Abstract

Dharmaśāstra has been received into many Hindu traditions as an influential source of authoritative norms and a touchstone for orthodox or classical Hinduism. This chapter traces points of connection and difference between Dharmaśāstra and other major Hindu textual traditions, including the Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata, the Purāṇas, and narrative literature such as the Kathāsaritsāgara and Pañcatantra. The influence of Dharmaśāstra in epigraphical sources and sectarian Hindu traditions is also surveyed. Finally, the reception and use of Dharmaśāstra in both colonial and modern Hindu law is examined in order to understand its diminishing relevance as a direct source of Hindu knowledge and practice.

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