If one wants to know about the law and society in ancient India from original sources, Manusmrti (or Manusmriti) is indispensable for the purpose. Manusmrti (also called Manusamhita or Manava Dharmasastra) is one of the many Dharmasastras, an encyclopaedic text, exerting great influence on Hindu thought and practice.
The Dharmasastras are based on ancient Dharmasutra texts, belonging to the Kalpasutras, one of the six Vedangas. The Dharmasutras are brief, composed in the sutra style, where as their successors, the Dharmasastras were elaborate and composed in verse. The Dharmasastras emerged from the Vedic tradition, whereas the metrical Smrtis or the Dharmasastras reflect the changing conditions, though theoretically they accept the Vedas as the ultimate source of Dharma. The Dharmasastra literature is vast, at the head lies the Manusmrti, which is traditionally regarded as the most authoritative of them, for it is believed to have followed the meaning of the Vedas. In case of conflict, the Manusmrti supersedes other Smrtis. It is therefore regarded as one of the columns on which the ancient Indian lore rests.
The work is attributed to Manu, the legendary first man, whose identity is not clear. There were several Manus, it seems. Nor is the original text as composed by Manu available to us. What we have is the Bhrguprokta Manusamhita, i.c., the Manusamhita as propagated by Bhrgu. The work contains 12 chapters, dealing with many things, including the duties and rights of people at different stages of life like studenthood, householdership, retirement to forest and renunciation. The main subjects may be summarized as (i) acara 'the ideal conduct of people belonging to four social groups (varna) in four stages of life (asrama), (ii) vyavahara 'jurisprudence' and (iii) prayacitta 'expiation.' Though the work has sometimes been criticized, mainly on the ground that many rules laid down by it are not suitable for the present time, it contains age-old wisdom that can guide man in all times. Academic interest in this work may be gauged by the number of translations it inspired, also in the recent past, by Patrick Olivelle (2004) and Julian Hubbersgilt and Annick Hardakar (2018).
Vedas (1182)
Upanishads (493)
Puranas (624)
Ramayana (741)
Mahabharata (354)
Dharmasastras (165)
Goddess (496)
Bhakti (242)
Saints (1503)
Gods (1290)
Shiva (370)
Journal (187)
Fiction (60)
Vedanta (362)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist