How Manusmriti Will Guide DU Students
New Delhi: Students in
Delhi University
will now be taught how the varna or caste system organises society, how marriage helps build a "civilised" social order, and how morals regulate individual behaviour.
These lessons form the core of a new Sanskrit course titled Dharmashastra Studies, which has Manusmriti as a primary text.
Manusmriti, whose proposal for inclusion in the law and history honours syllabus was earlier held back by the administration amid backlash, has made a comeback, this time as essential reading in this discipline-specific course.
Alongside it, other Hindu religious texts that had drawn similar objections, such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas, have also been included in this course.
The paper, introduced as a core course under the discipline in the current academic session, carries four credits and is open to undergraduate students with working knowledge of Sanskrit. DSC or Discipline Specific Core refers to courses within a student's chosen field of study that are mandatory for their programme.
According to the stated objective of the course, "Ancient Indian society, in terms of whole and its parts, has been depicted in the texts compiled in Sanskrit known as 'Dharmashastra'.
The 'Dharmashastra Studies' course aims to make students acquainted with the rich tradition of Indian Social, Political, Economical, Legal thoughts."
Regarding the learning outcomes for the course, DU says that "students will know that Indians were not anarchic, they evolved well-structured society where normative institutions were established. They will understand the real meaning of the term 'Dharma'. Students will find the great aim for the life of an individual.
They will be acquainted with Indian methods of regularising Society."
The course is divided into four units. Unit I, titled "Concept of Dharma", covers how society was structured through normative institutions in ancient India. It will explore "Dharma as a normative and ethical element" and includes a survey of key texts such as the Sutra and Smriti literature, commentaries, the Kautilya Arthashastra, Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas.
Unit II delves into the content of Dharmashastra, which is categorised into Achara, Vyavahara and Prayashchitta. The unit introduces students to the concept of Achara or behavioural codes — focusing on how the varna and ashrama systems organise society and individual life, how marriage and education contributed to a "civilised" order, and how practices like yajna and daana helped build social cohesion.
Unit III is focused on Vyavahara and polity.
It explains the ancient Indian legal system, including types of disputes, civil and criminal law, courts and evidence procedures. It also discusses governance structures such as monarchies, qualifications of rulers and ministers, and political theories like the Mandala theory and Shadgunya.
Unit IV covers Prayashchitta, or penance. It includes lessons on different types of sins and prescribed penances like fasting, donation (daana), ritual sacrifices (yajna), pilgrimages, and post-death rites like shraddha.
Primary readings for the course include texts such as Apastamba Dharmasutra, Boudhayana Dharmasutra, Vashistha Dharmasutra, Manusmriti, Yajnavalkya Smriti, Narada Smriti, and the Kautilya Arthashastra.
This canon of ancient Hindu religious and philosophical texts — particularly the Manusmriti — has long been the subject of academic and public debate for its social prescriptions, especially concerning caste and gender.
Last year in July, Delhi University vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh rejected the proposal to include Manusmriti and Baburnama (Memoirs of Babur) in the university's history curriculum. The university also stated that no such proposals will be entertained in the future.
TOI reached out to Om Nath Bimali, head of the department of Sanskrit, to seek his comment on the inclusion of Manusmriti but did not receive any response. A request seeking vice-chancellor Singh's reaction also did not elicit any response.
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