(“Laws of Manu”) One of the smrtis or
“remembered” texts, a class of literature
deemed important, but less authoritative than the shrutis or “heard” texts.
This smrti is ascribed to the sage Manu
and is an example of one of the Dharma
Shastras—manuals prescribing rules for
correct human behavior and ideal social
life. The Dharma Shastras are usually
ascribed to mythic sages, reinforcing the
authority of these texts. Manu’s text is by
far the most influential of the Dharma
Shastras and is believed to have been
composed just before the beginning of
the common era.
Manu’s text shows the break between
the Dharma Sutras and the Dharma
Shastras, for it is plainly intended as a
blueprint for an entire society, rather
than a set of rules for a particular brahmin group. The introductory chapter
details the creation of the world and the
consequent social order; the chapter
ends by summarizing the rest of the volume’s contents. The next five chapters
focus on the four major social groups
(varnas) and the four stages of life
(ashramas), using material from the
Dharma Sutras.
Manu’s themes in chapters seven
through nine sharply diverge from earlier sources. Chapter seven defines the
duties of a king. Chapters eight and nine
423
Manu Smrti
treat various legal matters that might
come before the king for adjudication.
Manu attempts to put all of these under
eighteen thematic headings. The material in these chapters encompasses
all manner of criminal and civil law,
from assault and theft to contract
law and marital duties laying down
a legal framework for the stable
governance of society.
The remaining chapters are less original. The tenth chapter discusses occupations that members of the different
varnas may follow in times of distress
(apaddharma), when normal social
rules no longer apply. The eleventh
talks about gifts to brahmins and rites
of expiation (prayashchitta), remaining
faithful to the Dharma Sutras. Manu’s
final chapter has a more abstract and
speculative nature, focusing on the
workings of karma and describing the
consequences of various good and evil
acts. The text has been translated
numerous times; see Wendy Doniger
O’Flaherty and Brian K. Smith, The Laws
of Manu, 1991.