According to Olivelle, the concept of Sramana exists in the early Brahmanical literature, but in "an adjectival sense to describe a special way of life of certain seers" that the Vedic culture considered extraordinary.
According to Olivelle, and other scholars such as Edward Crangle, the concept of Sramana exists in the early Brahmanical literature. The term is used in an adjectival sense for sages who lived a special way of life that the Vedic culture considered extraordinary.