The Law Code Of Viṣṇu

In this first critical edition of the legal treatise of Viu (Viu Smti), Olivelle locates the text geographically in Kashmir and dates it to around the seventh century CE based, among other factors, on the iconographic description of Viu.  The text was composed by a scholar who belonged to the Khaka Branch of the Yajur Veda and who was also an adherent of the Vaiava Pañcartra tradition. This is the only legal text that shows a deep

influence of the bhakti tradition. Although the Viu Smti did not have as illustrious a life as the treatises of Manu and Yjñavalkya, we find it cited frequently in medieval legal digests. Indeed, unlike citations from other Dharmastras, medieval authors regularly cite entire sections of this treatise, indicating that they were familiar with a text more or less identical to the one that has come down to us. Consisting of 100 chapters, the text is framed as a  conversation between Goddess  Earth and Viu, with Earth requesting the dharma that should govern the lives of those belonging to the four varas. Originally published in the Harvard Oriental Series, this Indian edition will hopefully make this important text available to a wider Indian audience of scholars and students.