Hareet Smriti is one of the important books containing the code of conduct to be followed by a Hindu person. This ancient text, written by a revered scholar named Hareet, contains the essence of the
Vedas in a short and concise manner. The laws governing the persons belonging to the individual castes are explained in seven chapters.
The first chapter in Hareet Smriti describes the four basic castes in the Hindu society. The second chapter analyses each caste and the stages that should be reached by a person belonging to these castes. The third chapter deals with the duties related with each caste. In this chapter there is a special stress towards celibacy while performing the duty. The lifestyle and responsibilities of a householder is explained in the fourth chapter. The fifth chapter describes the life and duties of person seeking solace in the forest for spiritual reasons. The sixth chapter dwells into the concept of renunciation, while the last chapter goes into an in-depth analysis of Yoga.
Hareet Smriti mostly concentrates on the duties of a Brahmin, while giving little stress on the remaining castes; Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. The author holds the opinion that there should be a proper balance between penance and knowledge. Furthermore he states that a person’s life is only successful if he performs all his duties.
