Several medieval glosses have long shaped how the Manusmriti is read and taught. Among these, Medhātithi’s commentary (likely penned around the 8th–9th century) takes pride of place. Its clear explanations and frequent cross-references make it the go-to for traditional pandits and modern scholars alike. Kullūka Bhaṭṭa’s notes (often called Kuleśvara’s gloss) follow closely, prized for drilling down into intricate dharma-law details—think of it as the legal brief to Medhātithi’s broader narrative.

Jimutavāhana’s work, usually titled “Smṛticandrikā,” brings another layer of interpretation, especially on rituals and penances, while Aparārka’s “Kaivalyātantra” ventures into philosophical underpinnings, spotlighting how social order dovetails with spiritual liberation. Later hands—Nārapāla, Nandapaṇḍita and Damodara—each added marginalia, responding to regional practices and evolving norms.

Jumping to present day, these age-old commentaries still fuel debates from Delhi University classrooms to international conferences on colonialism and caste. The Bühler edition (1879) remains a landmark printed version, but Patrick Olivelle’s recent translation threads contemporary concerns—gender equity, human rights—into explanatory notes. Sheldon Pollock’s work on Sanskrit cosmopolitanism and G. Balakrishnan’s essays on legal pluralism in India often circle back to how these commentaries have steered—or stalled—social reforms.

When the #MeToo movement and Dalit rights activists call for revisiting ancient laws, it’s Medhātithi’s gloss that usually lands on the table first, its verses scrutinized line by line. In classrooms from SOAS to Jawaharlal Nehru University, students juggle medieval footnotes and digital databases, tracing how five hundred lines penned over a millennium ago still echo in today’s legal and moral discourses.