The Early Historical Semantics of Śruti

An examination of the early usage of the word śruti is needed to clarify how it came to refer to the Veda. This paper reveals that śruti did not assume this meaning as the result of a belief in the aural revelation of the Vedic hymns. The śrautasūtras use the word śruti to cite brāhmaṇa texts and to indicate “hearing” a unit of speech in a Vedic passage. The second of these meanings was probably the historically original one, and this paper argues that it emerged out of early attempts to theorize how people drew information from the Veda. Śruti was placed in contrast with other modes of textual engagement that were understood to go beyond the literal words of the text

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