Under the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, "Degrees of descent" refers to:

Under s. 13 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, relationship among agnates and cognates is reckoned "in terms of degrees of ascent or degrees of descent or both", and "every generation constitutes a degree either ascending or descending". Degrees of descent count generations downward to descendants; degrees of ascent count upward to ancestors.