A History of Sanskrit Literature c5.16

c5.16

The second class of Sūtras, which deal with social and legal usage, is, like the Gṛihya Sūtras, also based on *smṛiti* or tradition. These are the *Dharma Sūtras*, which are in general the oldest sources of Indian law. As is implied by the term *dharma*, "religion and morality," their point of view is chiefly a religious one. They are closely connected with the Veda, which they quote, and which the later law-books regard as the first and highest source of *dharma*.