Hindu Law and Custom (Recht und Sitte) c8.21

c8.21

Thus already in the case of the son of the first possessor the possession is regarded as more than mere right of acquisition if already between the first possessor and a pretender no dispute had arisen which was not afterwards satisfactorily settled. The possession (Bhukti) however becomes quite indisputable and independent of any right of acquisition when as *tripuruṣāgatā* it has lasted three generations. Thus we have expressions as *pauruṣī*, *dvipauruṣī*, *tripauruṣī bhukti*, "possession for one, two or three generations," in which each generation is reckoned by 36 years. The "possession for three generations" particularly should be considered as possession from time immemorial; the Mit. and other commentaries explain this term by a period exceeding 100 years (Vi. 5, 186 f.; Y. 2, 27-29; Nār. 1, 88-91; Bṛh. 9, 23-29; Kāty. 8, 1-8).¹ The following rules involve an encouragement of pious gifts, viz. even a possession of three generations cannot prevail against a grant (śāsana), and that a complex of immovables occurring in such a grant should wholly belong to him who actually possesses even only a part of it (Bṛh. 9, 30 18).