67. Jitendriya
Volume I: Part II pp. 593–595
The distinguished scholar Jitendriya holds a notable position in the lineage of Dharmaśāstra, primarily evidenced through his frequent citation by Jīmūtavāhana across his three seminal works. This repeated reference underscores Jitendriya's significant authority and influence on specific legal interpretations. One of Jitendriya's pivotal tenets concerned succession law, where he firmly held the view that the wives of a deceased person, regardless of whether they were living in a state of separation or in a joint family, were legally entitled to succeed to their husband's estate. This position highlights a particular understanding of women's proprietary rights within the complex framework of Hindu law. An intriguing aspect of Jitendriya's legacy is the observation that no other early writer, apart to Jīmūtavāhana himself, appears to have cited him. This singular relationship suggests either a profound intellectual connection between the two, or perhaps a more circumscribed sphere of influence for Jitendriya's works during his contemporary period. Based on the chronological analysis derived from the context of his citations, Jitendriya is estimated to have flourished between 1000 and 1050 A.D., positioning him in a crucial era for the codification and interpretation of Hindu legal and customary traditions within the broader Dharmaśāstra discourse.
— Synopsis by P.V. Kane, from History of Dharmaśāstra
67. Jitendriya
67. Jitendriya Jitendriya is one of those writers who at one time held an eminent position but in course of time sank into unmerited oblivioṇ The works of Jīmūtavāhana bear abundant testimony to the fact that Jitendriya wrote an extensive work on dharmaśāstra. In his Kālāviveka (p. 380) Jīmūtavāhana says that Jitendriya1 wrote on the topic of kāla (i. e. on determining doubtful points about the months, the tithis, saṁkrāntis, &c. and the religious rites to be performed on them). In several passages of the Kālāviveka the very words of Jitendriya are quoteḍ Jitendriya said that a rite that occupies in performance only a short time must be per- formed at the principal time indicated for it2 ( and not at a gauna time ). From another quotation it appears that Jitendriya controverted the views of a predecessor Sambhra- mabhagga.3 Jitendriya is said to have enumerated the names of the fifteen muhūrtas of the day from the Matsyapurāṇa ;4 vide pp. 257, 367 of the Kalaviveka for other places where the views of Jitendriya on kāla occur. In the Dāyabhāga of Jīmūtavāhana also Jitendriya is frequently mentioneḍ The dāyabhāga says that, if a man takes another's gold believing it to be iron or takes what is another's believing ( in good faith ) that it is his own, Jitendriya held in his remarks on the section of prāyaścitta that he is not guilty of theft.5 The peculiar doctrine of the Dāyabhāga that the widow of a person, whether he was separate or a member of a joint family, succeeded to her deceased husband's estate had been already expounded by Jitendriya.6 The view of Jitendriya was that whatever is acquired by a person without using means or materials jointly owned by all members of a family is his exclusive property and that maitra ( gifts of a friend ) and audvāhika are only cited ( by Yaj. ) as examples of this propositioṇ7 Jitendriya held the daughter's son entitled to succeed after the daughter, just as Viśvarūpa, Bhoja and Govindarāja diḍ In the Vyava- haramātrkā of Jīmūtavāhana also Jitendriya's views are cited (on pp. 302, 334 ). This shows that he wrote also on pro- cedure in law courtṣ Jitendriya is also referred to in the Dāyatattva of Raghunandana.8 But no other early writer quotes Jitendriya. Therefore it appears that Jitendriya was probably a Bengal writer and flourished about 1000–1050 A. D. and that he was completely eclipsed by the brilliant Jīmūtavāhana.