On The Sources Of The Dharma Sastras Of Manu And Yajnavalkya

Download or read book The Laws of Manu written by and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 1991-08-29 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Laws of Manu form a towering work of Hindu philosophy. Composed by many Brahmin priests, this is an extraordinary, encyclopaedic representation of human life in the world, and how it should be lived. Manu encompasses topics as wide-ranging as the social obligations and duties of the various castes, the proper way for a righteous king to rule and to punish transgressors, relations between men and women, birth, death, taxes, karma, rebirth and ritual practices. First translated into English in 1794, its influence spread from Nietzsche to the British Raj, and although often misinterpreted, it remains an essential work for understanding India today.