I had written on Gotra system of India. Gotra is unique identity of an individual by linking his ancestors.The Gotr as differ for each varna, Brahmana, Kshatriya,Vaisya.
Gotras have one,two, three or five Rishis as the first of the Lineage.
I have been answering doubts on Gotras.I have posted an article on how to find Gotra.
One of the readers has taken pains to get a reference text in Mysuru, published in the year 1900!My gratitude to him. I am providing the communication from him
Please find attached.Scroll down to index, Check the gotram, scroll down to that group and you can see the entire list of descendants of gotras and pravaras.The kevalaas are also listed. That is, those who are brahmins, moved to practise kshatriya work and then returned to the brahmin roots.Ten in all. Such as Garga, Moudgalya, Sankriti,…etc.Also, the 2-family ones are explained. [ dvyaamushyaayanaas ] Say, for instance, Sankriti. Sankriti, one born to Shakti, son of Sage Vasishta, practise the work of kshatriyas, then return to brahmin roots (original vasishta gotra) by firstmoving to the ashram of Sage Angeeras and then returning to their Root Vasishtar. Two more Sankriti lines are Sage Aangeerasa line. One as direct descendant (angeerasa, gauriveeta, sankrutya)and another the Kshatriya Sankriti (angeerasa, saankrutya, gauriveeta), who by way of having been born as a resultof the Yajna by Aangeerasar for a king, become Sage Aangeerasar’s disciples, move with him to his ashram and take his gotra line. The listing of kshatriyas and vaishyas too, is to be seen. One page listing. They have only one to three gotras/pravaras. The remaining have taken the gotras of their family priests/gurus. Thanks and RegardsNatarajan Iyer’
I have written on Brahmin Gotras and I indicated that compiling the list was difficult as Brahmins have scattered and been living in different regions.
Those ho have migrated have adopted the language of their region as their mother tongue and adapted themselves to the region to which they have migrated.
Gotra, Lineage Hinduism
Image credit. vinayakbhat.com.
And over a period of years Brahmins have started using their professions as their surnames ,as against the Hindu practice of using Sharma as their surname and for indentification their Pravara/Abhivadan Mantra.
So when one has a surname like Upadhyaya it merely denotes the profession and not a caste.
To find it one has to check the Pravara.
These factors made it difficult for me to update on Brahmin Gotras.
One point to remember is that the primary Rishi of a Gotra is the founder of the Clan while the Pravara lists the famous Rishis of the lineage.
The Gotra may have two origins for classification.
Putra Parampara, lineage through sons and
through Disciples, Guru Sishya Parampara.
The number of Rishis mentioned in Abhivadna Mantra may be from one to 19.
Great Grand Father, Grand Father, Father, Self and son!
In case where the Sages had more than one wife, then the Gotra of the son of each wife is added.
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It may be noted in the Pravara,three or Five Rishis are mentioned.
For example, Kasyapa, Apasthara, Naithruva’
This is different from Kasyapa Gotra.
There is another Pravara for Kasyapa Gotra as well.
Kasyapa, Aavatsaara, Daivala.
The same with the other Rishis.
Sometimes three Rishis are mentioned and at times Five.
Why?
One view is that these references are to the excellent ancestors from the Gotra.
My view is that , if that be case the first Rishi should always be the founder.
But , as in Nythruva Kasyapa, Kasyapa does not appear as the First Rishi but it is Naithruva.
Reason is that many Rishis have more than one wife and many children through each of them.
Kasyapa had more than one wife.
The Prajapati Daksha gave his thirteen daughters (Aditi, Diti, Kadru, Danu, Arishta, Surasa, Surabhi, Vinata, Tamra, Krodhavasha,Idā, Vishva and Muni in marriage to Kashyapa.
Though the Father is one, mother is different.
To identify and emphasize the differentiate, the three or Five Rishis are mentioned.
Traditionally the first wife’s son carries the Father’s name as Gotra and the others the son of the Second or third wife and but to make the reference correct the founder is mentioned later in the Pravara’
Why No Bharata in Viswamitra Gotra?
In the case of Viswamitra, we have two Pravaras,
Koushika: Vaiswaamitra,Aghamarshana,Koushika.
Viswamitra: Vaiswaamitra,Devaraata, Owtala.
There seems to be no sons mentioned other than the fifty sons being banished by Viswamitra to Dravida Desa.
(Reference History of Tamils by PT Srinivasa Iyengar)
Their descendant Apasthamba established the Apasthamba Sutra , which is being followed by Brahmins of South India(South of Vindhyas).
Since the Dravidians and Bengalis were considered by the people viswamitra do not find a mention in the Gotra,
Though King Bharata after whom India is named as Bharatavarsha,is the grand son of Viswamitra(through his daughter Shakuntala), Bharata’s name does not appear in the Gotra because Gotras are through the Male Child.
Why Two Pravaras for Viswamitra?
Viswamitra was called Kaushika in his early days , before he became a Raja Rishi and was christened as Viswamitra(Friend of the Universe)
Because he became a Brahma Rishi he was considered as a Brahmin by behaviour and Penanance.
( This is yet another example of disposition and character determing The Varna, loosely translated as Caste)
So the Kaushika Gotra probably indicates the lineage of Viswamitra in his early days and Viswamitra Gotra , after he became a Raja Rishi.
Gotra is a system in India where the lineage of a person is identified.
The Gotra is recited in religious functions, especially in marriage.
The lineage, normally is traced to a Rishi ,then the clan is described, Grandfather, father’s name are mentioned.
The practice of Gotras is traced to the Vedas.
The Saptha Rishis are the earliest in the line of Gotras.
These Saptha Rishis are entrusted with the allocation of the Vedas for each clan for each Manvantara.
Read my Posts on Manvantara,Saptha Rishis,Rishis a Timeline,Pravara of Lord Rama.
The Gotra system was practiced by the Brahmins initially and later by the other castes.
So normally the Saptha Rishis are mentioned in the Gotras .
Apart from the Saptha Rishis, other Rishi Gotras are also found.
Like Siva, Vishnu.
Of these Gotras, Bharawaja Gotra is found in abundance in the North when compared to South India.
Siva and Vishnu Gotras are referred to in communities other than the Brahmins.
It is also a practice to mention the name of Subrahamnya as the founder for the Gotra ,if the Rishis are not known,(This is among the Smarthas).
Sri Vaishnavas use Bharatwaja in similar insurances.
For communities other than the Kshatriyas, Jambu Maharishi is mentioned.
Jamadagni, father of Parashurama is also mentioned among the Kshatriyas.
I have noticed that though classified as Avatars of Vishnu, Rama or Krishna Gotras are never mentioned.
Some mention is made of Krishna among some Yadava communities.
But in general Rama or Vishnu Gotras are not mentioned in the Pravaras.
Why?
Rama and Krishna, though avatars of Vishnu were born to Human beings and as such they had ancestors to whose lineage they belonged to.
This is yet another instance of Hinduism treating Gods as Human Beings and not some one special when they lived; their ancestors were given the respect due to them.
Therefore there ae no Gotras of Rama or Krishna in practice; in cases where they are mentioned it does not have the sanction of the Smritis.
I have noticed a curious fact when checking up the Pravara of Rama and Krishna.
Acroll down for Video for The Pravara of Krishna.
Rama belonged to Vasishta Gotra while Krishna to Garga.
Garga is not among the Saptha Rishis!
By the Gotras mentioned for Lord Rama, He is a Brahmin as Vasishta, was a Brahmin.
Garga is referred to as a Brahmin.
So Rama and Krishna are Brahmins by Lineage, not by profession.
This is yet another proof that a Man’s caste, even if it is an Avatar, is not determined by birth but by profession!
“Gotra can be used as surname but it is different from surname and is strictly maintained because of its importance in marriages among Hindus and especially among high Hindu-castes. Pāṇini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram (IV. 1. 162), which means “the word gotra denotes the progeny (of a sage) beginning with the son’s son.” When a person says “I am Kashyapa-gotra,” he means that he traces his descent from the ancient sage Kashyapa by unbroken male descent. According to the Brihadaranyaka Upanisad 2.2.6, Gautama and Bharadvāja, Viśvāmitra and Jamadagni, Vashishtha and Kaśhyapa and shandilya are seven sages (also known as Saptarishi); the progeny of these eight sages is declared to be gotras. This enumeration of eight primary gotras seems to have been known to Pāṇini. The offspring (apatya) of these eight are gotras and others than these are called gotrâvayava. There exists another theory about gotra: sons of rishi and disciples of the gurukul would have same gotra. It is believed that they possess similar thought and philosophy. People of same gotra can be found in different castes….
As a Rigvedic term, gotra simply means “cow shelter” or “herd of cows”. The narrowed meaning “family, lineage kin” (as it were “herd within an enclosure”) is younger, first recorded around the mid 1st millennium BCE (e.g., Chandogya Upanishad).
These “lineages” as they developed among the Brahmins of that time meant patrilineal descent. The Brahmanic system was later adopted by other communities, such as theKshatriyas and Vaisyas
All members of a particular gotra are believed to possess certain common characteristics by way of nature or profession. Many theories have been propounded to explain this system. According to the brahminical theory, the Brahmins are the direct descendants of seven or eight sages who are believed to be the mind-born sons of Brahma. They are Gautama, Bharadwaja, Vishvamitra, Jamadagni, Vashista, Kashyapa and Atri. To this list, Agasthya is also sometimes added. These eight sages are called gotrakarins from whom all the 49 gotras (especially of the Brahmins) have evolved. For instance, from Atri sprang the Atreya and Gavisthiras gotras.[4]
A gotra must be distinguished from a kula. A kula is a set of people following similar cultural rituals, often worshiping the same divinity (the Kula-Devata, god of the clan). Kula does not relate to lineage or caste. In fact, it is possible to change one’s kula, based on one’s faith or Iṣṭa-devatā.’
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