दायभागकथनम्The law of inheritance
Verse 50
अधस्ताद्गमनाभावे धनमूर्ध्वभवं गतम् । तत्रापि पुंसां मुख्यत्वादितं पितृकुलं शिवे । अतोऽत्र सन्निकृष्टोऽपि मातुलो नाप्नुयाद्धनम् ॥ ५० ॥
adhastādgamanābhāvē dhanamūrdhvabhavaṁ gatam | tatrāpi puṁsāṁ mukhyatvāditaṁ pitṛkulaṁ śivē | atō’tra sannikṛṣṭō’pi mātulō nāpnuyāddhanam || 50 ||
Translation
When the wealth cannot go downward it goes to those born above; and even there, O Śivā, because men come first, it goes to the father's family. So the mother's brother, near as he is, does not receive it.
Word by word
- adhastāt
- (adhastāt) downward
- gamana
- of going
- abhāvē
- in want
- dhanam
- (dhanam) the wealth
- ūrdhva
- above
- bhavaṁ
- to those born
- gatam
- (gatam) goes
- tatra
- there
- api
- even
- puṁsāṁ
- of men
- mukhyatvāt
- (mukhyatvāt) because they come first
- itaṁ
- goes
- pitṛ
- the father's
- kulaṁ
- family
- śivē
- O Śivā
- ataḥ
- (ataḥ) so
- atra
- here
- sannikṛṣṭaḥ
- (sannikṛṣṭaḥ) near
- mātulaḥ
- (mātulaḥ) the mother's brother
- na
- not
- āpnuyāt
- receives
Meaning
A verse of three lines summing up verses 47-49: the property first descends; when it must rise it goes to the paternal family before the maternal.
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
But surely the maternal uncle, being nearer, should take the dead man's wealth rather than the father's sapiṇḍa, who is farther? Answering this doubt he speaks in the passage from "adhastāt" to "dhanam", a verse and a half. O Śivā, when there is no going downward, the dead man's wealth has gone, has passed, to one born above; and even among those born above, because males rank first, the wealth goes, passes, to the father's family. For this reason here in the world the maternal uncle, though near, close at hand, does not receive the dead man's wealth.