History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c15.26

v2.c15.26

Remarriage of widows. The word ‘punarbhū’ does not necessarily mean ‘remarried widow’. Nārada on the kinds of punarbhūs and svairiṇīs. Baudhāyana and Kaśyapa on 7 kinds of punarbhū. Smṛtis (except those of Vasiṣṭha, Nārada and one or two others) prohibit remarriage of widows. Rules for a wife whose husband is unheard of for many years. Hindu Widow’s Remarriage Act of 1856. Appalling number of child widows. Verses of Ṛgveda and Atharvaveda supposed to refer to remarriage of widows examined. Divorce unknown in Vedic or Dharmaśāstra Literature. Kauṭilya on divorce. Divorce law in England and Roman Catholic countries.