[Advaita-l] bAdarAyaNa - vyAsa

[Shrinivas Gadkari]

Namaste,
Adding a point that came to my mind after posting this message:
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4. Now, we can say that vyAsa was continually revising purANa texts,
and brahma sutra + other texts. So the versions of purANa-s and brahma
sutra-s available for circulation at Adi shankara's time would find mention of 
buddhism. This does not mean we can attribute a post Buddha period to 
the original composition of these texts.
5. This can also help us understand the riddle of the so called "later 
purANa-s", like bhAgavatam. shrimad bhAgavatam was narrated to 
parikshit before mahAbhArata was narrated to janamejaya. Yet, the
text of bhAgavatam was very likely not available for public circulation
until 1200-1300 AD. This does not mean some compiler of vedic texts
who would be given a generic title of "vyAsa" can be attributed the
authorship of bhAgavatam. It however does mean that vyAsa might have
somewhat modified the text after it was narrated to parikshit. However
the core content very likely was the same, terminology might have been
adapted to suit the later periods.
6. Regarding vedic samhitA-s we can be sure that the mantra-s were
only rearranged, and not modified by vyAsa. Hence for these we can
be sure that even though the vocabulary, terminology, grammar 
evolved with time, the vedic mantra-s would have to retain the form as
revealed by the original Rshi.
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The terms shruti  and smRti make more sense in this context.
From the view point of RSi-s like vyAsa: 
shruti: these are scriptures EXACTLY as we have HEARD then from 
the original source (original dRSTA RSi)
smRti: these are vidyAs we have assimilated, and we are expounding 
/ explaining these based on our understanding.
A question that might be asked:
What is the need to repoduce a text as we have heard it?
Is it not sufficient to express the assimilated essence in our own words?
Exact reproduction is needed only for mantra-s. That is, verses where
the very arrangement of every letter has a special significance and 
effect. An arrangement wherein vidyA-s are kept in coded form.
 
Regards,
Shrinivas