dharma:

dhaarayate iti dharmaH. dharma is that which supports and sustains the whole world. It is the substratum. Without dharma the world would run into chaos and collapse. There is no English word that brings out the complete and correct meaning of this word dharma. The term dharma has been used to mean ordinance, duty, right, justice, morality, virtue, religion, good deeds, and more. For want of a better word, the term righteousness is generally used. Take it in the sense of duties and responsibilities based on some fundamental moral virtues.

Although all the concepts in the sanaatana dharma including that of dharma can be traced back to the veeda-s, the dharmas'aastra-s took up the task of defining the concept of dharma in great depth and detail. The gold standard is what the veeda-s say, what the conduct of people well-versed in the veeda-s, unblemished in character, according to their own conscience, exemplify. dharma is applicable at both the individual and societal levels. There are many passages in the veeda-s that talk of marriage, adoption, partition, inheritance, strii-dhana or property that rightfully accrue to women, and other such social concerns.

The kalpa veedaaMga has four branches namely s'rauta, gRhya, dharma and s'ulba, of which the first and the last are directly concerned with veedic rites. The gRhyasuutra-s (gRha = house) deal with the rites and ceremonies to be performed by a house-holder in his house. The dharmas'aastra-s are concerned with the general and social aspects of dharma, the conduct of human beings as members of the society. These are all interconnected and interdependent.

1. aapastaMbha dharmas'aastra
2. aus'anasa dharmas'aastra
3. baudhaayana dharmas'aastra
4. gautama dharmas'aastra
5. haariita dharmas'aastra
6. hiraNyakees'i dharmas'aastra
7. vaikhaanasa dharmas'aastra
8. vasiSTa dharmas'aastra
9. viSNu dharmas'aastra

These s'aastra-s use archaic language and are a bit difficult to follow. A separate series of works, known as smRiti-s were therefore composed in simpler, more appealing, poetic style. Some of these smRti-s could be as old as the s'aastra's in kalpa.

1. vaadhuula smRti
2. naaraayaNa smRti
3. naarada smRti
4. vyaaghrapaada smRti
5. gautama smRti
6. bhaaradwaaja smRti
7. daalabhya smRti
8. haariita smRti
9. auSanasa smRti
10. kaSyapa smRti
11. kaatyaayana smRti
12. SaaMDilya smRti
13. loohita smRti
14. aruNa smRti
15. laugaakSi smRti
16. pulastya smRti
17. aMgiirasa smRti
18. saMvarta smRti
19. kaNva smRti
20. prajaapati smRti
21. kapila smRti
22. yaajnyavalkya smRti
23. budha smRti
24. bRhaspati smRti
25. bRhat-paraas'ara smRti
26. Saataatapa smRti
27. yama smRti
28. deevala smRti
29. viSaamitra smRti
30. daksha smRti
31. goobhila smRti
32. aapastaMbha smRti
33. paraas'ara smRti
34. maarkaMDeeya smRti
35. Sankha and likhitara smRtis
36. atri smRti
37. vasiSTa smRti
38. visSNu smRti
39. veedavyaasa smRti
40. manu smRti

Of these the manu smRti is the most well known. Commentaries were written to clarify and expand on these smRti-s. Abstracts, surveys and reviews called nibaMdha-s or digests have also been composed. The great epics raamaayaNa and mahhabhaarata, as well as the puraaNa-s are all veritable encyclopaedia of dharma. Thus any systematic study of dharma must take into account all these works.

1. caturvargaciMtaamaNi
2. kalpataru
3. nirNayasiMdhu
4. smRticaMdikaa
5. smRtikaustubha
6. smRtiratnaakara
7. smRtitatva
8. viiramitroodaya