The Political Institutions and Theories of the Hindus: A Study in Comparative Politics c9.s1.21

c9.s1.21

But first, it should be realized, however, that so far as the *pater-familias* of the patriarchal family is concerned, the spirit of Hindu jurisprudence was not more servile than that of the early Roman Twelve Tables (B. C. 452). Secondly, the ecclesiastical law of Europe provides that the first charge of a man's property is the purchase of "masses" for his soul. And here the Roman Catholic meets on a common platform the Hindu with his doctrine of "spiritual benefit",¹ according to which property is generally held to be intended for the discharge of sacrificial duties (*pinda*) for the manes of the dead.