Smartism
A philosophically oriented, multi-deity current within Hinduism that reads the Vedas through an Advaita (nondual) lens while preserving household worship of several gods.
Quick Facts
- Period
- 701 - Present
- Region
- Asia
- Key Figures
- Adi Shankara, Gaudapada, Padmapada +1 more
Key Figures
Adi Shankara
Philosopher-Theologian and Attributed Reformer
Advaita Vedanta; traditionally associated with the Smarta monastic networkAdi Shankara is the single most prominent historical figure associated with the consolidation of Advaita Vedanta and wit...
Gaudapada
Early Advaita Philosopher and Textual Source
Author of the Mandukya Kārikā; influential antecedent to later Advaita and Smarta thoughtGaudapada is a pivotal early thinker in the chain of texts that later Advaita Vedantins — including the Smarta tradition...
Padmapada
Early Disciple and Exegete
Traditionally counted among Shankara's immediate disciples; contributor to early Advaita exegesisPadmapada is traditionally listed among the close circle of disciples associated with the figure known as Adi Shankara. ...
Suresvara (Bharati Tirtha)
Advaita Commentator and Disciple
Traditionally numbered among the early disciples of Adi Shankara; influential in the classical Advaita commentary traditionSuresvara — often identified in tradition as one of Adi Shankara's principal disciples and sometimes associated with the...
The Story
This narrative combines documented history with dramatized scenes for storytelling purposes.
Origins and Founding
The Smarta tradition emerges in historical context rather than as the single invention of a lone founder. Its roots lie in the textual and ritual world of class...
Beliefs and Worldview
At the heart of Smarta belief is a reading of Vedanta often called Advaita — a nondual metaphysical position that identifies the individual self (ātman) with th...
Practice and Ritual Life
Smartism is lived first and foremost in households and temples. Its ritual landscape combines Vedic sacrificial remnants, domestic rites, image-based worship an...
Authority and Transmission
Authority in the Smarta tradition is mediated through texts, teachers and institutions rather than by a single centralized hierarchy. The canonical scriptural a...
The Tradition Today
Smartism is a living tradition in the early 21st century, present both in the Indian subcontinent and in global diasporic communities. It does not constitute a ...
Timeline
Composition of the Mandukya Kārikā (attributed to Gaudapada)
**6th century CE** — The Mandukya Kārikā, commonly attributed to Gaudapada and dated by many scholars to the sixth–seventh centuries CE, elaborates nondual themes around the Mandukya Upanishad and becomes an early textual resource for later Advaitic and Smarta thinkers.
Activity of the Figure Known as Adi Shankara
**8th century CE** — Traditional accounts place Adi Shankara in the 8th century CE; he is credited in Smarta narratives with systematizing Advaita Vedanta, authoring commentaries on the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gītā and Brahma Sūtras, and promoting multi-deity worship and monastic foundations.
Formation of Early Advaita Disciplic Lineages
**8th–9th centuries CE** — Disciple-teacher figures such as Padmapada and Suresvara are associated with the early Advaita community; their commentaries and teaching roles help consolidate an interpretive school that later Smartas claim as their doctrinal basis.
Rise of Viśiṣṭādvaita (Ramanuja) and Theological Debate
**11th–12th century CE** — Ramanuja's Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedanta presents a qualified-nondual alternative to Advaita; the emergence of competing Vedantic schools generates sustained philosophical and ritual debates that shape Smarta identity by contrast.
Dvaita Vedanta and Continued Sectarian Development
**13th century CE** — Madhva's Dvaita Vedanta advocates a dualistic ontology and intensifies the plurality of Vedantic interpretations; such developments highlight the distinctive Advaita commitments that Smartas uphold.
Consolidation of Temple and Household Rituals
**Medieval period (12th–17th centuries)** — During the medieval centuries Smarta patterns such as panchayatana puja and the social roles of Smarta Brahmins become embedded in regional temple cultures and household practices.
Colonial Scholarship and Ethnographic Classification
**19th century** — British colonial ethnography and census practices record and sometimes categorize Smarta and Brahmin communities, bringing Smarta ritual and textual traditions into new scholarly and administrative regimes.
Founding of the Arya Samaj
**1875** — The Arya Samaj movement (established in 1875) critiques image worship and calls for Vedic reform; its emergence provokes theological and social responses from Smarta and other Hindu traditions.
Publication and Translation of Advaitic Texts
**Late 19th–early 20th century** — Scholarly editions and translations (in European languages and later in Indian vernaculars) of Shankara's commentaries and related Advaita texts become more widely available, influencing both academic study and religious teaching.
Post-independence Legal Reforms Affecting Ritual Life
**1950s** — Legal and social reforms in the post-independence period — such as new family law regimes in India — reshape marriage, inheritance and temple governance in ways that affect Smarta household and institutional practices.
Globalization and Diasporic Institutionalization
**Late 20th century** — Smarta communities in the diaspora establish temples and cultural associations in cities worldwide, adapting festival calendars and teaching programs to new social contexts.
Rise of Neo-Advaita and Popular Nondual Teachers
**Late 20th–early 21st century** — A number of popular teachers and movements interpret Advaita in simplified or therapeutic terms for global audiences; while these draw on classical texts, they often function outside traditional Smarta institutional channels.
Sources
- reference_encyclopediaSmarta
Concise overview of Smarta tradition and ritual forms.
- academic_bookIndian Philosophy, Vol. 2
S. Radhakrishnan — classic, authoritative survey of Vedanta and Advaita exegesis.
- academic_bookA History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 2
Surendranath Dasgupta — detailed historical treatment of classical Indian philosophical traditions including Advaita.
- academic_bookA Survey of Hinduism
Klaus K. Klostermaier — accessible overview of Hindu traditions, including Smarta and Advaita orientations.
- academic_bookThe Blackwell Companion to Hinduism
Edited volume (multiple authors) covering sects, practices and intellectual histories, useful for comparative context.
- primary_text_translationThe Mandukya Upanishad and Gaudapada's Karika
Primary text and classical commentary central to early Advaita; consult critical editions and scholarly translations.
- primary_text_translationŚaṅkarācārya: The Philosophical Works (selected translations and editions)
Edited and translated collections of Shankara's bhāṣyas and treatises; consult critical scholarly editions for historical study.
- reference_encyclopediaEncyclopaedia of Religion (article: Vedanta/Advaita)
Comprehensive scholarly encyclopedia entries for background on Vedanta schools and historical debates.
- academic_bookAdvaita Vedānta: A Philosophical Reconstruction
Eliot Deutsch's philosophical reconstruction of Advaita Vedānta; a standard analytic study of its metaphysics and epistemology.
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