Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s21.919

v1.c3.s21.919

It is difficult to ascertain precisely how far the son was subject to parental control, and how long such control continued. Reference is made in the Rigveda¹¹ to a father’s chastising his son for gambling, and Rjrāśva is said to have been blinded by his father.¹² From the latter statement Zimmer¹³ infers the existence of a developed *patria potestas*, but to lay stress on this isolated and semi-mythical incident would be unwise. It is, however, quite likely that the *patria potestas* was originally strong, for we have other support for the thesis in the Roman *patria potestas*. If there is no proof that a father legally controlled his son’s wedding,¹⁴ and not much that he controlled his daughter’s,¹⁵ the fact is in itself not improbable.