Shloka 22
ययाति–शक्रसंवादः
Speech-Ethics and Forbearance in the Celestial Court
त्रय एवाधना राजन् भार्या दासस्तथा सुतः । यत् ते समधिगच्छन्ति यस्यैते तस्य तद् धनम्,महाराज! तीन व्यक्ति धनके अधिकारी नहीं हैं--पत्नी, दास और पुत्र। ये जो धन प्राप्त करते हैं वह उसीका होता है जिसके अधिकारमें ये हैं। अर्थात् पत्नीके धनपर पतिका, सेवकके धनपर स्वामीका और पुत्रके धनपर पिताका अधिकार होता है
traya evādhanā rājan bhāryā dāsas tathā sutaḥ | yat te samadhigacchanti yasyaite tasya tad dhanam mahārāja ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O king, three are said to be without independent property-rights: the wife, the servant, and the son. Whatever wealth they come to possess is, in law and custom, the wealth of the one to whom they belong—of the husband in the case of the wife, of the master in the case of the servant, and of the father in the case of the son.” The statement frames a normative rule of household order and authority, presenting dependence and guardianship as the basis for control over acquisitions.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse states a normative rule: wife, servant, and son are treated as lacking independent proprietary status, so whatever they acquire is legally attributed to the husband, master, or father respectively—grounding ownership in guardianship/authority within the household.
Vaiśampāyana is explaining a dharma-based principle to the king, articulating a conventional rule about who is considered entitled to hold wealth independently and how acquisitions by dependents are assigned to the household authority.