Hindu Law and Custom (Recht und Sitte) c7.780

c7.780

Even now the undivided property of a family is considered to be the normal state of things until the proof is produced that a partition has taken place ⁵. The presumption of a joint-family is stronger in proportion as the family-members living together are closely related and therefore among brothers it is more easily acknowledged than among cousins etc.⁶, but, as laid down in the Smṛtis, it does not extend to beyond the fourth generation. In Bengal ⁷ the father of the family exercises a despotic sway over his family; he makes arrangements for the education, livelihood and marriage of his sons and daughters, himself takes the earnings of all the family-members and determines all expenditure. Beside him the Gṛhiṇī too carries on a no less strict government over the daughters, daughters-in-law and the maid-servants ; she looks after the cooking, remains content with simple food, mostly the remains of her husband's meal which she never takes in his presence, lives a simple and frugal life and is generally bigoted and superstitious. After the Saṃskāras prescribed in the Smṛtis, particularly the investiture of the sacred thread, are performed, the sons are married at a tender age and have little power in the management of the property. Only a relic of the right of primogeniture may still be traced in the fact that posts of honour devolve on the eldest son. Servants and slaves,¹ relations on visit, often 6 to 20 in number, the Guru and Acharji (ācārya) complete the personnel of the joint-family of Bengal.