HISTORY OF DHARMASHASTRAS by Dr PV Kane
Manish Modi
HISTORY OF DHARMASHASTRAS
Ancient and Medieval Religious and Civil Law in India
By Bharat Ratna Mahāmahopādhyāya Dr Pandurang Vaman Kane
2019-2022 • 25 × 18 cm • 6,655 pages • 13 kilos
Set of 8 books
₹ 16,000
Few works in modern Indology can claim the scale, ambition, or intellectual authority of The History of Dharmaśāstra. Spanning 6,655 pages across eight meticulously researched volumes, this magisterial study by Dr P. V. Kane, one of the twentieth century’s most distinguished Sanskritists, remains the definitive reference on the evolution of religious and civil law in ancient and medieval India.
First conceived as a short introductory chapter, the project soon expanded as Kane uncovered layer upon layer of textual richness preserved in the archives of institutions such as the Asiatic Society of Mumbai and the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. Drawing on the Mahābhārata, the Purāṇas, the works of Cāṇakya, and numerous rare manuscripts, he pieced together an unparalleled account of how codes of conduct and moral reasoning developed over centuries.
Crucially, PV Kane studied Jain and Buddhist literature with the same meticulous care he applied to Hindu sources. He left no Indian stream of thought unexplored, covering every major spiritual, philosophical, monastic, and intellectual tradition with remarkable breadth and fairness. As a result, this monumental set is not merely a history of Hindu Dharmaśāstra but an authoritative account of the ethical and legal traditions of Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists alike.
Dr Kane approaches dharma—the cornerstone of Indian civilisation—with objectivity, depth and an uncompromising scholarly rigour. His study illuminates its ontological, epistemological, ritual, cultural, and historical dimensions, exploring themes such as pātaka, prāyaścitta, karma-vipāka, antya-karma, aśauca, śuddhi, śrāddha, and tīrthas.
Awarded the Bharat Ratna for his monumental contribution, Dr Kane has given us a work unmatched in breadth and authority, an enduring testament to a civilisation of extraordinary complexity and brilliance.
This book is a:
A landmark for scholars.
A treasure for libraries.
A masterpiece for India.
We are proud to make this masterpiece available at our bookstore and through mail order.
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