Composing…
Composing…
Manusmṛti · c. 200 BCE – 200 CE (core); later strata · Sanskrit
Traditional: Manu Svāyaṃbhuva (traditional)
Scholarly note: Layered dharmaśāstra; many verses are medieval interpolations per philology.
Codify varṇāśrama-dharma, rāja-dharma, and civil/criminal norms for a Brahminical legal ideal.
Extent · 12 adhyāyas, ~2,700 ślokas
From cosmogony through daily conduct to king’s duties and penances.