Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c20.s1.9

v2.c20.s1.9

The obdurate stand taken by the early canonists could not but have resulted in lowering the status of woman in purely legal matters. This explains why proprietary (and separate) rights were denied to her, why documents executed by her were declared invalid, why restrictions were imposed on her as a witness, and, finally, why she was even classed with the son and the slave. Nārada enjoins the following: "Three persons are declared to have no proprietary right: a wife, a slave and a son. Whatever property they acquire shall be made over to him to whom they belong."³ This rule held good even in the days of Śukrācārya, who says: "The wife, the son, and the slave—these three are *adhana*, *i.e.*, unpropertied (in the matter of family property). Whatever they earn is the property of those to whom they belong".⁴ In another connection Śukrācārya says: "Women have no separate right to the use of the means for the realisation of the threefold end, *e. g.*, virtue, wealth and