Dharmasutras: The Law Codes of Apastamba, Gautama, Baudhayana, and Vasistha (Sources on ancient Hindu law)

The Dharmasutras are the four surviving works of the ancient indian expert tradition on the subject of Dharma, or the rules of behavior a community recognizes as binding on its members. Written in a pithy and aphoristic style This book record intense disputes and divergent views on a wide variety of religious and social issues. these documents gives a glimpse of how people especially Brahmins were ideally expected to live their lives within an ordered and hierarchically society. In this first english translated document for over a century, the author uses the same lucid and elegant style of this award winning translation of the Upanishads and incorporates the most recent scholarship on ancient indian law, society and religion. the fresh editions of the Sanskrit texts presents new manuscript material, variants recorded in medieval commentaries and legal digest ansd emendations suggested by philologists.