History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t2.114.4

v4.c63.t2.114.4

The heir or heirs expectant on the death of a widow are called reversioners or reversionary heirs in the decided cases. There is no exact Sanskrit word to convey the same idea except 'dāyāda' that occurs in Kāt. quoted above and in D. B., which makes it clear that the reversioners take the estate after the widow's estate ends (by death, remarriage, surrender &c.). The doctrine of the surrender by the widow of her estate in favour of the next heirs (the reversioners) whose estate is said to be accelerated is based on meagre foundations viz. the words of Kāt. and the D. B. quoted in n. 1359. Judicial decisions, however, have raised a stupendous structure on these slight foundations; but they are passed over here.