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Indian legislation reached its climax in Manu and all subsequent work was
a mere recapitulation of his laws. The line of lawgivers who succeeded Manu based their
treatises in most cases on his laws, and religiously adhered to his precepts. But in spite
of their faithful ness to their inspirer, changes, probably caused by the pressing needs
of the time, are discernible, and throw a flood of light on the trend of the society of
their times.
Professor Stenzler enumerates forty-six distinct
Dharma-Sastras. 1
Some of these, if they exist even in manuscript form, are not known widely. The 'Una-Vimsa
Samhita has popularized the works of nineteen later lawgivers. It is not certain if these
treatises comprise the complete works of these legislators; for many of the verses found
even in the commentaries are absent in these books, which shows that the original
treatises were more comprehensive than these.
Some of these may have been definitely framed to supplement the more
authoritative law-books, such as the Laws of Manu and Parasara, and hence these later
lawgivers have confined their treatises to those topics that are not dealt with by the
more authoritative law-books.
The most important of these later lawgivers are Yajnavalkya and
Parasara. With Parasara and the lawgivers of his type we are on the threshold of the
fourth age. As a legislator, Parasara has been upheld by some to be the highest authority
of the fourth age. The Laws of Manu and of Yajnavalkya have been considered by them to be
antiquated, and hence are thought to be insufficient for the growing needs of their times.
The law-book of Yajnavalkya is the oldest of these, his period being
near to that of Manu; he has had great influence in certain schools of Law. He is the
leading authority of the Mithila School. Parasara 'confines him self to two aspects of
Hindu Law, viz., Achara and Prayaschitta. His account of household life is meagre. His
references to home life occur only by way of, allusions in connection with ceremonies or
penances.
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