Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/356

Rh the eldest brother, the sacrifice of a bull, the appointment of a man to beget a son on the widow of his brother, and the carrying of a water-pot as the token of an ascetic, these five are prohibited in the Kali Yug.".

"2ndly. That the marriage of a Hindu widow of respectability is contrary to the customs and usages of the country. Among the Hindus of India, there are various customs and usages on various occasions, and the people of the several provinces observe them according to various Shastras; but the marriage of a widow is not in accordance with the customs and usages of any province, and none of the codes of law in force sanctions it. The practice of austerity by all Hindu widows has been customary from time immemorial; so that, not to mention the marriage of a widow, even her intercourse with a stranger renders her liable to expulsion from society. Now, if your Honorable Council, with a view of introducing widow marriage, legislate on the subject, the Vedas, Smritis, Puranas, and other religious institutes, and the customs and usages of time immemorial, will fall to the ground. To subvert the religion and usages of the subjects is not the province of the Legislature. Monu says—"A king who knows the revealed law, must inquire into the particular laws of classes, the laws or usages of districts, the customs of traders, and the rules of certain families, and establish their peculiar laws if they be not repugnant to the law of God.'

"3rdly. That, if your Honorable Council legislate on the subject of widow marriage, the rules of inheritance now prevalent among the Hindus will undergo great alterations. Though the offspring of such a marriage cannot, according to the received law and reputable manners of the country, be regarded otherwise than as illegitimate, or children of harlots, yet in case you legislate on the subject, the truly lawful heirs will be compelled to share the inheritance equally with them. The Code of Hindu law on