Common Sense and Legal History in India brings together the shorter works of Richard W. Lariviere on one important tradition of law in classical and medieval India— the corpus of Sanskrit legal texts called dharmasastra. Lariviere’s contributions to both general and specific topics of Hindu law have changed our understanding of the depth and complexity of legal ideas, the possibilities and limits of Sanskrit legal sources for historical study, and the continuing relevance of dharmasastra in colonial and contemporary India. The essays collected in this volume demonstrate the value of careful philological study of Sanskrit materials and exemplify an approach to Indological studies that highlights the achievement of traditional scholarship while maintaining critical modern perspectives. Lariviere’s research and interpretations, now collected in one place, are essential reading for legal historians of India.