History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s2.25

v1.c6.s2.25

The foregoing brief discussion will make it clear that the later rules contained in the *dharmasūtras* and other works on *dharmaśāstra* had their roots deep down in the most ancient Vedic tradition and that the authors of the *dharmasūtras* were quite justified in looking up to the Vedas as a source of *dharma*. But, as said above, the Vedas do not profess to be formal treatises on *dharma*; they contain only disconnected statements on the various aspects of *dharma*; we have to turn to the smṛtis for a formal and connected treatment of the topics of the *dharmaśāstra*.