📚 DHARMASHASTRA CONCEPTS

That which sustains and upholds. The cosmic and social order, right conduct, duty. The foundational concept of all Dharmashastra.

Etymology: dhṛ — to uphold, sustain

Remembered texts — a class of Hindu scripture composed by human sages (not directly revealed). Includes Dharmasutras, Smritis like Manusmriti, and Puranas. Distinguished from Shruti (the Vedas).

Etymology: smṛ — to remember

Heard / revealed texts — the Vedas (Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda) and their auxiliary literature. The highest authority in Dharmashastra.

Etymology: śru — to hear

Civil and commercial law — contracts, debts, witnesses, inheritance, judicial procedure. Extensively treated in Manusmriti Ch. 8 and Narada Smriti.

Etymology: vi + ava + hṛ — to conduct business

Expiation / atonement — prescribed rituals, penances, and actions to neutralise the negative karmic and social consequences of transgression.

Etymology: prāya + citta — predominantly in mind (i.e. a focused act of repentance)

Emergency dharma — the set of rules that permit deviation from standard conduct in situations of extreme hardship or emergency. Recognised in Manusmriti and Arthashastra.

Etymology: āpad — calamity

Good conduct — universal ethical principles applicable to all, regardless of Varna or Ashrama. One of the four sources of Dharma.

Etymology: sat + ācāra — good conduct

Punishment / coercive power — in Arthashastra and Manusmriti, the principle that just governance requires the power of punishment. Manu 7.17–18 and Arthashastra 1.4 discuss Danda theory.

Etymology: daṇḍ — to punish / staff

The Dharma of kings — the duties, rights, and conduct expected of a ruler. Treated in Manusmriti Ch. 7 and extensively in the Arthashastra and Mahabharata Shanti Parva.

Etymology: rāja + dharma

The duties and rights of women as described in Dharmashastra. Subject to significant scholarly controversy (see Manusmriti Ch. 9). Contemporary scholars note internal textual contradictions and historical context.

Etymology: strī + dharma

A digest or compilation — a type of Dharmashastra literature that systematically compiles and harmonises rules from earlier texts. Examples: Dharmasindhu (1790 CE), Smriti Chandrika (13th c CE).

Etymology: ni + bandh — to bind together

Aphoristic Dharma texts — the earliest surviving Dharmashastra literature, composed in the concise sutra style, associated with specific Vedic schools. Four major surviving texts: Apastamba, Gautama, Baudhayana, Vishnu.

Etymology: dharma + sūtra — thread