Public Administration in Ancient India c4.12

c4.12

The most ancient among the Smritis were in prose, and are known as the Dharma-sūtras. Only a few fragments of some of these works have yet been discovered. The Dharma-śāstras appear to have been later redactions in verse of the earlier Dharma-sūtras.¹ The most important of the Smriti works at present known are those attributed to Gautama, Āpastamba, Vasistha, Bodhāyana, Vishnu, Manu, Yājnavalkya, and Nārada. Their purpose is to