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Vedanta Sutras, as you must be knowing, is the primary text of the most popular philosophical school of Hinduism i.e. the Vedanta school. Written by Badarayana Vyasa, it is summary of all the teachings of the Mukhya Upanishads.

Now, Mukhya Upanishads are considered Shruti (that which is heard) by most instead of Smriti (that which is remembered) even though they are neither relevations nor hymns.

My question is whether we should consider the Vedanta Sutras Shruti or Smriti?

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From Manu Smriti 2.10:

Srutis tu vedo vigneyo dharmashAstram tu vai smriti |

OR By Sruti is meant the Veda and by Smritis are meant the Dharma ShAstras.

So, the VedAnta Sutras is a Darshana scripture and it's neither Sruti nor Smriti.

Just because, some texts/scriptures has authors do not mean they all fall into the Smriti category.

For example, the Smritis have authors, the PurAnas have too, so also have the ItihAsas. But that does not mean all of them are the same. They are different. That's why they have different names and that's why they are always mentioned separately in scriptures. (For example, the scriptures talk about the relative authority status of the Smritis and the PurAnas and doing so will not make any sense if the PurAnas are also Smriti).

Similarly, just because, a scripture does not have an author does not imply that it is Sruti. For example, the Tantras have no authors too, but they are different from Sruti or the Vedas.

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Adding to what Rickross has said,

Several commentators of the Brahma Sutra consider it as one of the Prasthana Trayi, the others being Srimad Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 25-42, Bhishma Parva, Mahabharata) and the 10 principal Upanishads (Mukhya Upanishads).

In this classification,

  1. Upanishads are all as the Sruti Prasthana (representing Sruthi's point of view)

  2. Bhagavad Gita is called the smriti prasthana (representing Smriti's point of view)

  3. Brahma Sutra is called the Nyaya Prasthana (representing Logical point of view, where Nyaya implies logical deductions/analysis).

So, by that generally accepted nomenclature, Brahma Sutra is neither of the 2 in a direct sense.

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