Manusmṛti

मनुस्मृतिः

The Manusmṛti (Laws of Manu) is the oldest and most authoritative of the Dharmaśāstra texts, attributed to the first man Manu. Composed between 200 BCE and 200 CE, it comprises 12 chapters and 2,685 verses covering creation, the four varnas, stages of life (āśramas), dharma of kings and governance, civil and criminal law, inheritance, purity rites, penances, and the path to liberation. It has been the foundational legal and ethical text of Hindu civilization for over two millennia.