दायभागकथनम्The law of inheritance
Verse 80
यो यस्य धनहर्ता स्यात् स तद्धर्माणि पालयेत् । संरक्षेन्नियमांस्तस्य तद्बन्धून् परितोषयेत् ॥ ८० ॥
yō yasya dhanahartā syāt sa taddharmāṇi pālayēt | saṁrakṣēnniyamāṁstasya tadbandhūn paritōṣayēt || 80 ||
Translation
Whoever takes another's wealth should keep that man's dharmas, guard his observances and satisfy his kin.
Word by word
- yaḥ
- (yaḥ) whoever
- yasya
- of another
- dhana
- the wealth
- hartā
- takes
- syāt
- is
- saḥ
- he
- tat
- his
- dharmāṇi
- dharmas
- pālayēt
- should keep
- saṁrakṣēt
- should guard
- niyamāṁs
- (niyamān) the observances
- tasya
- his
- bandhūn
- kin
- paritōṣayēt
- should satisfy
Meaning
An heir takes on the dead man's obligations too. Avalon's note gives an example: one who inherits from a devotee of another deity keeps up the worship the dead man maintained.
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
The man who takes a man's wealth should keep the dharmas and observances of the owner of the wealth and satisfy his kin: this he tells with "yaḥ" and the rest. The man who takes a man's wealth should keep that man's dharmas, should guard his observances (niyama), and should satisfy his kin.