The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day c8.90

c8.90

compelled to stay with him. The only concession that Manu shows to her is to permit her to stay with her parents, provided she did not claim any maintenance (IX, 83). All this treatment laid down for the wife is a natural consequence of Manu's theory that marriage establishes the supremacy of the husband over the wife¹. This view soon became quite popular; we find Kālidāsa subscribing to it².