History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s3.5

v1.c6.s3.5

In this book the whole of the extant literature on *dharma* will be dealt with as follows:—First come the dharmasūtras, some of which like those of Āpastamba, Hiraṇyakeśin and Baudhāyana form part of a larger Sūtra collection, while there are others like those of Gautama and Vasiṣṭha which do not form part of a larger collection; some *dharmasūtras* like that of Viṣṇu are, in their extant form, comparatively later in date than other *sūtra* works; some *sūtra* works like those of Śaṅkha-Likhita and Paiṭhīnasi are known only from quotations. Then early metrical smṛtis like those of Manu and Yājñavalkya will be taken up for discussion; then later versified smṛtis like that of Nārada; there are many smṛti works like those of Bṛhaspati and Kātyāyana that are known only from quotations. The two epics, the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa, and the Purāṇas also have played a great part in the development of the Dharmaśāstra. The commentaries on the smṛtis, such as those of Viśvarūpa, Medhātithi, Vijñāneśvara, Aparārka, Haradatta will be next passed in review and then the digests on *dharma* such as the works of Hemādri, Toḍaramalla, Nīlakaṇṭha and others.