Manusmriti text itself is non-standardized across versions

Evidence

1 “Varnanam Brahmano Guru.” This is Manusmriti 10.3. Bibek Debroy’s translation: “Among varnas, the Brahman is the teacher/preceptor.” There is no standardised text of the Manusmriti; in some versions, the text mentions prabhu (lord) instead of guru (teacher). George Bühler renders the entire couplet at 10.3 as follows: “On account of his pre-eminence, on account of the superiority of his origin, on account of his observance of (particular) restrictive rules, and on account of his particular sanctification the Brahmana is the lord of (all) castes (varna)” (1886/2004, 276). — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 1028

Categorization

• QUESTION: If there is no standardised Manusmriti text, which version reliably grounds claims about the dharma it prescribes? Worth chasing for a methodological aside.
• XREF: connects to: A growing, non-finite canon means smriti texts cannot all be authentic — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 1201; Bilingual treaties with a shared master text spawned divergent national versions with serious discrepancies — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting…, 197; A quoted Manusmriti verse commanding obedience to local custom is untraceable to any source — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 1172
• yield-rescued: below the book’s yield-target cutoff, included anyway for connecting to: A growing, non-finite canon means smriti texts cannot all be authentic — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 1201; Bilingual treaties with a shared master text spawned divergent national versions with serious discrepancies — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting…, 197; A quoted Manusmriti verse commanding obedience to local custom is untraceable to any source — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 1172