Sutra 23

Devanagari script

स्त्री चाप्रतिश्राविणी पतिकृतमृणमन्यत्र गोपालकार्धसीतिकेभ्यः ॥ कZ_०३.११.२३ ॥

Transliteration

strī cāpratiśrāviṇī patikṛtam ṛṇam anyatra gopālakārdhasītikebhyaḥ

Translation

A wife is not liable for a debt contracted by her husband, except for obligations connected with cowherding and with share-cultivation arrangements (e.g., half-share and similar agricultural contracts).

Word by Word

• स्त्री: a woman (wife)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन

• च: and
• Type: Particle
• Root: च
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय

• अप्रतिश्राविणी: not having assented/undertaken (liability); not acknowledging (the debt)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रतिश्रु (प्रति+श्रु)
• Form: नञ्-पूर्वक विशेषण; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; (अ- + प्रतिश्राविणी)

• पतिकृतम्: made/incurred by the husband
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पति + कृ
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पत्या कृतम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (मृणम् इति विशेषण)

• मृणम्: debt
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृण
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन

• अन्यत्र: except; otherwise than
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यत्र
• Form: अपादान/अपवादार्थक अव्यय (‘except/otherwise than’)

• गोपालक: cowherds/cattle-keepers
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपालक
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी बहुवचन (…ेभ्यः)

• अर्धसीतिक: half-share cultivators (half-share tenants)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्धसीतिक
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी बहुवचन (…ेभ्यः)

• एभ्यः: from these; in the case of these (categories)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

Entities Mentioned

• wife
• husband
• cowherd/cattle operations
• share-cultivation contracts

More Details

FAQs

Why are agrarian/cattle-related debts treated as exceptions?

They are tied to household subsistence and productive enterprise; the law assigns broader household responsibility where credit directly sustains ongoing livelihood operations.