Manusmrti: The Laws of Manu

Laws of Manu is the most important and earliest metrical work of the Dharmasastra textual tradition of Hinduism. The text presents itself as a discourse given by Manu, the progenitor of mankind, to a group of seers, or rishis, who beseech him to tell them the "law of all the social classes". Manu became the standard point of reference for all future Dharmasastras that followed it. According to Hindu tradition, the Manu smruti records the words of Brahma. The treatise is written with a frame story, in which a dialogue takes place between Manu s disciple, Bhrigu, and an audience of his own students. The story begins with Manu himself detailing the creation of the world and the society within it, structured around four social classes. Bhrigu takes over for the remainder of the work, teaching the details of the rest of Manu s teachings. The audience reappears twice more, asking first to ask about how Brahmins can be subjected to death, and second to ask the effects of action.