Dharmasutras

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The dharmasutras are Sanskrit texts dealing with law and rituals. Unlike the later verse dharmashastras, the dharmasutras are composed in prose. The oldest dharmasutra is generally believed to have been that of Apastamba, followed by the dharmasutras of Gautama, Baudhayana, and Vasishtha. It is difficult to determine exact dates for these texts, but the dates between 500-300 BCE have been suggested for the oldest dharmasutras. Later dharmasutras include those of Kasyapa, Brhaspati, and Ushanas.