and Puranas are productions of men of limited intelligence

Swami Vivekananda wrote to Pramada Das Mitra, from Almora on May 30, 1897.

The Smritis and the Puranas are productions of men of limited intelligence and are full of fallacies, errors, the feelings of class and malice. Only parts of them breathing broadness of spirit and love are acceptable, the rest are to be rejected. The Upanishads and the Gita are the true scriptures.


BLOGGER'S VIEW
At the point of writing this letter, Vivekananda was at the zenith of his career. He was preaching to foreigners. He made money. Naturally, there were some traces of arrogance.

If the producers of Smritis and Puranas were men of limited intelligence was Vivekananda a man of unlimited intelligence?

Actually verse Nos. 18/42 to 45 (Path of Liberation and Renunciation)of Bhagavad Gita contain the same errors, fallacies, and malices of caste etc. which Vivekananda found in Smritis and Puranas. Upanishads such as Brihadaranyaka contain procedures and chants which carry the same errors, fallacies and malices.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Firstly I do not think Vivekananda ever said that people who wrote the Puranas and Smritis were people of less intelligence.

But Yes he was completely with the Vedas and anything even in Puranas if it contradicted the Vedas he actually discarded them. Can you please show me a reference as to where he said it ?
Is the above letter written by Swami Vivekananda to Pramod Das Mitra not enough evidence?
tomfire said…
criticizing swami vivekananda is ur arrogance. his intention behind every word is to keep India at the highest. bhagvad gita and upanishads mention caste system and other fallacies but there is no proof that u can show they are based on birth......(from within these scriptures) moreover its is well accepted fact both scholarly and traditionally that smritis, puranas and itihasas to be considered to be right till they contradict vedas..........It implies that there are some situations and scriptural statements that are against vedas.........make a note that he even praised the caste system for its merit sides. at the same time he opposed for its disadvantages

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