# Manu Samhita The Manu-Samhita, spoken by Manu himself, is a lawbook for mankind. It deals with three main subjects: codes of conduct, civil and criminal law, and punishment and atonement. The text thus offers valuable insight into the practical administration of society and defines the various duties of its members. What role does the Manu-Samhita play in modern spirituality? Although the Manu-Samhita details intricate aspects of social organisation, we don’t find it emphasised amongst the teachers of Gaudiya Vaisnavism. Srila Prabhupada focused more on the principles of Manu-Samhita rather than its specific practices. A completely literal application of the Manu-Samhita may be problematic in the current social climate. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://bhagavata.keshavaswami.com/canto-08/g.o.l.d/l-leaders-of-society-13-15/laws-of-mankind/manu-samhita.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.