Dharmashastra

A general term to denote the study of
dharma (religious duty), whether referring specifically to the actual texts
(Dharma Shastras), or the treatises on
religious duty or more generally to the
extensive commentary-like literature on
these texts. Although the Dharma
Shastras are generally believed to have
been written between the second
century B.C.E. and the early centuries of
the common era, this literature continued to be written until modern times.
The literature detailed views on legal
matters, such as crime and punishment,
civil law, contracts, and rules of evidence. It also concerned matters of
social order. The most extensive catalog
of all these sources is a five-volume set
by Pandurang Vaman Kane (trans.), A
History of Dharmasastra, 1968.