One of the smrtis, or "remembered"
writings, a genre of literature that is important but not as authoritative as
the shrutis, or "heard" scriptures.
This smrti is attributed to the sage Parashara and is an
example of one of the Dharma Shastras, which were manuals that prescribed
principles for proper human conduct and ideal social behavior.
Unlike the Dharma Sutras, which are attributed to real
people, the Dharma Shastras are frequently attributed to mythological sages in
order to strengthen the writings' authority.
The Parashara Smrti is just 592 verses long and deals with
only two themes: religious custom (achara) and expiation (prayashchitta).
The book is thought to have been composed between the first
and fifth centuries, but Madhava added a lengthy commentary to it in the
sixteenth century, and the resultant work, known as the parasharamadhava, has
remained important since then.
