Arthashastra 3.5.2: Dharmasthiya, Adhyaya 5, Sutra 2

Devanagari script

तेषामूर्ध्वं पितृतो दायविभागः पितृद्रव्याणाम् ॥

Recitation with translationArthashastra 3.5.2

Transliteration

teṣām ūrdhvaṃ pitṛto dāyavibhāgaḥ pitṛdravyāṇām

Translation

അതിന് ശേഷമേ (അഥവാ പിതാവ് ഇല്ലാതാകുമ്പോൾ/അധികാരം അവസാനിക്കുമ്പോൾ) പിതൃസ്വത്തിന്റെ അവകാശവിഭജനം നടക്കൂ।

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Word by Word

• तेषाम्: of them (i.e., of those persons/heirs mentioned)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: षष्ठी-बहुवचनम् (Genitive plural), सर्वनाम

• ऊर्ध्वम्: upwards; in the ascending line
• Type: Indeclinable/Adverb
• Root: ऊर्ध्व
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverbial)

• पितृतः: from the father; on the paternal side
• Type: Noun (used adverbially)
• Root: पितृ
• Form: पञ्चमी-एकवचनम् (Ablative singular) ‘from the father’; here used in the sense ‘on the father’s side / through the father’

• दाय-विभागः: division/partition of inheritance
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभज् (वि+भज्)
• Form: प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (Nominative singular), पुल्लिङ्ग; समासः

• पितृ-द्रव्याणाम्: of the father’s properties/assets
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रव्य
• Form: षष्ठी-बहुवचनम् (Genitive plural), नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासः

Entities Mentioned

• sons/heirs
• father
• father's estate

More Details

FAQs

What does ‘ūrdhvam’ operationally imply for administrators?

Partition is not recognized while the father’s authority persists; officials should treat the estate as undivided until the legally relevant endpoint.