Ethics of Manusmriti

Manusmriti is also well renowned as Laws of Manu or Institution of Manu. It has provided base to the Hindu laws and regulations. It was written and compiled during 1^st century. It’s one of the 18 smrities of Dharmasastra. Manusmriti is divided into 12 chapters and content wise it can be divided it into three sections and they are

1) Origin of the World

2) Sources of the Law

3) Dharma of the four Social classes (Brahamanas/ Kshatriyas/ Vaishyas/ Shudras)

Though the classification is heavily criticized and has brought injustice to many people till date, still Manusmriti contains a system that has helped in managing a society.

Who was Manu?

Manu is considered to be the forefather of all human races. Manu created set of laws that guided the social and religious behavior of people following the ethical principle of Dharma.

What is Smriti?

Literally, smriti means “what is remembered”. Smriti contains laws, rules, and code of conduct to be followed by individuals, communities and nations.

Manusmriti was even given a new name by British Colonial Rulers of India as “The Law Book” of Hindus. As it not only contains civil and criminal laws but also the rule of inheritance, laws regarding families and marriage. It actually gave every details of the daily life of an individual.

Concept of ethics differs as per Eastern and Western. Eastern ethics totally depends on hindu perspective and is dealt in a distinct way. As said in Manusmriti-

“The whole Veda is the first source of the sacred law, next tradition and the virtuous conduct of those who know the Veda further, also the customs of men and finally self satisfaction”.

Vedic is the obedience to the divine law- Rita. Rita is related to rite and right. There are three levels of rita:

1. Nature (cosmic order)
2. Sacrificial or ritual order
3. The order of human conduct

Good are those who follow the path of rita i.e. the path of truth and the ordered.

Rita = Dharma

Dharma is a scheme of right living or also referred as a whole way of life rather than to mere doctrines or moral teachings alone.

Central idea of Dharma:

As being a human out of an evolutionary process, well distinguished from other animal species, one should have the ability to differentiate between good and evil. So, it can even be said that Dharma represents the moral principle that makes human life worthy and provides meaning to the system that has been evolved to support human life. Dharma is related with Karma- the act, deed or work. Karma is considered to be the law which pervades the whole world, which all God and men must obey.

Theory of Karma:

As said- “Good action produces good fruit,

Evil action produces evil fruit.

Hindu ethics emphasizes on karma and reincarnation. It focuses on one’s deeds that determine the future state of the person. So, the foundation of Hindu ethics is the Hindu religious texts from Vedas to Upanishads, from Purans to Ramayana/ Mahabharata. They are often considered to be cultural and philosophical texts.

Comparison between Manusmriti and Mimamsa Philosophy

It is clear that Manusmriti has its roots in Dharma and so does Mimamsa philosophy. Mimamsa philosophy too considers the primacy of dharma in human life. Veda is the final and supreme authority for both Mimamsa and Manusmriti. As in Mimamsa, Manu too associates dharma with karma i.e. emphasis on good act or work and believing that the law of karma is inevitable. The karma yogya is the essence of manusmriti which seeks morality, fair play and justice in every human activity. For Manu, dharma is the touchstone of ethics and morality. He has provided the tenfold principles which are as follows:

· Dhairya or Dhriti- Contentment

· Kshama- Forgiveness

· Dama- Self- control

· Asteya- Refraining from unrighteous appropriating anything

· Saucha- Cleanliness

· Indriya nigraha- Control of immoral desires

· Dhi- Wisdom

· Vidya- Knowledge

· Satya- Truthfulness

· Akrodha- Refraining from anger

These ten principals are further summarized into four categories:

• Ahimsa
• Dana
• Satya
• Niskama karma

They make a common moral principle that is equally applicable for all but there were some exceptions concerning Varna and Asrama.

Varna: Manusmriti has developed Hindu culture society divided into caste i.e. Varna.

1. Brahamanas (Teacher/ Priests)
2. Kshatriyas (Administrators and Army men)
3. Vaishyas/ Aryans (Traders/ Farmers/ Herdsmen)
4. Shudras (Unholy slaves)

This division has set some position and duties as well as has justified Brahamanas supremacy.

Asrama: It is the stages of life that was too divided into four periods.

1. Brahmacharya/ Student
2. Grahasta/ Householder
3. Vanaprastha/Hermitage
4. Sanyasa/Renunciate

The entire moral system of Dharma in Manusmriti is framed within a triangle of

Karma

Varna

Asrama

A verse from Manusmriti:

“Satyam Bruyat Priyam Bruyat,

Ma Bruyat Satyam Apriyam;

Priyam Ca Nanrutam,

Bruyat Esha Dharmah Sanatanah;”

Translation: Speak truth in such a way that it should be pleasing to others. Never speak truth which is unpleasant to others. Never speak truth which might be pleasant. This is the path of eternal morality, Sanatana Dharma.

Meaning: The main point is speaking truth which in one’s dharma. Speaking such truth which benefits others and is pleasant to listen.

Media Ethics and Manusmriti

Features of Journalism are:

• Responsibility
• Freedom of the Press
• Independence
• Truth and Accurate
• Impartiality
• Fairplay

The content of media must be true, right, accurate and shouldn't harm others rather respect humanity. Moralities, fairplay, justice as in Manusmriti are equally important in case of journalism. So, we can draw some laws from Manusmriti to regulate the media in a systematic manner.

References

Manavsastra ( Manusmriti). (2058). Kathmandu: Parmartha Prakashan.

Adhikari, N.M. (n.d.). Manusmriti as a Resource for Media Ethics1. Retrieved April 27, 2011, from http://sadharanikaran.com/pdf/manusmritiandmediaethics.pdf

Bharati, S.J. (n.d.). Living the Four Asramas of Life. Retrieved April 28, 2011, from http://www.swamij.com/four-ashrams.htm

KC, S. (06 18, 2010). Media Ethics: A Comparative Study of Eastern and Western Principles. Retrieved April 29, 2011, from http://visitskc.wordpress.com/

Manusmriti. (n.d.). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved April 26, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manusmrti

Manusmriti. (n.d.). the hindu universe. Retrieved April 29, 2011, from http://www.hindunet.org/manu_smriti/index.

Manusmriti the laws of Manu. (n.d.). Retrieved 04 28, 2011, from www. hinduwebsite.com: http://www.hinduwebsite.com/sacredscripts/hinduism/dharma/manusmriti.asp