History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t2.384

v4.c63.t2.384

*Succession to Strīdhana.*—The several schools of Hindu Law differ from each other perhaps more widely on this subject than on any other. But one thing is generally common to all schools viz. that as regards succession to strīdhana daughters are preferred to sons, though in later days sons were introduced by some writers as heirs along with daughters or even as preferable to daughters for certain kinds of strīdhana. This was probably due to the fact that the value of strīdhana property became considerable in later times and society which held to the doctrine of the dependence and inferior position of women could not tolerate the idea that large estates should go to women alone. The causes of the variance among writers on the devolution of strīdhana are historical. The text-writers wrote at different times and in different countries and probably reflect the popular sentiments of their own countries and times tinged now and then by personal predilections also. The digests sometimes expressly say that their interpretation follows the usage of their times (vide V. Mayūkha in note 1529 below).