Laghu Hārita Smrti

By Swami Harshananda

During the ancient and medieval times, the life of a person was well-regulated, both at the personal and at the social levels by the dharmaśāstras. As the time passed and social changes became inevitable, newer dharmaśāstras or revised editions of the older ones appeared on the scene. It was composed by competent scholars who had realized the need for such changes. Such works were generally preceded by the words ‘Laghu’ or ‘Vṛddha’, especially when the authors belonged to the particular schools or traditions of the older composers of these works.

The Laghu Hārita Smrti is one such work. Two versions or editions of this work are available now.

First Version

The first one contains seven chapters and 250 verses. The main content of this work deals with the following:

• Four varṇas
• Four āśramas
• Yoga

Second Version

The second version has only 117 verses. It deals with the following topics:

• Śuddhis - purification ceremonies
• Prāyaścittas - expiatory rites
• Aśauca - ceremonial impurity connected with birth and death
• Śrāddhas - after death rites
• Rules about inheritance
• Rules about partition

References

• The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore