07-02-2007, 08:06 PM
Welcome.
Your questions are a bit vague, since India has had many legal systems; hindu, buddhist, Islamic and british. I am giving some pointers about the ancient Indian hindu literature. . If you search for these terms in a library of on the net then you can get a host of leads from them.
Ancient Indian legal literature is in a set of texts called "dharma-shAstra-s". Manu-smriti is the most famous example of a dharma-shastra. They are also often called "dharma-sUtra-s".
Indian logical literature is called "nyAya". The original text being "nyAya-sUtra" of gautama. There are many texts in nyAya. One highly regarded branch is called "navya-nyAya".
Political-theory texts are called "artha-shAstra" and the most famous example is kautilya's artha-shAstra.
English translations of many of the main texts are available, but not for all of them. Even existing translations are deficient in many ways.
So "an appropriate format for understanding" may not be really available, unless you are willing to devote considerable effort to get into the nitty gritty and try to understand it from within rather than without.
Your questions are a bit vague, since India has had many legal systems; hindu, buddhist, Islamic and british. I am giving some pointers about the ancient Indian hindu literature. . If you search for these terms in a library of on the net then you can get a host of leads from them.
Ancient Indian legal literature is in a set of texts called "dharma-shAstra-s". Manu-smriti is the most famous example of a dharma-shastra. They are also often called "dharma-sUtra-s".
Indian logical literature is called "nyAya". The original text being "nyAya-sUtra" of gautama. There are many texts in nyAya. One highly regarded branch is called "navya-nyAya".
Political-theory texts are called "artha-shAstra" and the most famous example is kautilya's artha-shAstra.
English translations of many of the main texts are available, but not for all of them. Even existing translations are deficient in many ways.
So "an appropriate format for understanding" may not be really available, unless you are willing to devote considerable effort to get into the nitty gritty and try to understand it from within rather than without.