Shloka 20
Mohinī-prashna
The Question about Mohinī
इतिहासपुराणैस्तु निश्चयोऽयं कृतः पुरा । यन्न दृष्टं हि वेदेषु तत्सर्वं लक्ष्यते स्मृतौ ॥ २० ॥
itihāsapurāṇaistu niścayo'yaṃ kṛtaḥ purā | yanna dṛṣṭaṃ hi vedeṣu tatsarvaṃ lakṣyate smṛtau || 20 ||
Kesimpulan ini telah ditegakkan sejak dahulu melalui Itihāsa dan Purāṇa: apa yang tidak didapati secara langsung dalam Veda, semuanya hendaklah dikenali dalam tradisi Smṛti.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: none
FAQs
It clarifies scriptural authority: the Vedas are primary, while Itihasa–Purana and Smriti preserve and explain practical dharma and teachings that may not appear explicitly in Vedic mantras, guiding lived spirituality.
Bhakti practices are often taught in Itihasa–Purana and Smriti in accessible narrative and ritual forms; this verse legitimizes relying on those sources for devotion-oriented disciplines when direct Vedic wording is absent.
It points to the principle of śāstra-pramāṇa and interpretive method: when Vedic statements are not explicit, dharma is determined through Smriti supported by Itihasa–Purana—an applied hermeneutic used alongside Vedanga tools like Vyakarana and Nirukta.