the Laws of Manu __ India 400 BC ___ [2,670 verses] (original) (raw)
2670 verses, in just over 90 chapters. A model for the ancient renumbering patterns of the priesthoods, for it basically follows the numbering exactly. Written around 400 BC, when Plato taught the philosophy of Socrates and the Republic at the Academy of Athens. The primary law document of antiquity, for the young princes to read before they were to sit on the throne, and to hold court each day for their subjects. Very clearly explains the caste system in the context of reincarnations. (the caste system eventually was corrupted by dogma and rules, however the basic ideas are set forth well here)
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The Laws of Manu are the main body of civic and religious laws from ancient India, written around the time of Plato's Republic, 400 BC. They are a text book of laws for a prince to study before taking the throne and holding court for his subjects. The Laws of Manu are known for throughly addressing the rules of the caste system and the process of rising to the highest caste of the Brahmin priesthood. Recommended reading for all princes and princesses.
The Laws of Manu: A Hegemonic Agenda
The Laws of Manu, an ancient Indian text, attributed to Manu, explicitly articulates dharma (rules of conduct) for the four different castes as well as specific punishments for violations. I first explain the differences between the four castes: Brāhmin (priests, scholars, and teachers), Kṣatrya (warriors and state officials), Vaiśya (farmers and traders), and Śūdra (workers who serve the other three castes), as well as the stages of life that are said to adhere to dharma. I next propose explanations for dharma's enforcement through the Laws of Manu. I then argue that the Laws of Manu enforced the unequal hierarchy of the caste system by creating laws that utilized punishment to ensure the compliance of dharma, which actually secured the hegemony of the Brahmin caste.
The Assyrilogists have discovered many laws of Mesopotamia like Laws of Urukagina, Eshnunna, Ur-Nammu, Hammurabi and few others. The later laws like Mosaic Law, Egyptian laws. In east, there existed India’s Manusmriti, Artha Shastra and china’s Confucius laws that were more advanced and complex. This work explains the history of legal system from the dawn of civilization
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