Manusmriti presents a far‑reaching vision of social and moral order, organizing human life around the twin axes of varna (social class) and ashrama (life stage). Society is articulated into four varnas—Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras—each entrusted with specific duties and responsibilities. These duties range from Vedic study and teaching, governance and protection, trade and agriculture, to service for the other classes, with a strong insistence on maintaining boundaries in marriage, occupation, and social interaction. Parallel to this stands the ashrama system, which guides a person from disciplined student life through household responsibilities, then gradual withdrawal, and finally renunciation oriented toward spiritual liberation. In this way, Manusmriti seeks to weave individual conduct, social role, and spiritual aspiration into a single fabric of dharma.

Within this framework, family life and gender roles are treated as central pillars of social stability. Marriage is regarded as a sacred duty, especially for the first three varnas, with detailed classifications of marriage types and clear preferences for unions within one’s own varna. The text emphasizes procreation, particularly the begetting of sons to continue ancestral rites, and prescribes strict norms around sexuality and chastity, condemning adultery and regulating inter‑varna unions. Women are envisioned primarily as daughters, wives, and mothers, under the protection and authority of male relatives, yet the prosperity of the household is said to depend on honoring them. Inheritance rules largely favor male heirs and often grant a special position to the eldest son, while still acknowledging obligations for the maintenance of daughters and other dependents.

The moral vision of Manusmriti is articulated through both universal virtues and role‑specific duties. It praises qualities such as truthfulness, self‑control, purity, patience, forgiveness, control of the senses, wisdom, knowledge, and freedom from anger, and it condemns theft, falsehood, violence, and adultery. Non‑violence is upheld as an ideal, though its application is nuanced in light of the duties of different varnas, particularly for rulers and warriors. Daily life is structured by practices of ritual purity—bathing, dietary rules, and avoidance of defilement—as well as regular recitation, sacrifice, and offerings to deities, sages, ancestors, and living beings. Through such disciplines, the text seeks to align inner character with outer conduct.

At the level of social order and governance, Manusmriti lays down detailed legal and political norms intended to preserve dharma in the public sphere. It outlines judicial procedures, gradations of punishment for various crimes, and a system in which penalties vary according to both the offense and the social status of those involved. The king is charged with protecting subjects, administering justice, collecting taxes fairly, and supporting religious institutions, especially those associated with Brahmins. Economic life is also regulated through rules on property, inheritance, contracts, wages, and fair trade, with deceit and exploitation explicitly condemned. Taken together, these social and moral codes aim to sustain a hierarchical yet integrated order in which personal virtue, family duty, and political authority are all subordinated to the overarching ideal of dharma.