Chapter Info (Click Here)
Book No. – 8 (Political Science)
Book Name – Indian Political Thought (Himanshu Roy/ M.P. Singh)
What’s Inside the Chapter? (After Subscription)
1. Rajdharma
1.1. Principles of Government
2. Manu and Varnashrama and Statecraft
3. Legal Tenets of Manu
4. Practice Question & MCQs
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LANGUAGE
Manu: Social Laws
Chapter – 4
Table of Contents
- Manu, the author of Manusmriti, is regarded as the first teacher who revealed the essence of humanity and prescribed norms for social life and practices.
- Manusmriti is a pivotal text, primarily concerned with dharma, encompassing ideas of religion, duty, law, justice, practice, and principles.
- It covers the social obligations and duties of various varnas and individuals in different stages of life, offering a rich depiction of Hindu philosophy.
- The text is likely the work of several authors but attributed to Manu, and is called Manu’s Laws, distinct from other laws such as Gautama’s Laws or Yajnavalkya’s Laws.
- Manu is considered the mythological ancestor of humanity, similar to the Indian version of Adam.
- The interpretation of Manusmriti is complex due to the shlokas in which it is composed, with 2685 verses covering various dimensions of life.
- The title Manusmriti differs from Manavdharmashastra; “smriti” contrasts with “shruti” (revelation), while “shastra” refers to laws or teachings.
- Western scholars have studied Manusmriti from different perspectives, with Sir William Jones being the first to translate it into English, later into German, French, Portuguese, and Russian.
- J. Duncan M. Derett called it “India’s greatest achievement in the field of jurisprudence.”
- Nietzsche praised Manu’s writings, using them to critique Christianity and what he called the victory of Chandala values.
- Manusmriti was composed by Brahmins (priests), often thought to be for their exclusive use, though the term “priest” in this context referred to an idealized human being.
- The text reflects a cosmic system and expresses ancient Indian thoughts and ideas.
- Manu discussed the nature of social life, focusing on the relations between the four varnas: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras.
- Many ideas in Manusmriti were not original and had already appeared in the Vedic texts, where the natural and social order was depicted hierarchically.
- The Vedic metaphor of Matsyanyaya (the Law of Fishes) suggested that the strong dominate the weak, an idea reiterated by Manu.
- Meat was regarded as the best food, symbolizing the dominance of the strong over the weak.
- Vegetarianism and non-violence emerged later as a critique of the older Vedic worldview, especially influenced by Buddhism and Jainism.
- Manusmriti served as a response to the crisis in traditional Aryan culture and became a valuable historical document.
- The text created a cultural paradigm that complemented other important texts like the Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, and Ramayana.
- Manusmriti aimed to address all people and situations, including the king, ritual priest, untouchable, householder, sanyasi, women, and men.