हिन्दू विधि के सन्दर्भ में व्यवहार एक महत्वपूर्ण संकल्पना है और विधिक प्रक्रिया का पर्याय है। कात्यायन ने इस शब्द का विश्लेषण इस प्रकार किया है- वयवहार = वि + अव + हार ; 'वि' का अर्थ 'विभिन्न' तथा 'अव' का अर्थ सन्देह है तथा हार का अर्थ 'हरना' या 'दूर करना' है। अर्थात यह (व्यवहार) विभिन्न प्रकार के सन्देहों को दूर करता है।

Vyavahāra is an important concept of Hindu law denoting legal procedure. The term is analyzed by Kātyāyana as follows: "Vi means ‘various,’ ava means ‘doubt,’ hara is ‘removal’; legal procedure is called by the term vyavahāra because ‘it removes various doubts.’” Kane defines it as follows: "When the ramifications of right conduct, that are together called dharma and that can be established with efforts have been violated, the dispute which springs from what is sought to be proved, is said to be vyavahāra." According to Donald Davis, “There are two basic meanings of vyavahāra. The first is a general sense of practice, business, or everyday transactions. The other, specific sense is legal procedure, the processes of litigation including a trial.” Legal procedure according to the dharmaśāstras includes: court, listening to and assessing witnesses and their testimony, deciding and enforcing punishment, and the pursuit of Justice in the face of Injustice. Davis later quotes the Nāradasmṛti in an attempt to answer the question why legal procedure came about in the Hindu tradition. The text states, “When men had dharma as their only focus and were speakers of the truth, there was no legal procedure, no enmity, and no (selfish) conflict. Legal procedure came into being when dharma was lost among men."