A classical Hindu reading of dharma places the Vedas at the highest level of authority and recognises other sacred sources within the wider sastra tradition.
Background and earlier position
Hindu textual tradition is layered. Śruti has the highest authority, while smriti, epics, Puranic literature, and devotional works help explain and apply dharma in practice.
The story of Bharadwaja shows the limits of exhaustive scriptural study. Bharadwaja studied the Vedas for centuries yet still felt that he had grasped only a tiny part of them.
