Dharmasastra and Social Awareness

Contents: Foreward. 1. Relevance of the study of Dharmasastra. 2. The term Dharma: its scope. 3. Concept of Dharma and Dharmasastra. 4. Woman and Dharmasastra. 5. Madhva's concept of Dharma. 6. Human rights and Dharmasastra. 7. Social relevance of Dharmasastra in the present context of fundamentalism v. secularism. 8. Sudras and the Vedic sacrifice. 9. Historical importance of the Devala smrti. 10. Dharmasastra and inscriptions on Bhumidana: its social concerns. 11. Marriage rites and social obligations. 12. Four Purusarthas and their role in society. 13. Education in ancient India and Dharmasastra. 14. The concept of an ideal teacher and his role in the society. 15. Rights and duties of the individual in ancient India. 16. Caste system and division of labour. 17. Kautilya's views on punishment. 18. Priests and their role in the society. 19. Construction of the court-building Nyayasala. 20. Worship of deities and its social relevance. 21. Anadhyaya and its social relevance. 22. Dharmasastra and the study of logic. 23. Revenue and maintenance of state. 24. Legal aspects of Dharmasastra as viewed by European jurist/orientalists contributing to comparative jurisprudence. 25. The number and the sequential order of Asramas.

"The present book contains thirty research articles which were presented and discussed in the National Seminar held at University of Poona in 1994. These articles are the best examples to show how the Dharmasastra literature pervades various aspects of Indian social and cultural life. The Dharmasastra literature attempts to bring discipline in individual and social life in terms of values in which they believed in those days. Some values have been universal while others kept on changing in accordance with time. The impact of Vedic culture can never be denied in the process of the Dharmasastra's attempt to bring order to the society." (jacket)

[Prof. V.N. Jha is Director, Centre of Advanced Study in Sanskrit, University of Poona.]