The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (649 page)

(Skt.,
dharma
, ‘law’ +
stra
, ‘teaching’). Any of a class of Sanskrit texts concerned with rules of conduct and law. Dharma
stras tend to be longer and more systematically organized than
dharmas
tras
, and treat some topics neglected in the dharmas
tras, such as
vratas
(religious vows);
utsarga
and
prati
h
(dedication of public utilities, shrines, and temples);
k
la
(auspicious times); and
t
rtha
(pilgrimages to sacred places).
Of the more than 2,000 surviving dharma
stras, the most influential is certainly the
Manusm
ti