दायभागकथनम्The law of inheritance
Verse 78
आपञ्चाब्दं शिशुं गृह्णन् सवर्णात् परिपालयेत् । पञ्चवर्षाधिको बालो दत्तको न प्रशस्यते ॥ ७८ ॥
āpañcābdaṁ śiśuṁ gṛhṇan savarṇāt paripālayēt | pañcavarṣādhikō bālō dattakō na praśasyatē || 78 ||
Translation
One should take a child up to five years old, from one of the same varṇa, and bring him up; a boy over five is not commended for adoption.
Word by word
- ā
- up to
- pañca
- five
- abdaṁ
- years
- śiśuṁ
- a child
- gṛhṇan
- taking
- savarṇāt
- (savarṇāt) from one of the same varṇa
- paripālayēt
- should bring up
- varṣa
- years
- adhikaḥ
- (adhikaḥ) over
- bālaḥ
- (bālaḥ) a boy
- dattakaḥ
- (dattakaḥ) an adopted son
- na
- not
- praśasyatē
- is commended
Meaning
The commentary reads "āpañcābdam" as up to and including five years.
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
But of what age is an adopted boy commendable? To that he says "āpañcābdam" and the rest. A brāhmaṇa or other, taking a child (śiśu), a boy, up to five years old, from one of the same varṇa, should bring him up, protect him. "Pañcābda" is one whose years (abda) are five; "āpañcābdam" is up to that, an avyayībhāva compound by "āṅ maryādābhividhyoḥ" (ā in the sense of limit and inclusion). A boy more than five years old is not commended as an adopted son.