Within the Hindu tradition, the Manusmriti, or Mānava-Dharmaśāstra, is attributed to the ancient lawgiver-sage Manu, often envisioned as the primordial human and progenitor of humanity. In the text’s own narrative, Manu is portrayed as imparting teachings on law and duty to assembled sages, who then transmit this knowledge further. This traditional view presents the work as a revelation of dharma flowing from a semi-mythic figure rather than as an ordinary human composition. Such an attribution reflects the desire to root social and moral norms in a sacred, cosmic origin.

From a historical and scholarly perspective, however, the Manusmriti is not regarded as the creation of a single identifiable author. Instead, it is understood as a compilation that took shape within the Dharmashastra tradition, likely through the efforts of multiple Brahmin scholars over time. These contributors drew upon earlier legal and ritual materials and organized them into a systematic treatise on social duties, legal norms, and ritual obligations. The text thus stands more as a codification and refinement of existing traditions than as a wholly original legislation.

Regarding its period of composition, modern scholarship generally situates the Manusmriti between roughly the 2nd century BCE and the 2nd or 3rd century CE. Many assessments narrow this window further, favoring a core formation between about 200 BCE and 200 CE, with some suggesting a particularly active phase between 100 BCE and 100 CE. This range reflects the recognition that the work likely evolved in layers, undergoing compilation and revision across generations. The Manusmriti therefore bears the imprint of a long intellectual and spiritual process, rather than the voice of a single moment in time.

Seen in this light, the text occupies a liminal space between mythic attribution and historical development. On one side stands Manu, the archetypal lawgiver whose name lends the work its authority and sacral aura; on the other stand the many anonymous scholars who shaped its verses into a coherent legal and moral vision. The interplay of these two dimensions—mythic origin and gradual scholarly formation—mirrors the way dharma itself is understood: timeless in essence, yet articulated anew as societies and circumstances change.