It is customary to declare the lineage of one when one offers Respects to elders in Hinduism.
This is called Abhivadanam.(please read my post on this)
It is mandatory to declare this in Public in Hindu Marriages.
This description of listing the ancestors and lineage , Gotra, is called Pravara.
This is practiced even to day in Brahmin Marriages.
Other communities seem to have left this, but this is mandatory for all.
Lord Ram‘s marriage with Sita was conducted in Mithila.
This is how the Pravara was recited.
Sita.
Yajur Veda Saakhaadhyaayineem, Aangeerasa aayaasya gouthama trayarsheya, pravaraanvita goutama gotrOTbhavaam, Chaturdasa
Bhuvanaadeeswareem, akhilaaNDa kODi brahmaaNDa naayikaam, tattva swaroopiNeem, Chandra vamsa pradheepikaam, saraNaagata vatsalaam,
vEdigarbhOditaam, padma alankruta kara kamalaam, kalahamsa kamineem, indeevara lOchanaam, divya srag vastra bhooshaNaam, hari chandana
lipta bhujaantaraam, vidhyut prabhaam, visaalaaksheem, srida kunjita moordhajaam, hamsaamkita kshoumENa kinchit peetEna samvrutaam,
vaasitEnottareeyENa suraktEna susamvrutaam, jagan maataram, nimi vamsOdbhavaam, SwarNarOma mahaaraaja varmaNa: napthreem, hrasvarOma
mahaaraaja varmaNa: poutreem, Janaka mahaaraaja varmaNa: putreem, sree Seetaa naamneem saakshaath lakshmee swaroopiNeem imaam
kanyaam
Meaning:
This bride named Sri Sita is offered in holy wedlock to you:
She belongs to Yajur Veda, She belongs to Pravara consisting of the three Rishis viz., Aangirasa, Aayaasya and Goutama, She belongs to Goutama Gotra,
She is the Queen of the 14 worlds, She is the head of the entire BrhmaaNDam consisting of innumerable aNDaas, She is the one who permeates all the ChEtana and AchEtana Tattvas,
She is the one who illuminates the lineage of the moon (Chandra Vamsam), She shows extraordinary compassion to all those who surrender unto her,
She is the one who is born from the Sacrificial pit (Yaaga VEDi), She holds in her hand the lotus flower, She has the gait of a swan, She has bewitching eyes like the flower of the blue-black water lily (Neithal) flower,
She wears divine garlands, dresses and ornaments, She has her chest smeared with fragrant perfume of sandal paste, She has her locks of hair in an attractively wavy fashion,
She wears a whitish yellow colored silk saree with borders designed in the form of swans, She wears a scented upper cloth that shines in a natural red hue,
She is Mother Goddess herself,
She appeared in the Vamsam of Nimi Mahaaraaja, She is the great grand daughter of SwarNarOma Mahaaraaja, She is the grand daughter of HrasvarOma
Mahaaraaja, She is the daughter of Janaka Mahaaraaja, She is the very incarnation of Mahaalakshmi?
Lord Ram.
Thereupon, VasishTa, the Kula guru of Raghu kula started narrating the details of Gotra, Pravara etc. of Sri Rama:
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?
Meaning:
This bridegroom will accept this bride in holy wedlock:
He has studied Yajur Veda; He belongs to the Pravara consisting of three Rishis viz., VasishTar, MaitraavaruNar and
KouNDinyar; He is born in the VasishTa Gotra; He is the Lord of all the three worlds; He is the head of this
BrahmaaNda consisting of crores of aNDas; He is above and beyond all the ChEtana and AchEtana Tattvas that we see;
He is the very personification of Sat, Chit and Ananda; He enhances the pristine purity of the lineage of the Sun
(Soorya Vamsa); He brings joy to everyone; He is the one having YoGa nidra in the milky ocean; He shows mercy to all
who surrender unto him; He brings unsurpassed joy to his dear mother, Kousalya; He was the nemesis for TaTaka and
her ilk; He made Ahalya, wife of Sage Goutama come alive by dint of touch of the dust at his holy feet: He is
praised by the ardent devotees and Rishis: It is he who wielded the bow in the hands of Lord Siva reputed to have
burnt the Tripura; He is the ultimate refuge of saintly souls; He is the elder brother of LakshmaNa; He wears the
mole of Srivatsa, the koustuba gem, Garland of pearls, Holy basil (TuLasi) and Vaijayanti on his chest; He is the
most auspicious: 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; he is
verily Lakshmi NarayaNa himself?
Recite this daily.
Lord Ram’s and Sita’s blessing s are guaranteed.
Reference.
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/srirangasri/archives/srsvol/msg00099.html
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