I had written on the Gotra and the Pravara of Lord  Rama.

He recites the names of Brahmin Rishis as his ancestors in His Pravara.

Lord Rama was a Kshatriya.

Why?

Lord Rama’s Gotra/Pravara is this.

‘

Yajur vEDa Saakhaa adhyaayinE, VaasishTa, MaitraavruNa KouNDinya trayaarishEya Prvaraanvita, VasishTa

 

GotrOdbhavaaya, Tribhuvanaadheesaaya, AkhilaaNDa kOti BrahmaaNDa naayakaaya, Tattva ateetaaya, Sat chit Ananda

moortayE, Soorya Vamsa Paavanaaya, Akhila jagad aananda kaarakkaya, Ksheeraabdi VaasinE, SaraNaagata vatsalaaya,

Kousalyaananda Vardhanaaya, ThaTakaa ThaaTakEyaantakaaya, Sree Paada rENu paalita Goutama kaLatraaya, Parama

Bhaagavata architaaya, khaNDeekrita tripura chaapaaya, Saadu jana nivaasa vrukshaaya,LakshmaNa agrajaaya, Sreevatsa

 

 Koustuba  haara - kanaka kEyooraadi DivyaabharaNa bhooshitaaya, Vaijayantee Vanamaala sObitaaya, Ikshvaaku Vamsa

 

Udbhavaaya, Naabhaaga VarmaNa: naphtrE, Aja Mahaaraaja VarmaNa: poutraaya, Dasaratha Mahaaraaja VarmaNa: putraaya,

 

Sree Raamachandra VarmaNE Saakshaat NaaraayaNa svaroopaaya varaaya'

Pravara of Lord Rama

Now Lord Rama was a Kshatriya.

Yet we find that He uses the Brahmin Rishis as his ancestors as His Pravara!

Why?

Gotra is derived from two sources.

One is ancestors an another is the  Guru Shishya Parampara, Preceptor Disciple Lineage.

That is one type uses the ancestors an the other uses the Guru of his family.

The Ancestors are used tin Gotra/Pravara by the Brahmins.

They do not use the Guru, except in some cases, like Viswamitra as he was by birth a Kshatriya and later became a Brahmin because of Knowledge.

His original Name was Kausika when he was a King.

When he became a Brahma Rishi, he was called Viswamitra and there is Kausika nd Viswmitra and Kausika Gotra.

The offspring he sire when he was a king Kausik use the Kausika and after he became a Brahmin, those offspring use Viswamitra Gotra.

Other communities like Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sura normally use their family priests, Guru’s Gotra for they considered Gurus as spiritual Fathers.

Lord Rama chose a middle path thus,

‘

Yajur vEDa Saakhaa adhyaayinE, VaasishTa, MaitraavruNa KouNDinya trayaarishEya Prvaraanvita, VasishTa''

Translation.

He belongs to the Pravara consisting of three Rishis viz., VasishTar, MaitraavaruNar and

 

KouNDinyar; He is born in the VasishTa Gotra

GotrOdbhavaaya,  ( Guru Prampara)...

 

Ikshvaaku Vamsa

Udbhavaaya, Naabhaaga VarmaNa: naphtrE, Aja Mahaaraaja VarmaNa: poutraaya, Dasaratha Mahaaraaja VarmaNa: putraaya, (ancestors)

Translation.

 

He belongs to Ikshvaaghu Vamsam: He is the Great grandson of Naabhaaga Mahaaraaja Varma; He is the

 

grandson of Aja Mahaaraaja Varma; He is the son of Dasaratha Mahaaraaja Varma; He is Sree Ramachandra Varma;'

Note how meticulously he uses the term Varma , indicating  that He is a Kshatriya.

Brahmins must use the term Sarma, Kshatriyas Varma and Vaisyas Gupta after their Names in Pravara.

Thus Rama does not make  a mistake when He uses the Brahmin Rishis in His Pravara.