Hindu Religious Discourses

HINDU RELIGIOUS DISCOURSES
Long before the Cinema Theaters and Television captured our evening time, people used to gather at the temple grounds to hear Religious Discourses. The learned Pundits would allure the audience with their excellent orations into the divine world.
Sruti
Sruti is a term that describes the sacred texts, which comprise the central canon of Hinduism. Sruti, the revealed knowledge heard by rishis (saints or sages), was spread and carried over generations spanning many centuries by word of mouth. The Vedas were handed over thru generations by oral instructions, as the pivot of whole educational system of ancient India was the teacher or Guru. The Vedas are learnt by hearing hence they are Sruti.
Smriti
Sruti literature differs from Smriti or "remembered" texts, which refers to a specific body of Hindu religious scripture. Smriti mandates that the person who learns the Vedas should impart it to others and prescribes penalties for the failure of such duties. Thus traditionally the guru sishya parampara system ensured that the vedas were transmitted from one generation to the next by listening. This time-tested methodology because of its purity of transmission of knowledge by a proper guru, who was bound by the rules of the smritis on his conduct as a guru, was adopted as most suited mass communication methodology in discourses on Dharma to the common man. Our Smritis include Dharmasastra, Itihasa (Mahakavyas or Epics Mahabharata and the Ramayana), eighteen Puranas, Vedanga (the Shiksha, Vyakarana, Chandas, Nirukta, Jyotisha, & Kalpa), Agamas or the doctrines, Darsana or philosophies (Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Sankhya, Yoga, Purva Mimamsa & Vedantas).
Guru- Sishys
The Smritis were learnt by selected sishyas (Students) who by their religious discourses imparted mass knowledge. Sishyas are told by their gurus to do these discourses when they find them to be most suitable for propagation of our scriptures by Sravanam (Listening) and Pravachanam (Expounding).
Discourse
Hindu Religious Discourses was a necessary off shoot with meaningful interpretations of our Smritis and with necessary ancillary explanations. Religious Discourses thus became a purposeful scientific art, which only a select few who were well versed in our Sruti, Smritis, could do effectively and accepted as the Gurus in the field.
These discourses are just not story telling alone. The performer is looked upon as an acharya (teacher) who can explain religious and mythological texts of the past with simplicity, to the present and future generations. Prasangam (Lecture), Patakam (Dissertation), Upanyasam (Sermon), Pravachan (Expounding Scriptures), Harikatha (Story of the Lord), Harikeertan (Lord's Praise), Kalakshepa (Time pass narration with Music), Villupattu (Reciting with bow instrument), Burrakatha (Tales with Tambura Instrument) are some of the traditions that are practiced in different parts of India for presenting these discourses.
Samartha Ramadas, Gopalakrishna Bharathi, Thanjavur Krishna Bhagavathar, Paruthiyur Krishna Sastri, Varahur Gopala Bhagavatar, Puvalur Kalyanarama Bhagavatar, Kappamangalam Sami Sastri, Ajjada Adibhatla Narayana Das were some of the Pioneers in the field of Hindu discourses. Hindu religious discourses will continue to increase devotion and induce good character to the community.

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