Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s18.341

v1.c3.s18.341

Didhiṣū-pati occurs in the Kāṭhaka¹ and Kapiṣṭhala Saṃhitās,² as well as in the Āpastamba,³ Gautama,⁴ and Vasiṣṭha Dharma Sūtras,⁵ in lists of people who have committed sin (enas). The traditional rendering⁶ is ‘husband of a woman married a second time’; Manu⁷ seems to apply the term to the brother-in-law who is ‘married’ to his sister-in-law after his brother’s death for the purpose of begetting a child, if he displays conjugal affection to her (anurajyate kāmataḥ).⁸ This sense would be possible, since Didhiṣu denotes a ‘wooer,’ and a widow could be regarded as a ‘wooer’ when able to control her own choice of a spouse. But another tradition⁹ holds that Didhiṣu means the elder sister whose younger sister has married before her. This view is supported by a passage in the Vasiṣṭha Dharma Sūtra,¹⁰ and by the use of the word agre-didhiṣu-pati,¹¹ which must mean the ‘husband of a younger sister married before the elder.’ In this case also Didhiṣu would mean ‘wooer,’ the elder sister being so called because, if her parents do not arrange a marriage for her, she is, according to Viṣṇu,¹² to make her own choice of a husband (kuryāt svayaṃvaram). See also Edidhiṣuḥpati and Daidhiṣavya.