Hindus have sacred books (aka shAstra-s - Veda-s, epics including itihAsa-s, purANa-s, dharma-shAstra-s). Not one, but many. Some would call it “religion of the library” to contrast with “religions of the book”.
These too are not absolute; and their injunctions are not binding regardless of context.
Classification
Some of the statements within texts are observational, while others are speculative.
From the perspective of mutability -
- Supra-sensory/ non-observational speculation
- deva-s, brahma, consequences of AchAra etc..
- observational/ inferential
- natural world, wellbeing of self, society …
- Proper behavior / AchAra to a good extant (as experiements which worked).
The former is considered in the speculation page.
The latter is considered in the tradition page.
Here we consider general issues affecting texts.
Statement overview
A classification of statements of veda-s is:
- vidhi-vAkya (command/ injunction)
- arthavAda (laudatory or denunciatory statement).
Subdivisions of arthavAda:
- gunavada - opposed to what is known through other pramanas, and thus has to be interpreted in a different way.
- anuvada - “merely repeats what is known through other pramana-s, and cannot thus be the main import of the Vedas, which are supposed to reveal what cannot be known from other sources.”
- bhutArthavada - “neither opposed to what is known by other pranianas, nor can they be confirmed by other pramana-s.”.
- vedAntin-s consider them authoritative.
- pUrva-mImAmsaka-s don’t consider them authoritative.