Abstract
Starting from George Bühler in the 19th century to Patrick Olivelle and Wendy Doniger of our own times, Western scholarship has had a long engagement with the text of Manusmṛti. Though their engagement has been long and at many different levels, one thing with which they are yet to come to terms with is the sheer size of the text as well as the wide range of the subject matter covered in it.
In this paper, I contend that the predominant position of modern scholarship on the composition and integrity of the text of Manusmṛti is problematic as it side-lines the evidence presented by the native tradition regarding how the text has been received within the tradition.
In this paper, I contend that the predominant position of modern scholarship on the composition and integrity of the text of Manusmṛti is problematic as it side-lines the evidence presented by the native tradition regarding how the text has been received within the tradition.
It will be shown that a careful understanding of the native accounts of the origination of the text as well as the general process of transmission of knowledge prevalent in the Hindu tradition clearly points to Manusmṛti as a carefully created text with unitary authorship. It will be further shown how the very narrative structure of the text as well as its deeper architecture supports the position of unitary authorship.
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