With reference to ancient Indian legal texts and epics, consider the following statements: 1. Dharmashastras such as Manusmriti and Yajnavalkya Smriti are classified as Shruti literature. 2. The Bhagavad Gita forms a section of the Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? |ForumIAS

[A] 1 only

[B] 2 only

[C] Both 1 and 2

[D] Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: B

Notes:

Correct Answer:

Statement 1 is incorrect: Smritis (law codes like Manusmriti and Yajnavalkya Smriti) are classified as Smriti (that which is remembered) literature, which are human compositions. Shruti (“that which is heard”) refers strictly to the core canonical texts: Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and Upanishads.
Statement 2 is correct: The Bhagavad Gita is an 18-chapter philosophical text embedded within the Bhishma Parva (Book 6) of the epic Mahabharata.