# धर्मशास्त्र (dharmaśāstra)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/dharmashastra

धर्मशास्त्र (dharmaśāstra) is a Sanskrit word meaning a code of laws or a law-book, the code of Hindu law, any work on the subject, an authoritative lawbook or legal treatise. Its 5 recorded definitions are grouped into 2 contexts, among them Law-book / Code of Laws, Sacred/Authoritative Treatise on Dharma.

- **Etymology:** E. धर्म virtue, and शास्त्र a treatise. शिष्यते अनेन शास करणे ष्ट्रन् । ६ त० स० । — E. dharma virtue, and śāstra a treatise. śiṣyate anena śāsa karaṇe ṣṭran. 6 ta0 sa0
- **SLP1:** `DarmaSAstra`  **IAST:** dharmaśāstra  **Devanagari:** धर्मशास्त्र
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma%C5%9B%C4%81stra
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/dharmashastra/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** धर्मशास्त्रा (dharmaśāstrā)

## Meanings by context

### Law-book / Code of Laws (4 definitions)
- a code of laws  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > धर्मशास्त्र (dharmaśāstra) [Printed book page 354-21 ] धर्म - शास्त्र (dharma-śāstra) n. a code of laws, Yaj. i.5. [ ID=18311.1 ]
- 1. The code of Hindu law. 2. Any work on the subject.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > धर्म (dharma) शास्त्र (śāstra) (dharmaśāstra) [Printed book page 367-a ] धर्म (dharma) शास्त्र (śāstra) (dharmaśāstra) n. ( - स्त्रं (-straṃ) ) 1. The body or code of Hindu law. 2. Any work on the subject. E. धर्म (dharma) virtue, and शास्त्र (śāstra) a treatise. शिष्यते अनेन शास (śiṣyate anena śāsa) करणे ष्ट्रन् । ६ त० स० । (karaṇe ṣṭran. 6 ta0 sa0.) [ ID=20457 ]
- a law-book  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > धर्म (dharma) शास्त्र (dharmaśāstra) [Printed book page 249 ] धर्म (dharma) ° शास्त्र (°śāstra) n. a law-book. [ ID=15245 ]
- An authoritative lawbook or legal treatise.  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > धर्मशास्त्र (dharmaśāstra) [Printed book page 175-b ] dharma-śāstra, n. authoritative or canonical compend of dharma, 58 18; lawbook; law-shaster. [ ID=2145 ]

### Sacred/Authoritative Treatise on Dharma (1 definition)
- a code of laws or a law-book  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3) [Printed book page 512,1] धर्म (dharma) — शास्त्र (—śāstra) n. id. [ ID=100289 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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