History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.90.1

v4.c62.90.1

Apart from conquest and election in rare cases, monarchy was hereditary and generally descended by primogeniture. The passage from the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa (XII. 9.3, 1 and 3) mentioning the descent of kingship for ten generations in succession has already been referred to (p. 26). Though succession was hereditary it was the general rule that the eldest son ascended the throne when the reigning monarch died or abdicated. The rights of the eldest son or daughter as against the younger son or daughter were very jealously guarded in the vedic age. It has already been shown how marrying before one's elder brother or sister was condemned in the vedic age and also in the times of the smṛtis (H. Dh. II. pp. 546-549). Even the Ṛgveda several times refers to *jyaiṣṭhya* (rights of seniority) of Indra (Ṛg. I. 5. 6, III. 50.3). The Tai. S. II. 2.11.5 states that the gods agreed to treat Indra as the 'jyeṣṭha' (the eldest) and Tai. S. II.⁴⁹ 5. 2. 7 refers to the ancient practice of giving all wealth (of the father) to the eldest son. The Ait. Br. 19.4 narrates the story that the gods did not accept Indra's position as the eldest and most exalted among them and that Indra then induced Bṛhaspati to perform the Dvādaśāha sacrifice for him, whereby he secured that position. The Nirukta II.