Gotra

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Gotra ( Sanskrit , n., गोत्र, gotra) is an Indian kinship term and can best be translated with clan or lineage . The Gotra system was already described by Indian Brahmins towards the end of the Vedic epoch (900–500 BC) , but it does not only occur with Brahmins. It describes a patrilineal system of exogamous clans that refer to a common ancestor from whom they also get their name (comparable to the Roman gens ).

meaning

A Gotra is the whole group of people who are descended from one of the following progenitors: among the Brahmins there are the seven Rishis (seers) Jamadagni , Gautama , Bharadvaja , Atri , Vishvamitra , Kashyapa , Vasishtha and Agastya , other groups include mythical rulers or warriors or merchants to their ancestors. Marriage between members of the same gotra is strictly prohibited. At birth, the woman receives her father's Gotra, which she gives up again at the wedding in order to accept that of her husband, so that, strictly speaking, she is no longer considered a relative of her parents.

We also find Gotra in Buddhism and Jainism , although the definition differs in part from that of Hinduism . The most widely known Gotra name is that of the Buddha : Gautama .

Gotras in the Rig Veda

The word gotra appears several times in Rigveda , but not in the sense of "clan" or "family", but with the etymological meaning "cattle shed". It is unclear whether the meaning of "clan", which became common in the Brahmana period (around 800-500 BC), was derived from this via the detour "flock" or whether we are dealing with a separate word to have. However, we only find literary evidence of the ban on marriage for members of a gotra in the sutras .

Gotras in the sutras

The main source of information about the organization of the Gotra system are lists of Brahmin families divided into classes in the appendices to the ritual sutras of Yajurveda and Rigveda. With the Dharmashastra texts (from 300 AD) the Gotra rules became more and more prevalent and from the 11th century became almost mandatory. Many works are written in which the authors bring together the various sources from the individual sutras and explain them. All texts from this period (which in turn are based on the sutra sources around 1500 years older) agree that there are 18 gotras that branch off from the original eight main gotras corresponding to the eight ancestors. Each gotra is divided into several ganas , subgroups. Gotras and Ganas are ranked according to their importance.

Introduction of the Pravaras

Over time, the meaning of the word Gotra has expanded and been carried over to ever smaller subgroups, so that it was used in the later Brahmanic texts both for the exogamous unit of the clan and for families and subfamilies and even social status in general. Due to this ambiguous understanding of the term, it was no longer clear to which main gotra someone belongs, and a reliable classification of two marriage candidates was no longer possible. The Indologist John Brough assumes that for this reason the pravaras were used and reinterpreted by the Brahmins in order to function as a more reliable regulation for the marriage system. Pravaras are lists of the names of legendary ancestors, including the aforementioned Rishis, who are believed to be the distant founders of the family. As a result of the Pravaras' involvement in family matters, their recitation became part of the domestic ritual. Many modern Brahmins recite their genealogy three times a day during the prayers of the dawn ritual.

Today's application

The system continues to be used, especially among members of the higher castes. In southern India in particular, the modified four-gotra rule is used. Here, four gotras are used for each potential partner: your own, that of the mother (before their own wedding) and that of the two grandmothers (also before their wedding). If two of the eight gotras are identical, the marriage may not take place.

Individual proof

  1. ↑ cf. Monier-Williams : Brahmanism and Hinduism (1887): 407.

source

  • Brough, John: The early history of the gotras in JRAS, 1946, 1947

literature

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