The Manusmriti, also known as the Manava-Dharmashastra or the Laws of Manu, is a major legal text among the Dharmashastras of Hinduism. It contains rules on many aspects of dharma and is especially known for its discussion of separate rules for the four varnas, the inherited social classes often called caste. The metrical Sanskrit text is dated to between the second century BC and the second century AD and presents itself as a discourse given by the sages Manu and Bhrigu on duties, rights, conduct, and virtue. In 1776 it became one of the first Sanskrit texts translated into English, by the British philologist William Jones, and it was subsequently used to help construct the Hindu law code applied in territory administered by the East India Company.
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Document TypeLegal text (Dharmashastra) 1 Original Language Document Type
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Source Manusmriti, Wikipedia
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1. Manusmriti, Wikipedia
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is a major legal text among the many Dharmaśāstras of Hinduism
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The metrical text is in Sanskrit
Lead, first sentence, name clause
also known as the Mānava-Dharmaśāstra or the Laws of Manu
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is a major legal text among the many Dharmaśāstras of Hinduism
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of the first Sanskrit texts to be translated into English (the original Sanskrit book was never found), by British philologist Sir
In Era: Classical Antiquity, Article text
However, the majority of scholars agree that it was composed sometime between 200 BCE and 200 CE.
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