Manusmṛti

Also known as Code of Manu, Mānava-Dharmaśāstra

The Manusmṛti (), also known as the Mānava-Dharmaśāstra or the Laws of Manu, is one of the many legal texts and constitutions among the many '''' of Hinduism.

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The Manusmṛti, also known as the Laws of Manu, is an ancient legal text that outlines rules for conduct and social order in Hinduism. It is one of several important religious and legal texts in the Hindu tradition that guided how people were supposed to live their lives.

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entry in abbreviations table: Mn.
Commons category: Manusmriti
inception: 0200-00-00
title: मनुस्मृति

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Article

27 sections

Contents

Nomenclature
Chronology
Structure
Sources of the law
Dharma of the four Varnas
Determination of Karmayoga
Contents
On virtues and outcast
Significance of Manusmriti
On personal choices, behaviours and morals
On rights of women
On statecraft and rules of war
Authenticity and inconsistencies in various manuscripts
Commentaries
Significance and role in history
In ancient and medieval India
Outside India
In British India
Comparison with other dharmasastras
Controversies
Views on Women
Views on Shudras
Modern Reception and Criticism
Editions and translations
See also
Notes
References

The Manusmṛti (), also known as the Mānava-Dharmaśāstra or the Laws of Manu, is one of the many legal texts and constitutions among the many '' of Hinduism.

Over fifty manuscripts of the Manusmriti are now known, but the earliest discovered, most translated, and presumed authentic version since the 18th century is the "Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) manuscript with Kulluka Bhatta commentary". Modern scholarship states this presumed authenticity is false, and that the various manuscripts of Manusmriti'' discovered in India are inconsistent with each other.