The Laws of Manu (The Sacred Books of the East, Vol. XXV [Volume 25])

cxxxviii, 620 pp. 1969 reissue of 1886 original. This book is the definitive translation of a metrical Sanskrit work compiled some time before the second century A.D. Based on many earlier dharma-sutras, it has been accepted by most branches of Indian thought as the most complete expression of Hindu sacred law. Traditionally the laws are ascribed to Manu, who was considered in Vedic mythology as the father of mankind and the founder of social and moral order. Since ancient times he has been proclaimed as India's first and greatest lawgiver.