History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t1.145

v4.c63.t1.145

*The objects of adoption*—Atri (verse 52) quoted above in note 1231 declares that that man alone who has no son should always secure a substitute for a son with all possible effort for the sake of securing the offering of piṇḍas (funeral and śrāddha cakes) and water. The D. C. quotes this verse and also another ascribed by it to Manu¹²⁵⁷ in which the object of adoption is said to be twofold, viz. securing spiritual benefit from the piṇḍas and water (offered by him) and perpetuating the name and family of the adopter. In one of the latest cases on adoption that revolutionized the law the Privy Council¹²⁵⁸ emphasize the peculiar religious significance that has attached to the son among all classes of Hindus, refer to the 9th chapter of Manu verses 106, 107, 137, 138 of which are instinct with this doctrine, hold that the foundation of the Brahminical doctrine of adoption is the duty which every Hindu owes to his ancestors to provide for the continuance of the line and the solemnization of the necessary rites and that in this doctrine the devolution of property, though recognized as the inherent right of the son, is altogether a secondary consideration.