mnu>:- ivÖiÑSseivtSsiÑ> inTymÖe;raigi-> ,
       ùdyena_ynu}atae ySt< xmR< VyvSyt .

Manu :- That is Dharma which is followed by saintly men who know the scriptures and who are free from bad traits such as desire and hatred and that which is accepted by the mind which understands the purport of the term.

AapSt<b>:- n xmaRxma‰R< crt> Aava< Sv> #it, n deva>, n gNxvaR>,
            n iptr>, #Tyac]te=y< xmaˆR=ymxmR #it, ySt!vayaR>
            i³yma[< àz<siNt s xmR>, yÌhRNte sae=xmR #it,

Apasthambar:- Dharma and Adharma do not move around saying "I am Dharma" and "I am Adharma". Even Devas, Gandharvas, and ancestors cannot point and say "This is Dharma", and "This is Adharma", since Dharma has no physical form. Whichever activity eminent persons praise, that is Dharma. Whichever activity they condemn, that is Adharma.
 

2. xmRàma[ain- Authorities for Dharma
mnu>:- vedae=iolae xmRmUl< Sm&itzIle c tiÖdam! ,
      AacareíEv saxUna< AaTmnStuiòrev c .

Manu:- Vedas are authorities for revealing Dharma ; the books on law and the conduct of the sages who know the Vedas are the authorities on Dharma.The approval of eminent persons is also an authority on Dharma.

nard>:- vedaeva hir-i­vaR -i­vaRip mheñre , SvacaraTpitt< mUF<
         n punait iÖjaeÄmm! . pu{y]eÇai-gmn< pu{ytIwRin;ev[m!
         y}ae va ivivxae äün! Ty­acar< n r]it . 

Narada:- Vedas, devotion to Vishnu, and devotion to Shiva will not save a man if he fails to observe rules, even if he is a brahmin. Visit to holy places, bathing in holy rivers, and performing yagnas will not save him.

Aacarat! àaPyte SvgR> Aacarat! àaPyte suom! ,
Aacarat! àaPyte mae]> Aacarat! ik< n isÏyit .

Heaven, happiness, and Moksha are obtainable through the observance of rules. What can be beyond reach for those who follow Achara ?

3. xmRzaStrktaRr>- The Authors of Dharmashastra

mnub&RhSpitdR]ae gaEtmae=w ymae=i¼ra> , yaegIñr> àcetaí zatatpprazraE . s<vtaˆRznsaE z<oiliotaviÇrev c , iv:[!vapStMbharIta xmRzaSt!ràvtRka> . @te ýòadzàae­a munyae inytìta> .

Manu, Brahaspathi, Daksha, Gauthama, Yama, Angirasa, Yagnavalkya, Prachetas, Shatatapa, Parashara, Samvartha, Shukra, Shanka, Likhita, Atri, Vishnu, Apasthamba, and Hareetha are the 18 maharishis who authored the Smrithis. (Note : The 18 Rishis, according to tradition, received the Vedas from Brahma, the Creator, through their extraordinary intuitive faculties and made them available to mankind through a succession of teachers. Hence the description of the Vedas as "Sruti", or what was heard)
 

baexayn<, AapSt<b<, sTya;aF<, Ôaýay[<, AagSty<, zakLy<<, Aañlayn<, zaM-vIy<, kaTyayn<, #it nvain pUvRsUÇai[ , vEoans<, zaEnkIy<, -arÖaj<, Aai¶veZy<, jEimnIy<, maxUNy<, maXyiNdn<,kaEi{fNy<, kaE;Itkimit nvain AprsUÇai[ .

Bodhayanam, Apasthambam, Sathyashadam, Drahyanam, Agasthyam, Shakalyam, Ashvalayanam, Shambhaviyam, and Kathyayanam are the nine early axioms. Vykhanasam, Shouna- keeyam, Bharadvajam, Agniveshyam, Jaiminiyam, Madhunyam, Madhyandhinam, Kaundinyam, and Kaushitakam are the nine later axioms.

4. vasahR deza>- Sites of Residence

Sm&itciNÔkaya<- k«:[sarEyRvEdR-‰RíatuvR[!RyaïmEStwa ,
sm&Ïae xmRdez> Syadaïyern!ivpiít> .

Where the Krishnasara deer roams, darbha grass, barley, and rice grow, and where the four varnas live comfortably, that is the land of Dharma. Those who believe in God should live there.
 

kaveir tu<g-Ôa c k«:[vei[ c gaEtmI ,
-agIrwI c ivOyata> p<cg<ga> àkIitRta> .

Kaveri, Tungabhadra, Krishnaveni, and Godavari in South India, and Ganges in North India are called the Pancha gangas. The banks of these rivers are good for residence.

5. yugxmaR>- Dharmas of the different aeons of time

prazr>- k«t< Çeta Öaprí kilíeit ctuyuRgm! ,
          idVyEvR;RshöEStu tÖadzi-éCytE .

Parashara:- The four Yugas, Krita, Treta, Dvapara,and Kali contain twelve thousand Deva years. The human year is one day for the Devas - Uttharayana of six months is daytime and Dakshinayana of six months is night. Krita yuga comprises of four thousand years plus four hundred pre- dawn years and four hundred post-twilight years. Treta yuga comprises of three thousand years plus three hundred pre-dawn years and three hundred post twilight years. Dvapara yuga comprises of two thousand years plus two hundred pre-dawn years and two hundred post-twilight years. Kali yuga comprises of one thousand years plus one hundred pre-dawn years and one hundred post-twilight years. The twelve thousand years are accounted in this manner for the Deva years.

tp> pr< k«tyuge Çetaya< }anmuCyte ,
Öapre y}meva÷> danmev klaE yuge .

Meditation is the special dharma in the Krita yuga. Spiritual wisdom in Treta yuga , Yagna [rituals] in the Dvapara yuga and Charity in the Kali yuga are the special dharmas for these ages. Though all the dharmas are to be observed in all ages, each has a special value in each yuga.

iv:[upura[e- svˆR äüvid:yiNt s<àaÝe tu klaE yuge ,
nanuitóiNt mEÇey izîaedrpray[a> .

Vishnu puranam - In Kali yuga, everyone will talk about Veda and Brahma. But his actions will not be in accordance with the Vedic prescriptions. He will be concentrating on filling up his stomach and making love.

yda yda sta< hain> vedmagaRnusair[am! ,
tda tda klev&RiÏ> Anumeya ivc][E> .

Whenever all kinds of troubles are created for good people who follow the Vedic prescription, that can be taken as a sign of the times of the Kali age. Ways should be devised to stop it.

Vyas>- yTk«te dzi-vR;‰R> Çetaya< haynen tu ,
        Öapre t½ masen ýhaeraÇe[ tTklaE .

Vyasa- Dharma that is performed in Krita yuga for ten years can be done in one year in Treta yuga, one month in Dvapara yuga, and in one day in Kali yuga- i.e. the efforts and results will be the same. (Note : It is interesting that the more degenerate an age, the smaller the size and the greater the value set on each act of Dharma)

Xyayn! k«te yjn! y}E> Çetaya< Öapre=cRyn! , ydaßaeit tdaßaeit klaE s<kITyR kezvm! .
The religious merit which accrues from meditating on God in Krita yuga, from performing yagnas in Treta yuga, from ritual worship in Dvapara yuga, can be obtained by praising and praying to Kesava in Kali yuga..

6. s&iòàkar>- Order of Creation

mnu>- yaesavtIiNÔy¢aýSsUúmae=Vy³Ssnatn> ,
       svR-Utmyae=icNTySs @v SvymuÓ-aE .

Manu- God was shining alone before the worlds were created.He is not to be realised through the senses. He is subtle and eternal. He has compressed the whole universe in himself and is a witness to the worlds.

sae=i-Xyay zrIrat! Svat! iss&]u> ivivxa> àja> , Ap @v ssjaRdaE tasu bIjmvas&jt! .

God decided to create the universe from Himself. First He created water and let His creative power enter the water. The water mentioned here is not ordinary water. It is Causal water. All the movable and immovable worlds exist in their subtle form in it. They take birth according to their Karma (that is as effects of anterior causes) The ultimate cause originates in God.

Aapae nara #it àae­a Aapae vE nrsUnv> , ta ydSpayn< pUvR< ten naray[> Sm&t> .
The causal water is called Nara since it was created by God as Man [nara]. He resided in this water in the previous cycle of creation [kalpa.] He was immanent and a witness in the created universe. Since he resides in nara-water, he is called Narayana. A golden egg arose from that water. After thousands of years it broke into two. From that emerged all-encompassing Brahma. The golden egg's upper part became heaven etc.; the middle part became intervening sky; and the lower part became the earth. This is the mega creation of the physical universe.

%ÑvhaRTmníEv mn> sdsdaTmk< , mnsíaPyh<karmi-mNtarmIñrm! . mhaNtmev caTman< svaRi[ iÇgu[ain c , iv;ya[a< ¢hIt&i[ znE> p<ceiNÔyai[ c .

This describes the creation of the subtle universe. The four-faced Brahma took the mind element from Parabrahma-god. The mind is a state which contains innumerable factors. It is good and bad when it produces good and bad thoughts. It produces the ego element when a person thinks "I am capable, I did this". Prior to this, God's unmanifested power - the Mahat element was created along with the qualities of virtue, passion, and ignorance; the five organs of senses and their power of sound, feeling, sight, taste, and smell; and organs of elimination and reproduction. This is Divine creation. Brahma creates only the physical world and the physical aspects of existence.

svˆR;a< tu s namain kmaRi[c p&wkœp&wkœ , vedzBde_y @vadaE p&wKs<Swaí inmRme .
Brahma obtained the Vedas from God and with its help named the movable and the immovable, created their different forms and functions. He created forests, mountains, rivers, lands; four-fold social organisation, the four stages of life, the dharma of each group and each stage, and the results that would follow. All these he created with the authority of the Vedas as was done in the previous cycle of creation. It follows that these eternal cycles are without beginning and without end.