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Revision as of 07:01, 23 December 2005 by 65.94.111.136 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)A Gotra - literally, "cow-pen" or "cow-shed" in archaic rigvedic Sanskrit - indicates lineage.
Origins of Gotra
The term 'gotra' is applied generally to all the lineages found in various Indian castes. In South India, the lineage could be known as 'bari'(Tulu) or 'illum'(Malayalam). The Brahmins and highly Sanskritized non-Brahmins generally exhibit gotras based on sages, however, other castes have different names for their gotras.
Gotra could be one of the 'Aryanized' old Indian traditions considering the different terminologies used and different names used to denote the lineages and also different ways of inheritance (See "Inheritance of Gotra" below").
Brahmin Gotras
Brahmin communities' gotras are normally named after a great mythological Rishis, and belonging to a particular gotra generally implies patrilineal descent from the rishi, whom the gotra is named after.
In Brahminical ritual, the notion plays a critical part, with the hotri claiming divine sanction and legitimacy by reciting the names of his ancestors, qualified by his gotra.
Present day Brahmin gotras derive from eight rishis, Agastya, Gautama, Vishwamitra, Bharadvaja, Jamadagni, Vasishta, Kashyapa and Atri according to Satapata Brahmana. However, it's difficult to list Saptarishis (seven sages) as different scriptures give different names of the sages. In many places the names of Mareechi, Atri, Angirasa, Pulatsya, Pulasa, Krathu and Kashyapa were taken as Saptarishis. Perhaps, except for Kashyapa and Atri, the remaining places have been filled by countless other sages in different time and different scriptures. Among Saptarishis Vishwamitra was of known non-Brahmin origin. However, origins of Vasishta and Agastya, though generally considered as Brahmins, are being disputed by the present day scholars who feel both might be of non-brahmin origins.
Over time, the number of gotras have increased and today, by some counts, number between 50 and 100. A sub-division of the gotra is a pravara, which is a set of the greatest rishis who belonged to the gotra.
Inheritance of Gotra
Generally, gotras were inherited patrilineally. However, in South India few Malayalee and Tulu castes inherit gotras matrilineally.
Marriages and Gotras
The gotra-pravara classification made exogamous systems feasible. Even in ancient times, marriages within pravaras, and according to some scriptures, that within gotras, were not permitted. The reasoning is that marrying within one's gotra would be akin to marrying one's sister and would be akin to incest.
However, in South Indian society this definition of incestuousness took some peculiar forms. In some communities, where the gotras passed from father to children, marriages were allowed between uncle and niece. However, in matrilineal communities, like Malayalis and Tuluvas, where gotras passed from mother to children, uncle-niece marriages were forbidden. A much more common characteristic of South Indian Hindu society is a marriage between cross-cousins(between children of brother and sister)which, is allowed. Thus, a man may marry his mother's brother's daughter or his father's sister's daughter but could not marry his father's brother's daughter. A father's brother's daughter is treated as a sister.Even this cross-cousin marriage is frowned upon by North-Indian Hindu society. However, if one goes by gotra rules even this is acceptable in religious sense since cross-cousins invariably belong to different gotras.
Interestingly, North Indian Hindu society not only followed rules of gotra when it came to marriages but also had many regulations which went beyond the basic definition of gotra and had a broader definition of incestuousness. Gotra by itself, isn't very comprehensive while determining the marital relationships. In one place, as we see in South Indian society, it allows marriages between closely related people, on the other hand, it forbids the marriages between totally unrelated people or related few generations back on the grounds that both belong to same gotra.
References
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