History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.540.4

v4.c63.540.4

It is on account of this that the son was not only desired for repaying the spiritual debt owed to one's ancestors, but he was also expected to free his father (if the father could not himself repay the monetary debt) from the liability he incurred to his creditor. Nār. IV. 5-9 puts this clearly and most emphatically: "fathers desire to have sons for their own benefit thinking in their heart 'he will release me from liability to creditors and debtors' (or probably 'from high or low debts' i. e. spiritual and earthly debts). Three deceased (ancestors) must be honoured (by a man) and he must subsist on three (descendants) that come after him. These (the first three) series of ancestors rely (for repayment) of their twofold debts (spiritual and secular) on the fourth in descent. If a man fails to pay on demand a debt or promised gift, that sum (by the addition of interest) goes on growing till it amounts to a hundred crores and when a hundred crores are reached he is born again and again in the house of his creditor as a slave in order to repay the debt (by his labour). If an ascetic or a brāhmaṇa perpetually keeping the sacred fire (*agnihotrin*) dies without discharging his debts, the whole merit due to his austerities and the perpetual tending of fire belongs to his creditors".⁶⁷⁶ Kāt. (551, 591) expresses the same idea but adds that a debtor who has not repaid money borrowed may be born as a slave, a servant, a woman or a beast in the house of his creditor.