शास्त्रं हि शासनात्मकम् । शासनं चोपदेशः । स च द्विधा साक्षादर्थान्तरद्वारा च । साक्षादुपदेशस्तु श्रुतिरिति परिभाष्यते । साक्षात्त्वं चात्र निरपेक्षत्वमुच्यते । तदुक्तं निरपेक्षरवा श्रुतिरिति ।
śāstraṁ hi śāsanātmakam | śāsanaṁ copadeśaḥ | sa ca dvidhā sākṣād arthāntara-dvārā ca | sākṣād-upadeśas tu śrutir iti paribhāṣyate | sākṣāttvaṁ cātra nirapekṣatvam ucyate | tad uktaṁ nirapekṣa-ravā śrutir iti |
(Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha: 29)
“Śāstra is educational. Education is instruction. This is of two types: direct and by way of another meaning [i.e., indirect]. Direct instruction is termed śruti. Its being direct means it is independent [i.e., it does not require anything else to produce its effect]. Thus, it is said [in Artha-saṅgraha: 16], ‘An independent statement is called śruti.’”