Rhinoceros Toes, Manu V.17-18, and the Development of the Dharma System

A well-attested dharmic forbids the eating of "five-nailed" (pañcanakha) animals, except for a restricted list, which often includes rhinoceroses. Examination of the passages in which this provision is found demonstrates that the rhinoceros is a later addition to the list of edible exceptions. Moreover, the rhinoceros has only three toes. The paper examines how and why the rhinoceros was addeed to the list, starting from a close examination of the phraseology of Mānava Dharma Śāstra V.17-18. Furthermore, based on the texual configuration of the "older" and "younger" five-nailed passages, a programmatic approach towards the identification of older dharmic material is suggested.