The caste Laws in Manu Smriti claims a divine origin and codifies some of the laws of the Hindu caste system. The rigidity in the caste system is one of the main features of the caste laws. The divine order of caste as prescribed:
1. The Brahmin came from the mouth of Lord Brahma.
2. Kshatriya issued from the arms of Brahma.
3. The Vaishya comes
from the thighs.
4. The Shudra comes from Brahma's feet.
Over fifty
manuscripts of the Manusmriti are now known, but the earliest discovered, most
translated and presumed authentic version since the 18th century has been the
"Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) manuscript with Kulluka Bhatta
commentary".Modern scholarship states this presumed authenticity is false,
and the various manuscripts of Manusmriti discovered in India are inconsistent
with each other, and within themselves, raising concerns of its authenticity,
insertions and interpolations made into the text in later times.
The metrical text is in Sanskrit, is dated to the 1st to 3rd century CE, and presents itself as a discourse given by Manu (Svayambhuva) and Bhrigu on dharma topics such as duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and others. The text's influence had historically spread outside India. The text influenced Hindu kingdoms in Cambodia and Indonesia.
The
structure and contents of the Manusmriti suggest it to be a document
predominantly targeted at the Brahmins (priestly class) and the Kshatriyas
(king, administration and warrior class).The text dedicates 1,034 verses, the
largest portion, on laws for and expected virtues of Brahmins, and 971 verses
for Kshatriyas.The statement of rules for the Vaishyas (merchant class) and the
Shudras (artisans and working class) in the text is extraordinarily brief.
Olivelle suggests that this may be because the text was composed to address the
balance "between the political power and the priestly interests", and
because of the rise in foreign invasions of India in the period it was
composed.
