'Business law in medieval and early modern India developed within thevoluminous and multifaceted texts called the Dharmashastras. These texts laiddown rules for merchants, traders, guilds, farmers and individuals in terms ofthe complex religious, legal and moral ideal of dharma.This exciting book provides a new perspective on commercial law in this period.In addition to a description of the substantive rules for business, the bookreinterprets the role of business and commerce within the law generally anddemonstrates that modern assumptions about good business practice couldbenefit from the insights of this ancient tradition. It thus makes a compellingcase for the relevance of the dharma of business to our own time.'