Verse 9.183

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

सर्वासामेकपत्नीनामेका चेत् पुत्रिणी भवेत् ।
सर्वास्तास्तेन पुत्रेण प्राह पुत्रवतीर्मनुः ॥ १८३ ॥

sarvāsāmekapatnīnāmekā cet putriṇī bhavet |
sarvāstāstena putreṇa prāha putravatīrmanuḥ || 183 ||

Among all the wives of one man, if one have a son, Manu has declared all of them to be ‘with son,’ through that son.—(183)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

(verses 9.182-201)

(No Bhāṣya available.)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vivādaratnākara (p. 582);—in Smṛtitattva (p. 300) as attributing the character of the regular ‘son’ to the son of the co-wife;—in Smṛtitattva II (p. 187);—again on p. 388, where ‘ekapatnīnām’ is expounded as ‘ekaḥ patiḥ yāsām’;—in Hemādri (Śrāddha, p. 97);—in Śrāddhakriyākaumudī (p. 459 and 465), to the effect that a woman’s property is inherited (1) by her son, (2) by her grandson, (3) by her great-grandson, (4) by her daughter and (5) by her step-son; and also as entitling the step-son to do the ‘sapiṇḍana,’ ‘amalgamating,’ Śrāddha for his step-mother;—in Kṛtyasārasamuccaya (p. 76), to the effect that the step-son is as good as a son;—in Dattakamīmāṃsā (p. 14), to the effect that the step-son is a ‘son’, even without being ‘appointed’, because he is constituted by the elements of her own husband’s body;—in Dattakacandrikā (p. 50);—in Smṛtisāroddhāra (p. 200), to the effect that if a woman has no son of her own, her afterdeath rites are to be performed by her step-son;—in Śuddhikaumudī (p. 103);—and in Vyavahāra-Bālambhaṭṭī (p. 668).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Vaśiṣṭha (17, 11).—‘If among many wives of one husband, one have a son, they all become with son, through that son;—thus says the Veda.’

Viṣṇu (15.41).—‘Amongst wives of one husband also, the son of one is the son of all.’

Bṛhaspati (25.100).—‘The same rule applies to a plurality of wives; if one of them has male issue, that son shall offer the Ball of meal to them all.’