Smritis, especially Manusmriti, laid down a blueprint for society’s four varnas—Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras—assigning each group distinct duties and privileges. By codifying daily rituals, marriage rules and even dietary restrictions, they wove caste distinctions into the very fabric of social life. Over centuries, these injunctions became a double-edged sword: a moral compass for some, yet a rigid ladder that confined millions to predetermined roles.

Endogamy, for instance, found its stronghold in Smriti verses forbidding inter-varna unions. That prohibition hardened into local customs and eventually social taboos, making caste boundaries all but impermeable. Manusmriti’s insistence on untouchability for certain “outcastes” laid the groundwork for systemic exclusion—denial of temple entry, education or even basic rights—which persisted long after British colonial courts questioned the ancient text’s authority.

Fast-forward to modern India, where the Constitution outlawed caste discrimination in 1950. Smritis still cast long shadows. Reservation politics, for example, continues to revolve around those age-old varna classifications, even as debates about a caste census play out in the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, social reformers, inspired by both Ambedkar’s writings and grassroots movements, have been reinterpreting—or outright rejecting—Smriti provisions to challenge entrenched hierarchies.

Cultural currents like the Bhakti movement and contemporary Dalit literature punch holes in rigid Smriti norms, proving that lived experience often trumps ancient dicta. Yet, when a city neighborhood spotlights a long-buried caste restriction—say, temple entry blocked for certain communities—it becomes clear that Smritis’ echo still resonates. Legal bans can’t always uproot beliefs handed down for millennia.

At the end of the day, Smritis helped cement caste into law and conscience alike. Their verses shaped everything from who could teach sacred texts to who could draw water from communal wells—turning social stratification into a seemingly unshakeable part of everyday life.