History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c72.252

v5.c72.252

or by persons of his caste, since the king is the relative of all varṇas.⁵⁸³ There was a close connection between taking the estate of a man and performing the rites after death up to the 10th day. For the doctrines represented by the Mitākṣarā and the Dāyabhāga, vide H. of Dh. vol III pp. 734-743. Even those that regarded that inheritance was based on relationship by blood and not on the capacity to offer piṇḍas held that it was obligatory on everyone who took the estate of another (including the king who took as the ultimate heir by escheat) to arrange for the rites after death and śrāddha. Viṣṇu⁵⁸⁴ Dh. S. XV. 40 declares 'whoever inherits the estate of a deceased person has to offer piṇḍa to him.' Yāj. II. 127 says the same thing about the Kṣetraja son (ubhayorapyasau rikthī piṇḍa-dātā ca dharmataḥ).