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Now which books to quote to prove a point. That is primary canon. To resolve this, Sripad Adi Shankaracharya came up with this system.

Now which books to quote to prove a point. That is primary canon. To resolve this, Sripad Adi Shankaracharya came up with this system.

== The Three foundations ==

== The Three Prasthanas ==

Sripad Adi Shankaracharya's has the credit for the systematization of the Vedic literatures and Vedic tradition at large. He united the broad Vedic tradition and systematized it.  

S Radhakrishnan writes the following<ref>Radhakrishnan, S. (1926). ''Hindu view of life''. George Allen And Unwin Ltd, London.</ref>:

Shruti , Smriti and Nyaya are the primary books through which the import of the vedanta can be understood which in turn give the import of the vedas.

"The three Prasthanas or divisions of Vedanata are: The [[Upanishads (उपनिषदः)|Upanishads]], Brahma Sutra and the [[Bhagavad Gita (भगवद्गीता)|Bhagavad Gita]]. The three Prasthanas answer roughly to three stages of faith, knowledge and discipline. The Upanishads embody the experience of the sages. Logic and discipline are present in them though these are not the chief characteristics of those texts. The Brahma Sutra attempts to interpret in logical terms, the chief conclusions of the Upanishads. The [[Bhagavad Gita (भगवद्गीता)|Bhagavad Gita]] is primarily a Yoga Sastra giving us the chief means by which we can attain the truly religious life. These three form together the absolute standard of the Hindu tradition". 

 

1. Shruti - Vedas, Upanisads

 

2. Smriti - Puranas, Itihasas

 

3. Nyaya - Vedanta Sutra

 

They are called the Prasthan trayi - 'three foundations'

== Unanimous acceptance ==

== Unanimous acceptance ==

The system (that particular structure) of Prasthan trayi was accepted by subsequent acharyas also.  Sripad Madhvacharya, Sripad Ramanujacharya, Sripad Baladev Vidyabhushan and others have all commented on this Prasthan trayi and thats how they established the authenticity of their sampradayas.

The system (that particular structure) of Prasthan trayi was accepted by subsequent acharyas also.  Sripad Madhvacharya, Sripad Ramanujacharya, Sripad Baladev Vidyabhushan and others have all commented on this Prasthan trayi and thats how they established the authenticity of their sampradayas.