The old Devala law-book — fragments 4: Inheritance and women's property
English (machine translation) 4
- Language
- English
Inheritance and women's property
4.1
When the father has died, the sons should divide the father's property; while the father is alive and without fault, they have no ownership.
4.2
When the father is dead, the impotent, the leper, the madman, the idiot, the blind, the outcaste, the outcaste's child and one bearing (an ascetic's) emblem do not share in the inheritance; to them, except the outcaste, food and clothing are to be given; their sons, if free from the defect, receive the share of their father's inheritance.
4.3
For kinsmen living together, divided or undivided, there may be a fresh partition of the inheritance down to the fourth (generation); this is the rule.
4.4
Among sons, even of equal (class), a middle share is approved; to the eldest, if of upright conduct, he should assign a tenth part (in addition).
4.5
To the daughters the wealth for their marriage is to be given from the father's property; and for a sonless man his own lawfully born daughter is like a son.
4.6
Or the daughters equally; or the father too, when dying …
4.7
Maintenance, ornaments, the bride-price and gains are woman's property; she herself enjoys it, and the husband has no right to it except in distress. If he gives it away or enjoys it without need, he must repay it to the woman with interest; but he may use the woman's property to relieve a son's distress.
Linked texts (1)
- Devalasmṛti (fragments) — Sanskrit