Question

According to Manu, daughters had a right to ________.

• A. Their father’s wealth
• B. Both A and C
• C. Dowry
• D. Their mother’s wealth

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Their mother’s wealth.

Explanation:

Father’s Wealth (A):

• Manusmriti (Chapter 9, Verse 118) states that sons inherit the father’s property, while daughters were excluded from paternal wealth unless there were no male heirs (putrika putra provision).

Mother’s Wealth (B):

• Manusmriti (9.131) explicitly grants daughters the right to their mother’s wealth (stridhana), including jewelry, gifts, and personal property.

Dowry (C):

• While dowry (yautaka) was practiced, it was not an inheritance right but a pre-marriage gift. Manu warns against misusing it (9.93-94).

Both A and C (D): Incorrect, as paternal wealth was primarily for sons.