Manava Dharmashastra 5.164

5.164

strīdharmopasaṃhāraślokā ṛjavaśca strīdharmā ityato mayā'tra vyākhyānādaraḥ kṛtaḥ | etāvattatropadeśārthaḥ | yathā puṃso'nyayā saha punaḥpravṛtti karma neha "saṃsthitaṃ ca na laṅghayet" ityanena nyāyena punaḥ sahapravṛttiriti, tathā "svargaṃ gacchatyaputrā'pi" ityanenāpatyajananamāpadi pratiṣidhyate-niyogasmṛtyā tu tatpunarabhyanujñāyasyate-tadetadapatyotpādanamuktapratiṣiddhatvādvikalpyate | anayostu smṛtyoḥ katamā smṛtirjyāyasīti na śakyaṃ kartumatiśayāvadhāraṇaṃ yenaikatrāpatyamanyatrāsyāḥ saṃyamaḥ | ubhayorapi vastu nirvahati ||163-164||

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
These verses sum up the duties of women; and these duties are easily intelligible; hence I have devoted no attention to the explanation of these.

The meaning of the teaching is as follows:—Though the man is permitted (in 167) to take to another wife, yet that does not permit of the woman taking another husband; because according to the injunction—‘she shall not disregard him when he is dead’, there can be no possibility of her marrying again; and by the assertion that ‘even childless persons go to heaven’ it is made clear that the bearing of children, even in times of distress, is forbidden. It is only in the Smṛti sanctioning ‘Niyoga’ that this latter is permitted. Hence in view of these (prohibition and sanction) the two courses are regarded as optional alternatives; and between these two Smṛtis we cannot determine which is superior and which inferior; since one of them enjoins the bearing of children, and the other clearly forbids it. Hence by taking them as optional alternatives we make room for both—(163-164).