to be followed by Brāhmanas only, though it was desirable for all other varnas to do the same. Devoting the next five chapters to this subject, the writer then turns to the dharma for the king, wherein he includes all the civil and criminal law. This treatment takes up chapters vii and viii and most of chapter ix. He explains the dharma for Vaishya and Shūdra in the few concluding verses of chapter ix. It was a period when a dharma-writer could plainly see that it was not enough to explain dharma for four varnas. There were mixed castes to be guided. He had also realized that one of the four varnas could observe their respective dharmas in the times of distress. He again knew that people may happen to break the injunctions of dharma, and this problem also demanded treatment. For this reason, the writer takes up these three questions; and in the treatment of the last question lie includes the theory and practice of penances, which brings us to the close of chapter xi.
All this was to be done for the sake of supreme bliss. For the proper comprehension of the rules governing the supreme bliss, be discusses the law of the transmigration of souls. After this is done, he treats doubtful points of dharma and then concludes the twelfth or last chapter of his work.
The method of presentation.–The examination of the contents of the book would be inadequate if we did not pay attention to the method of presentation. The method of presentation has its bearing on interpretation of the meaning of the author, and therefore the method deserves being known.
This book is written in a heroic metre instead of being
