Public Administration in Ancient India c4.16

c4.16

The existing Code of Manu is perhaps not very old, but probably it was based upon a more ancient Dharma-sūtra of the Mānava school. Chānakya, in his Arthasāstra, frequently refers to this school of the Mānavas. Roughly speaking, we may say that the Sūtra works were composed between 1000 and 500 B.C., while the Dharma-śāstras were compiled between the third century B.C. and the fifth century A.D.