Deliberation on Śruti and Śrāuta
The ordinary conventional meanings (sādhāraṇa rūḍhi-vṛtti) of the words ‘śruti’ and ‘śrauta’ which are accepted by followers of the empirical tradition (ādhyakṣika-sampradāya), who derive knowledge by collating sensory perceptions, is not accepted by the vidvat-sampradāya, who are servants of Adhokṣaja, the Lord who exists beyond sense perception. The life-giving current (sañjīvanī-dhārā) of the nectar of the eternal truth (vāstava-satya-sudhā) emanates from the mouth of śrauta-guru with unadulterated love (avimiśra-bhāva). That nectar which is infused into the pure sky of the heart (viśuddha-hṛdaya-ākāśa) of the affectionately serving disciple (sevā-snigdha-śiṣya), through the door of his añjali (folded hands in prayer and supplication) in the form of his ears, is called ‘śruti’. The affectionate disciple who is attentive to service attains the truth from Śrī Guru-pādapadma. If that very Guru-pādapadma is not nitya and śrauta, that is, if that Gurudeva has not heard the eternal truth (nitya-satya) from his own śrauta-gurudeva, then Śruti will not manifest itself in the merely theatrical imitation (abhinaya) of such a conventional guru-śiṣya-paramparā. This is the meaning of the verse:
yasya deve parā bhaktir, yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ, prakāśante mahātmanaḥ
Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.23
Only in the heart of that great soul in whom there is pure bhakti to Śrī Bhagavān, and similarly, pure bhakti to Śrī Gurudeva, are all the confidential purports of the Śrutis self-manifest (prakāśa).