History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s50.26

v1.c6.s50.26

Medhātithi's bhāṣya is full of very interesting information. But for want of space it cannot be analysed in detail. The Mit. (on Yāj. II. 124) refers to the view of Asahāya and Medhātithi (on Manu 9. 118) about the fourth share to be given to an unmarried sister at a partition between brothers and follows it in preference to Bhāruci's. On Yāj. III. 24 the Mit. tells us that certain texts of Ṛṣyaśṛṅga about varying periods of impurity for Brāhmaṇas and others were not accepted as authoritative by Dhāreśvara, Viśvarūpa and Medhātithi. According to him⁵⁸² *saṁnyāsa* does not mean the giving up of all the obligatory duties laid down by *śāstra*, but the giving of *ahaṁkāra*. He ⁵⁸³ allowed a brāhmaṇa to adopt even a kṣatriya boy. He explains away the well-known verse 'naṣṭe mṛte... patiranyo vidhīyate' by taking the word ‘pati’ in its etymological sense and says⁵⁸⁴ that the verse suggests that in order to maintain herself in such calamities the woman may take service with another person as her protector.