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Audiobook edition · 2 h 50 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
How does an ancient society turn a quarrel over money, property or inheritance into a question of justice?
Traditionally attributed to Yajnavalkya, this Sanskrit law book in verse brings duty, law and right conduct together. Hindu tradition counts it among the Dharma Shastras, teachings on duty and right order. Its compact rules address judges, kings, priests and householders, showing how legal judgment fits within a wider vision of social life.
The section on judicature begins with the king and his duty to hear cases. A complaint brings a dispute before the court; rules guide the weighing of proof and the punishment of wrongs. Loans, property, contracts and inheritance give these teachings concrete stakes: money owed, possessions contested and a family's estate divided.
What you’ll discover
- Duty meets civil law Explore how the Dharma Shastra tradition joins legal rules with teachings on right conduct.
- The king in court See how the text frames hearing cases as part of a ruler's duty to protect.
- From complaint to decision Follow the steps that turn a person's grievance into a case for judgment.
- Money under rules Examine rules for loans and interest, including distinctions based on security and the borrower's class.
- The claims of family Discover how inheritance rules address sons and the rights of other relatives when sons are absent.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who enjoy legal history, ancient India, and the way early societies settled quarrels over money, land, and family. Students of law will find a clear map of how a tradition pictured justice.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Law rests on scripture, memory, and good conduct
- Rank by caste shapes duty, though honor starts with learning
- The king upholds justice by punishing without favor
- A lawsuit moves through four careful stages
- Debts, pledges, and deposits follow clear rules
- A father's estate passes by shares, sons, and stridhana
- Markets, quarrels, and crimes all carry set penalties
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Droit hindou et justice selon le Dharma-Śāstra de Yajnavalkya
by Yajnavalkya
Sages ask a teacher in Mithila for the rules of duty, and he answers with a code for courts, debts, and kings.
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In short
Picture a circle of sages who gather around a teacher and ask one plain question: what are our duties? The answer becomes a code that reaches into courtrooms, loans, family quarrels, markets, and the daily habits of a king.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Law rests on scripture, memory, and good conduct
The book opens with a request. The sages gather, pay homage to Yajnavalkya, and ask him to lay out the duties of the castes and the orders of life. He pauses to meditate, which marks his answer as considered, and then he tells them to listen.
Next the text draws a map of learning. Fourteen sources feed learning and law. Then comes a roll of twenty names, from Manu and Atri to Vasishtha, said to have handed down the law books. Yajnavalkya lists himself among them. He presents his work as one voice in a chain of teachers, not as a new invention.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
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- français
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Cite this edition
Yajnavalkya. Hindu Law and Judicature from the Dharma-Sastra of Yajnavalkya. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/hindu-law-and-judicature-from-the-dharma-sastra-of-yajnavalkya.
Yajnavalkya. (2026). Hindu law and judicature from the Dharma-Sastra of Yajnavalkya. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/hindu-law-and-judicature-from-the-dharma-sastra-of-yajnavalkya
Yajnavalkya. Hindu Law and Judicature from the Dharma-Sastra of Yajnavalkya. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/hindu-law-and-judicature-from-the-dharma-sastra-of-yajnavalkya.
@book{yajnavalkya2026hindu,
author = {Yajnavalkya},
title = {Hindu Law and Judicature from the Dharma-Sastra of Yajnavalkya},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/hindu-law-and-judicature-from-the-dharma-sastra-of-yajnavalkya}
}
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What is the Dharma Sastra of Yajnavalkya about?
It is a Sanskrit law code that sets out duties of the castes, the role of the king, and the rules of courts. It covers debts, inheritance, boundaries, trade, and crimes, with fines and punishments fixed by the offense.
Who was Yajnavalkya?
Yajnavalkya is the sage to whom the law book is credited. Tradition places him in Mithila, and in the opening verses sages honor him as lord of the yogis and ask him to state the duties of every class.
What does stridhana mean in this text?
Stridhana is property a woman holds as her own. It includes gifts from her father, mother, husband, or brother, and gifts received before the wedding fire. The code sets out who inherits it when she dies.
The author
Yajnavalkya
800 BC–700 BC · Ancient Indian sage and philosopher
One of the Great Sages of Vedic India.
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