Within the classical Hindu understanding, texts of the Smriti tradition are not regarded as timeless absolutes but as formulations of dharma that are responsive to changing social conditions. This very framework implies that their authority is, by nature, contextual and subject to reinterpretation. In the present legal order, the Constitution stands as the supreme norm, and Smriti texts no longer function as binding law. Their influence survives more as an undercurrent: shaping certain customs, attitudes, and ritual patterns, yet always operating within the limits set by constitutional principles such as equality, dignity, and non‑discrimination.

Historically, Smritis played a formative role in the development of Hindu personal law, and traces of that legacy remain in codified statutes concerning marriage, inheritance, and related matters. At the same time, the codification of these laws and the explicit rejection of caste‑based and gender‑based discrimination have sharply curtailed the normative reach of older prescriptions. Where Smriti injunctions conflict with the constitutional vision—especially on caste hierarchy, untouchability, and the status of women—they are effectively set aside. This has led to a situation in which Smritis are consulted as sources of tradition and legal history rather than as enforceable codes.

On the religious and cultural plane, Smritis continue to be studied, debated, and, at times, contested. Traditional scholars, reformers, and critics alike engage with these texts, sometimes to defend inherited norms, sometimes to reinterpret them, and sometimes to repudiate them as symbols of social oppression. For many, they serve as windows into the ethical and social imagination of earlier ages, rather than as blueprints for present conduct. Their relevance, therefore, is uneven: some communities accord them considerable authority in ritual and social matters, while many others treat them primarily as historical or scriptural literature.

Seen through a spiritual lens, this situation reflects an inner tension within the tradition itself: between fidelity to inherited formulations of dharma and the demand that dharma serve the welfare and stability of society. When the spirit of justice, compassion, and human dignity becomes the touchstone, only those elements of Smriti that can be harmonized with such values retain living significance. The rest recede into the background as part of a complex past that continues to inform, but no longer governs, the moral and social landscape.