Gotra

In

patriline. Generally, the gotra forms an exogamous unit, with marriage within the same gotra being regarded as incest and prohibited by custom.^[1] The name of the gotra can be used as a surname, but it is different from a surname and is strictly maintained because of its importance in marriages among Hindus, especially among castes. Pāṇini

defines gotra as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram (IV. 1. 162), which means "the word gotra denotes the descendance (or descendants), apatya, of a couple consisting of a pautra, a son and a bharti, a mother, i.e. a daughter-in-law." (Based on Monier Williams Dictionary definitions.)

According to the

saptarishi) and Jambu Maharishi is another sage (also known as Renuka, who belongs to Kashyapa). The progeny of these eight sages are declared to be gotras. This enumeration of seven primary & one secondary gotra seems to have been known to Pāṇini. The offspring (apatya) of these seven are gotras and others than these are called gotrāvayava.^[2]

One who follows the system defined by three sages defines himself as Tri-a-Vishay. Similarly, for five sages, it is Pancha-Vishay, and for seven sages, it is Santa-Vishay.

There exists another theory about gotra: sons and disciples of a sage would have the same gotra; it is believed that they possess similar thoughts and philosophies. People of the same gotra can be found across different castes. Each gotra comprises pravaras.

Origins

As a Rigvedic terms, gotra simply means "forward moving descendants".^[3] (गौः) गमन means forward moving and (त्र:) stands for Offspring. The specific meaning "family, lineage kin" (as it were "herd within an enclosure") is relatively more recent, first recorded around the mid-1st millennium BCE (e.g., Chandogya Upanishad).

These "lineages" as they developed among the

Vaishyas^[4]

According to the Vedic theories, the

Vasishta and (7) Vishvamitra. To this list, Agastya is also sometimes added. These eight sages are called gotrakarins, from whom all 108 gotras (especially of the Brahmins) have evolved. For instance, from Atri sprang the Atreya and Gavisthiras gotras.^[5]

According to

Kanada to an owl. The usual characteristic of totemism is that the members of a clan regard themselves as related to or descended from, the animals or trees from which the clan takes its name, and abstain from killing or eating them.^[6]

A gotra must be distinguished from a kula. A kula is equal to a particular family, or equal to modern-day "clans". A kula relates to a caste.^[citation needed]

Marriages and gotras

Marriages within the gotra ('sagotra' marriages) are not permitted under the rule of

siblings

and marrying such a person can lead to higher chances for the child to get genetically transferred diseases. In almost all Hindu families, marriage within the same gotra is not practiced (since they are believed to be descended from the same Lineage). Marriages between different gotras are encouraged; marriage within the same gotra started to happen later.

For example,

Rajputs have 3,000 Gotras and Mudirajas of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have 2,600 Gotras. Gotra is always passed on from father to children among most Hindu communities. However, among the Tulu people

it is passed on from mother to child.

The tatsama words 'sahara' and 'sahodari' (sister) derive their roots from the Sanskrit word 'sahodara' (सहोदर) meaning co-uterine or born of the same womb. In communities where gotra membership passed from father to children, marriages were allowed between a woman and her maternal uncle,

Tuluvas

, where gotra membership was passed down from the mother.

A much more common characteristic of South Indian Hindu society is permission for marriage between

parallel cousin, of the same gotra, and therefore to be treated as a sister.^[8]

North Indian Hindu society not only follows the rules of gotra for marriages but also has many regulations which go beyond the basic definition of gotra and have a broader definition of incest.[9] Some communities in North India do not allow marriage with certain other clans, based on the belief that both clans are of the same patrilineal descent.^[10] In other communities, marriage within the gotra of the mother's father, and possibly some others, is prohibited.

A possible workaround for Sagotra marriages is to perform a 'Data' (adoption) of the bride to a family of different gotra (usually data is given to the bride's maternal uncle who belongs to different gotra by the same rule) and let them perform the '

Kanyadanam

' ('kanya' (girl) + 'danam' (to give)). Such workarounds are used in rare cases, and the acceptability is questionable.

Manu Smriti, out of which the last two are condemned. The Gandharva marriage is analogous to the modern-day love marriage, where the individuals have the liberty to choose their partners. Though Gandharva marriage had its due prominence in our Shastras, with the advancement of time, Vedic Hinduism giving way to classic Hinduism, the concept of arranged marriage rose to prominence, which still today is predominant ritual

for a marriage between two individuals.

There is no harm in Sagotra marriage if the individuals are not related for six generations on both maternal and paternal sides. This is expressed in chapter 5 of Manu smriti in mantra 60, which states, सपिण्डता तु पुरुषे सप्तमे विनिवर्तते । समानोदकभावस्तु जन्मनाम्नोरवेदने, which means that

Hindu Marriage Act 1955 also prohibits Sapinda relationship but there is no restriction of Sagotra marriage.^[12]

Legal situation

While the gotras are almost universally used for excluding marriages that would be traditionally

Hindu Marriage Act to legally prohibit such marriages. However, the petition was dismissed as withdrawn after being vacated, with the Delhi High Court warning that the Khap would face heavy penalty costs for wasting the time of the court.^[14]

In the 1945 case of Madhavrao vs Raghavendrarao, which involved a Deshastha Brahmin couple, the definition of gotra as descending from eight sages and then branching out to several families was thrown out by the Bombay High Court. The court called the idea of Brahmin families descending from an unbroken line of common ancestors as indicated by the names of their respective gotras "impossible to accept." The court consulted relevant Hindu texts and stressed the need for Hindu society and law to keep up with the times, emphasizing that notions of good social behavior and the general ideology of the Hindu society had changed. The court also said that the material in the Hindu texts is so vast and full of contradictions that it is a near-impossible task to reduce it to order and coherence.^[15]

List of Gothrams and Each Gothram's Rishis

Bharadwaja: Aangirasa, Braahaspatya, Bharadwaja
Shatamarshana: Aangirasa, Powrukutsa, Traasatasya
Atreya: Atreya, Aarchanaasa, Syaavaasva
Vatula: Bhargava, Vaitahavya, Saavedasa
Srivatsa: Bhargava, Syaavana, AApnavaana, Owrva, Jaamadaghnya
Kowsika: Vaiswaamitra, AAgamarshana, Kowsika
Viswamitra: Vaiswaamitra, Devaraata, Owtala or Vaiswaamitra, Ashtaka
Kowndinya: Vaasishta, Maitraavaruna, Kowndinya
Harita: Ankirasa, Ambarisha, Yuvanasva
Mowdkalya (three variations):
- Ankiras, Bharmyasva, Mowdgalya
- Tarkshya, Bharmyasva, Mowdgalya
- Ankirsa, Dhavya, Mowdgalya
Sandilya (two variations):
- Kasyapa, Aavatsaara, Daivala
- Kasyapa, Aavatsaara, Sandilya
Naitruvakaasyapa: Kasyapa, Aavatsara, Naitruva
Kutsa: Aankirasa, Maandhatra,Kowtsa
Kanva (two variations):
- Aankirasa, Ajameeda, Kaanva
- Aankirasa, Kowra, Kaanva
Paraasara: Vaasishta, Saaktya, Paarasarya
Aagastya: Aagastya, Tardhachyuta, Sowmavaha
Gargi (two variations):
- Aankirasa, Bharhaspatya, Bharadwaja, Sainya, Gargya
- Aangirasa, Sainya, Gaargya
Bhadarayana: Aankirasa, Paarshadaswa, Raatitara
Kasyapa: Kasyapa, Aavatsaara, Daivala
Sunkriti (two variations):
- Aankirasa, Kowravidha, Saankritya
- Sadhya, Kowravidha, Saankritya

References

ISBN 978-0202361383
.

^ "Mana Sanskriti (Our Culture)". vedah.net (69). October 2003. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2009.

ISBN 978-8170771296. Archived
from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2022.

^ "Gotra – Indian caste system". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 24 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.

^ "Gotra". gurjari.net. Archived from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2015.

^ Russell, Robert Vane (1916). The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India. London: Macmillan and Co. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ Sadagopan, V. (7 August 1995). "The 20 Gothrams". ramanuja.org.

^ Mehndiratta, MM; Paul, B; Mehndiratta, P (2007). "Arranged marriage, consanguinity and epilepsy" (PDF). Neurology Asia. 12 (Supplement 1): 15–17. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 August 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2009.

^ Sex and Marriage: Marriage Rules (Part 1) Archived 26 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine. palomar.edu.

indianexpress.com. Archived
from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2009.

^ "Manu Smriti". Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2020.

^ "The Hindu Marriage Act 1955" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 September 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2020.

^ The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 Archived 22 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine.

^ HC throws out a plea to forbid same gotra marriages Archived 5 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine, The Hindu, June 2010.

^ Anand, Pinky (28 July 2011). "The paradox of the 21st century". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.

Further reading

Ruegg, D. Seyfort (1976). 'The Meanings of the Term "Gotra" and the Textual History of the "
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
, Vol. 39, No. 2 (1976), pp. 341–363

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gotras.

Brahmin Sages and Branches (Gotras and Subcastes)

Marriage Ceremonies

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gotra&oldid=1220985554"

[1] ISBN 978-0202361383
.

[2] "Mana Sanskriti (Our Culture)". vedah.net (69). October 2003. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2009.

[3] ISBN 978-8170771296. Archived
from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2022.

[4] "Gotra – Indian caste system". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 24 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.

[5] "Gotra". gurjari.net. Archived from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2015.

[6] Russell, Robert Vane (1916). The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India. London: Macmillan and Co. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[7] Sadagopan, V. (7 August 1995). "The 20 Gothrams". ramanuja.org.

[8] Mehndiratta, MM; Paul, B; Mehndiratta, P (2007). "Arranged marriage, consanguinity and epilepsy" (PDF). Neurology Asia. 12 (Supplement 1): 15–17. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 August 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2009.

[9] Sex and Marriage: Marriage Rules (Part 1) Archived 26 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine. palomar.edu.

[10] xpress.com. Archived
from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2009.

[11] "Manu Smriti". Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2020.

[12] "The Hindu Marriage Act 1955" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 September 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2020.

[13] The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 Archived 22 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine.

[14] HC throws out a plea to forbid same gotra marriages Archived 5 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine, The Hindu, June 2010.

[15] Anand, Pinky (28 July 2011). "The paradox of the 21st century". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.

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Origins

Marriages and gotras

Legal situation

List of Gothrams and Each Gothram's Rishis

See also

References

Further reading

External links