Gothra Pattika - Gothra Pravaram - Gotra names and related Rishi vargam - Abhivathanam

List of Rishis, Their known Gotra lineage The Gothra root is same irrespective of Sect or Sub-sect in all rahmins!

Following are the names of Rishis, to whom a specific Gothra person belong to. While prostrating to elders, one has to give these details at the end, stating his Rishis group, how many Rishis in his grouping, Soothra, and the Veda culture he belongs to, (Rg, a!ur, Sama " #tharva Veda$, then his Gothra and name in that order. %ne need not pronounce this #bhivathanam to a Saint (Sanyasi$, &ula #charya ' (the one who affi(es the Shan)a *ha)ra (+he *onch " Wheel$ ,mblem in your arms and adopts you as -is disciple.sishya$ or any other women e(cept one/s mother. -owever, for 0ruhaspathi (Vadyar$ and other elders, one has to pronounce the entire abhivathanam, every time one meets them. 1 list below the most used and prevailing Gothra names together Rishis/ group that a specific Gotra one belong to and the pravaram one has to say while doing abhivathanam. 1f anyone finds a missing Gothra from the table given below, please let me )now with due pravarams so as to include the same in the table. +he actual benefits of prostrating (namaskaram & sashtanga namaskar, Dhandavath$ is listed by a researcher and the same is published in another page of this website. 2lease add the respective Rishis name from the given table, and other details in the blan) spaces to complete the #bhivathana.

(3$ #bivathaye, (4$ 5555555 below$ (7$

"

5555555

555555 (6ames of respective Gothra Rishis, as

applicable as one, two, three, five or seven Rishis from the table given 555555555555 (*hoose one as applicable ,)a Risheya,

"

8hwayarsheya, "+hrayaa Risheya, "2ancha Risheya, "Saptha Risheya$, 555555555555555 Soothra (#basthampa Soothra. 0hodhayana

(9$ 2ravaraanvitha: (;$ Soothraa$, (<$ 555555555555555 ( aa!usha.Samo.Rg$ Gaathyaathi (=$ 5555555555555555 Gothrasya (>$ 5555555555555555555555 (your name$ (?$ sarma6a: aham asbibho.

rugu # riku$ - Twent% sub-lineage Rishis

&
@3

'ame Gothra
Aamadagni

of Pravaram with 'ames

0hargava,

to

be

pronounced
#abnavaana '

Syavana,

+hrayarisheya, pravaranvitha: 0hargava, Vaithahavya, Raivasa '

@4

Aaabaali

+hrayarisheya, pravaranvitha: 0hargava, #urva, !amadagnya '

@7

Aaamadagnya

+hrayarisheya, pravaranvitha: 0hargava, Vaithahavya, Raivasa '

@9.

Aaimini

+hrayarisheya, pravaranvitha: 0hargava, #urva, !amadagnya '

@; @<

0haulathsya Baandoo)eya

+hrayarisheya, pravaranvitha: 0hargava, #urva, !amadagnya '

+hrayarisheya, pravaranvitha: @= Baunabhargava 0hargava, Vaithahavya, Saavethasa '

+hrayarisheya, pravaranvitha: 0hargava, Vaithahavya, Saavethasa '

@>

Vathoola

+hrayarisheya, pravaranvitha: 0hargava, Syavana, #apnavana, #urva,

@?

Srivathsa

Aamadagya ' 2ancharisheya, pravaranvitha: 0hargava, Garthsamatha ' 8vayarisheya, pravaranvitha: 0hargava, Garthsamatha ' 8vayarisheya, pravaranvitha: 0hargava, Garthsamatha ' 8vayarisheya, pravaranvitha: 0hargava, #urva, Aamadagnya '

3@

Garthsamatha

33

&ana)a

34

agn!apathi

37

#vada

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: 0hargava, #arttishe6a, #nCpa '

39

#artish,6a

+hrayarsheya pravaranvitha: 0hargava, Vaadhya)sha, 8aivadaasa '

3;

#aswalaayana

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: 0hargava, Vaidahvya, Saavethasa '

3<

&asyapi

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: 0hargava, #artish,6a, #nCpa '

3=

&aathyaayana

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: 0hargava, Vaithahavya, Revasa '

3>

&aargya

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: 0hargava, Saunahothra, Gaarthsamatha ' +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: 0hargava, #artish,6a, #nCpa '

3? 4@

&ruthsamatha 6airruthi

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha:

Aangirasa #with () sub lineage Rishis$

@3 Cthasatha (Cthathya$ &amyaangirasa #angirasa, #udathya, Gauthama '

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, #amahaavya, #urushaaya '

@4

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, Gaargya, *haithya '

@7

Gaarg,ya

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, 0haarhaspathya, Sainya, Gargya Gauthama ' '

@9

Gaarg,ya

0haratheeva!a, #angirasa,

2ancharsheya pravaranvitha: @; Gauthama #ayarsaya, +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, 2auru)uthsa, +hraasathasya ' +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, 2auru)uthsa, +hraasathasya ' +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, #mbarisha, Bauthgalya '

@<

2auru)uthsa

@=

2aatharaaya6a

@>

Bauthgalya

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, 0haarhaspathya, 0haratwa!a ' +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, 0hargyasva, Bauthgalya '

@?

0haratwa!a

3@

Bauthgalya

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, Vairoopa, Raatheethara '

33

Ratheethara

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, 2auruguthsa, +hraasathasya ' +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha:

34

Vishnuvruththa

37

Shatamarsh6a

#angirasa, +hraasathasya, 2auruguthsa ' +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: Saathya, Saan)ruthya, Gauriveetha '

39

San)ruthi

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, Saas)ruthya, Gauriveetha '

3;

San)ruthi

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, #mbarisha, auvanaachva '

3<

-aritha

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, 0harhaspathya, 0haratwa!a ' +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirassa, #ayaasya, Gauthama '

3=

#abasthamba

3>

#ayaasya

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, #!ameeta, &aa6va '

3?

&a6va

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, #amaheeyava, #uru)shyasa ' +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, #amaheeyava, #uru)shyasa ' +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, *hainya, Gargaya (Gar)a$ ' +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, #mbareesha, auvanaachva '

4@

&a6va

43

&abila

44

Garga

47

&uthsa

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, Baandathra, &authsa '

49

&uthsa

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, 0harhaspathya, 0haratwa!a ' +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, 2auru)uthsa, #asathasya '

4;

&aundinya

4< 4=

2auru)uthsa Dohitha

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #angirasa, Vaichvamitra, Dohitha '

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha:

Aathri # *+ sub lineage Rishis$

@3 #athreya #athreya, #arsanaanasa, syaavaachva ' +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #athreya, #arsanaanasa, 0aurvaathitha ' +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #athreya, #arsanaanasa, syaavaachva ' +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #athreya, #arsanaanasa, syaavaachva ' +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #athreya, #arsanaanasa, 0aurvaathitha ' thrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #athreya, #arsanaanasa, 0aurvaathitha ' thrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #athreya, #arsanaanasa, syaavaachva ' +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #athreya, #arsanaanasa, &aavishtira '

@4

Bauthgalya

@7

#thri

@9

Cthaala)a

@;

Buth)ala

@<

Gauriveetha

@=

8attathreya

@>

8hanan!aya

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #athreya, &aavishtira, 0haurvathitha '

@?

8ha)sha ( 8a)shi$

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #athreya, Vaamarathya, 0authri)a '

3@

0haaleya

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #athreya, #arsanaanasa, syaavaachva ' +hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #athreya, #arsanaanasa, #adhitha '

33

2athan!ala

34 37

0hee!aavaaba

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha: #athreya, #arsanaanasa, syaavaachva '

+hrayarsheya, pravaranvitha:

,ishwamitra # *+ sub lineage Rishis$

@3 &ausi)a (&usi)a$ Vaiswamithra, #agamarsha6a, &ausi)a ' +hrayarsheya Vaiswamithra, +hrayarsheya Vaiswamithra, +hrayarsheya Vaiswamithra, +hrayarsheya Vaiswamithra, &adha)a ' 8hwayarsheya Vaiswamithra, #agamarsha6a, &ausi)a ' +hrayarsheya Vaiswamithra, +hrayarsheya Vaiswamithra, +hrayarsheya Vaiswamithra, 8evaseevarasa, &athya, #dgeetha ' Baaduchandasa, #a!a ' 8evaraatha, #uthala ' 8evaraatha, #uthala ' #shta)a, Dohitha '

@4

Dohitha

@7

Viswamithra

@9 @; @<

Saalaavatha &adha)a #agamarsha6a

@=

Gatha

@>

&aathyaayana

@?

&ama)aayana

8aiva+harasa (Rethasa$ ' +hrayarsheya Vaiswamithra, +hrayarsheya Vaiswamithra, +hrayarsheya Vaiswamithra, +hrayarsheya Vaiswamithra, 8evaraatha, #ulitha ' 8evaraatha, #udhala ' Salangayana, &ausi)a ' 8evaraatha, #udhala '

3@

&aalava

33

&ausi)a

34 37

Aabhala (Aabali$ 8evaraatha

+hrayarsheya

,ashishta # *+ sub lineage Rishis$

@3 &aundinya Vaasishta, Baithravaru6a, &aundinya '

+hrayarsheya Vaasishta, +hrayarsheya Vaasishta, Baithravaru6a, &aundinya ' saa)thya, 2aarasarya '

@4

2arasara

@7 @9 @; @<

Vaasishta Vasishta -aritha #achvalaayana

+hrayarsheya Vaasishta ' ,)arsheya Vaasishta ' ,)arsheya Vaasishta, #indrapramatha,

#abarathvasasya ' +hrayarsheya Vaasishta, #indrapramatha,

@=

Cpamanyu

#abarathvasasya ' +hrayarsheya Vaasishta, #indrapramatha,

@>

&aa6va

#abarathvasasya ' +hrayarsheya Vaasishta, #indrapramatha,

@?

Aaadhoo)ar6ya

#abarathvasasya ' +hrayarsheya Vaasishta, #athreya, Aaadhoo)ar6ya '

3@

0hodayana

+hrayarsheya Vaasishta, Baithravaru6a, &aundinya '

33

Bithraavaru6a

+hrayarsheya Vaasishta, Baithravaru6a, &aundinya '

34

Bauthgala

+hrayarsheya Vaasishta, #indrapramatha,

37

Vaasida

#aabarathvasasya ' +hrayarsheya

-ach%apa.-as%apa # *+ sub lineage Rishis$

@3 6aithruva &asyapa &aasyapa, +hrayarsheya &aasyapa, +hrayarsheya &aasyapa, +hrayarsheya &asyapa, 8aivala, #sitha ' +hrayarsheya &aasyapa, #avathsaara, 6aithruva, Reba, Raiba, Sandila, *handilya ' Sapthaarsheya &aasyapa, #asitha, 8aivala ' +hrayarsheya &aasyapa, #avathsaara, 6aithruva, Reba, Raiba, Sandila, *handilya ' Sapthaarsheya &aasyapa, +hrayarsheya &aasyapa, +hrayarsheya &aasyapa, +hrayarsheya &aasyapa, +hrayarsheya &aasyapa, +hrayarsheya &aasyapa, +hrayarsheya #avathsaara, #asitha ' #avathsaara, Raibya ' #avathsaara, #asitha ' #avathsaara, Raibya ' #avathsaara, 6aithrava ' #avathsaara, 6aithrava ' #avathsaara, Saandilya ' #avathsaara, Rebaa ' #avathsaara, 6aithruva '

@4

Reba &asyapa

@7 @9 @; @< @=

Saandilya Saandilya Saandilya &aasyapa &achyapa

@>

0ru)u

@?

Baareesa

3@

Raibya (Reba$

33

0au)a)shi

34

Vaathsya

37

Agasth%a # ) sub lineage Rishis$

@3 @4 @7 #gasthya 1dhmavaaha #agasthi #gasthya ' ,)arisheya, pravaranvitha: #gasthya ' ,)arisheya, 2ravaranvitha: #gasthya, Baahendra, Baayobhuva '

+hryarisheya, pravaranvitha #gasthya, 8hradyavrutha, #idhmavaaha ' +hrayarisheya, pravaranvitha: #gasthya, Vaathyasva, #idhmavaaha '

@9

#gasthi

@;

1dhmavaaha

thrayarisheya, pravaranvitha: #gasthya, Baahendra, Baayobhuva '

@<

2ulaha

+hrayarisheya, pravaranvitha: #gasthya, Baahendra, Baayobhuva '

@=

Baayobhuva

+hrayarisheya, pravaranvitha:

'ote/ 0n the above chart, some of the Gothra Rishis names are
appearing same as in other Gothra! 0t is advisable to check the pravaram Rishis names from %our famil% elders as the Gothra name with different Rishi1s names are mentioned in the same script! The difference is in the Rishis sub-lineage names that should be checked with elders! 2or instance, Saandil%a Gothra has three different pravaram with the same Gothra Rishi but the sub-lineage names of Rishis are different!

3hat is Gotra4 -ow did the people thousands of years ago realiEe that genetically there was transference of some uniFue characteristics only from father to son (in the form of 'chromosomes$ G 1n recent past when it was

fashionable to condemn all 1ndian traditional systems as of no value, non'believers have referred to /Gothra/ as archaic, unscientific, irrelevant and male chauvinisticH +he Scientifically proven factor 86# type test and assertions are more closer to the Gotra lineage matters. #nd to the Vedic line state nothing less than what your researchers Bodern 86# " " genetic scientists research has spea)ing confirmed male aboutH line '

chromosomal transference, through > generations in case of +homas Aefferson. /Gothra/ in essence really stands for 'chromosomal identity. 1n the very recent, CS 2resident (" #uthor of 8eclaration of 1ndependence of Cnited States$ +homas Aefferson/s paternity of his slave Sally Fleming/s children has been in news. For nearly 4@@ years, since CS president +homas Aefferson/s time, many traditionalists maintained that Aefferson did not cohabit with Sally. 0ut some descendants of Sally maintained otherwise and claimed to be progeny of the e('president. +his old historical controversy has now been resolved using modern genetic 86# analysis methods (Source ' Founding father by ,ric S Dander " Aoseph A ,llis and Foster et al, 6ature I Volume 7?< ' ; 6ovember 3??>@J pages 39, 4= " 4>$.

+he genetic 86# study of descendents of Aefferson family and Sally Fleming/s family, has confirmed with very high probability that, CS 2resident +homas Aefferson was indeed the father of at least one of the sons of Sally Fleming. -ow was this genetic wor) doneG Geneticists used a scientific fact, that most of the male 'chromosome is passed intact from father to son. Females do not carry the 'chromosome. With modern advances in genetics, this fact has been used to trace paternal lineage, and resolve stories li)e +homas Aefferson/s.

+homas Aefferson did not have surviving sons from his legal wife. 0ut his paternal uncle/s male lineage is in tact to present time.. +he genetic 'chromosome of these persons (eight generations down from +homas Aefferson/s paternal uncle$ living at present time was used as the reference. +his was compared with intact male line persons from (Five generations down from$ Sally Fleming living presently. +he geneticists used polymorph mar)ers so that 'chromosome can be distinguished by haplotypes. +hey found that Sally Fleming/s son ,ston/s male line progeny had same haplotypes as Field Aefferson who was paternal uncle of +homas Aefferson. Csing other physical and living pro(imity factors, the geneticists have concluded with high probability that ,ston Fleming was the son of +homas Aefferson and Sally Fleming. 1n the western countries, there are lots of research underta)en on the lineage and genealogy. 0ut in 1ndia, there is no basis for eFuating genetics and race, other than specifying one/s Gothram. #nd more interestingly, there is no female lineage ta)en into accountH +hat is, if you are provided the geno'graphic profile of a random 1ndian, you would not be able to say to which caste or tribe that person belongs. *onversely, if you )now the race of a person, you would not be able to say what genetic lineage that person will have. Race is a social phenomenon. Genetics is a biological phenomenon.

+he 1ndian patrilineal pool is very diverse and cuts across castes and tribes. +he 1ndian mitochondria 86# pool (female ancestry$ falls into !ust four types, attesting to how closely related all 1ndians are to each other. Researchers suggest, that there is no lin) between language (1ndo',uropean, 1ndo'#rabic and 8ravidian$ and genetic lineage.

Bost of the genetic differences between people are superficial. -owever, geno'graphic profiles provide a way for us to understand our

own origins and the migratory path of our ancestors (they may also be useful for understanding potential susceptibilities to certain diseases among people with different genetic lineages$.

+his class of human male lineage research is now very active and is being conducted in native populations of Wales, ,ngland, in 1celand and to establish uniFueness, paternity, historical lineage, medical issues and intellectual issues of heredity etc amongst various population groups. 8oes this not ring a bell amongst traditional -indus who believe in /Gothra/ identification carried down from Sanathana'dharma orthodo(yG. 1Gothra1 is an identit% carried b% male lineage in 0ndia from time immemorial! 5ost people have Gothra chain names traceable to Rig ,edic Rishis like 1Gowthama1, 1,asishta1 1,iswamithra1 and to first sons of ,aivaswatha 5anu like Angirasa 6 hrigu! Purana such as ,ishnu Purana refer to individual identit% through 1Gothra1. Distings of more than 4;@ Gothra chains have been e(plicitly listed. 1 have heard of instances of even Buslims converted from -induism still )eeping trac) of their /Gothra/. 1n a classic e(ample, 1 cite that 0uddha, named Siddhartha was of /Gowthama Gothra/.. 1t means that his from Rig'Vedic Rishi 'chromosomes were probably /Gowthama Rahoogana/.

6early 4;@@ years have passed since death of Dord 0uddha, but many /Gowthama Gothra/ individuals e(ist even today. +hey can claim genetic relation to 0uddha. +ypically 9 generations occur in 3@@ years and in 4;@@ years nearly 3@@ generations are complete. %ther /Gothra/ chains may have run 3@@'4@@ generations from Vedic period if male lineage did continue unbro)en. 8o 'chromosomes remain intact after, say 3@@ generations of unbro)en male issuesG Genetic mutations may or may

not have changed some

'chromosomes. +he Gotra lineage is the one

aspect that is very interesting field of research for future to see if persons of same /Gothra/ in the present generations have common and uniFue 'chromosomal features. %nly deep study with dedicated research could bring about the truth, that Vedic ,ra findings are certainly more authentic and scientific one that our forefathers relied aptly. 1n conclusion, considering the above, no doubt, the Gotra lineage and 86# roots, probably, are one and the same way to find out the Family tree from the rootsH

G7T8RA SAG9S! :ompiled b% Sri Gopalakrishna Ramai%er, #Retired AG5, Tambaram, :hennai! 0ntroduction! +here are 9? established Dead -indu Gothras (or Gothram$. #ll members of a particular Gothra are believed to possess certain common characteristics by way of nature or profession. +he term Gothra was used in its present sense for the first time in the 0rahmanas. 1t was systematised by about the 9th century 0* to accommodate changed social rules and laws and by the time of the Sutras, it was a well' established system. Gothras have their orgination to saptharshies who change with Banvanthara. We are in the seventh Banvanthara now. S'L$

Bany of the seven sages have been repeated and replaced. 1n the first manvanthara the saptharshies were Barichi, #tri, #ngeerasa, 2ulasthia,2ulaha &ratu and Vasistha. +hey are believed to be the mind'born sons of 0rahma. #ccording to the 0audhKyanas/rauta'sLtra VishvKmitra, Aamadagni,

0haradvK!a, Gautama, #tri, Vasishtha, &ashyapa and #gastya are > sagesM the progeny of these eight sages is declared to be Gothras. 0nde; Section 0$ *! Gouthama Gothra (! Garga Gothra +! Agasthia Gothra <! haradwa>a 6 ?! Atri Gothra!

hargava Gothra =! Section

00$ *! 8aritha Gothra! (! viswamithra Gothra +! ,asistha

Gothra <! ,adula Gothra =! @paman%u Gothra ?! Shounaka Gothra 6 )! Sankrithi Gothra! Section 000$ *! 5oudgal%a Gothra (! Sandil%a Gothra +! Salakh%ana Gothra <! Raivata Gothra =! -oundin%a Gothra ?! 5anda%a Gothra )! 5aitre%a Gothra 6 A! -ata%ana Gothra! Section 0,$ *! Bhanwantari Gothra (! Camadagni Gothra +! -anva Gothra 6 <! -Dt%D%ana Gothra! Section 0 *! Gouthama Gothra (! Garga Gothra +! Agasthia Gothra <! Gothra =! haradwa>a 6 ?! Atri Gothra! hargava

*! Gouthama Gothra! Gautama Baharishi is one of the Saptarishis of the current Banvantara (seventh$. -e was one of the Baharishis of Vedic times, )nown to have been the discoverer of Bantras '' /Bantra'drashtaa/, in Sans)rit +he Rig Veda has several su)tas that go with his name. -e was the son of Rahugana, belonging to the line of #ngiras. +he 8evi 0hagavatam says that

the river Godavari is so named because of its association with Gautama. -e had two sons by name Vamadeva and 6odhas, both themselves discoverers of Bantras +here is a hymn called 0hadra in the Sama Veda which again is ascribed to Gautama Baharishi. -is wife is #halya, +he 2uranas spea) of the story wherein it is described how Gautama won the hand of #halya by perambulating the divine cow. +he *hief priest of &ing Aana)a of Bithila, by name Shatananda, was the son of Gautama and #halya. Gautama/s si(ty'year long penance is mentioned in the Shanti parva of the Bahabharata +he 6arada purana describes the story of the 34'year famine during which Gautama fed all the Rishis and saved them. +he 0rahmaanda'purana mentions that this Gautama initiated one of the sub' branches of the Raanaayani branch of Sama Veda. Some famous disciples of Gautama were 2raachina'yogya, Shaandilya, Gaargya, and 0haradwa!a. #ccording to the Ramayana, Rishi Gautama once went to ta)e bath in the river Ganges early morning. +he )ing of the devas, 1ndra, was fascinated with Gautam/s wife, #halya. 1ndra came in the form of Gautam and made love to #halya N. Gauatama was also the author of 8harma'sutra )nown as Gautama 8harma sutra I4J I7J. 1t is in fact the earliest 8harma Sutra Sage Gautama was the most ancient sage of all 0rahmin lawgivers. -e was Fuoted by 0audhayana and belonged to Samaveda School. teachings are called Gautamasutra or Gautamasmriti. Gautamas 0rahmins are originally settled in 0ri! region of 6orth 1ndia GautamaOs

(! Garga Gothra Garga is the son of Rishi 0haradwa!a and Suseela . Gargya (son of Garga$ is the author of some of the Su)thas of the #tharvana Veda. Sage garga was the family priest of the family of 6anda (the foster'father of &rishna$. -e named child as P&rishnaP after receiving the name by meditation. Garga is the author of Garga Samhita. +he 0rihat 2arasara -ora Sastra 1n this sastra in chapter 43, 2arasara Fuotes Garga and 0rahma on the effects of the 3@th bhava (house$. Sri 2rasanna 2arvathi Sametha Gargeshwari temple near Bysore is named after the Garga where #rdhanareeswara appeared before him. +! Agsthaia Gothram #gastya was a Vedic sage. #gastya and his clan are also credited to have PauthoredP many mantras of the Rig Veda #gastya is also the author of #gastya Samhita 1n some rec)onings, #gastya is the greatest of the Seven Sages or Saptarshis. +he word is also written as #gasti. #'ga means a mountain, #sti, thrower #gastya the Rishi, was born of Gods Varuna, from Crvashi .#nother reference to him is in the Bahabharata in Saupti)aparva as the teacher of Guru 8rona. #s with all other -indus, it was necessary for #gastya to marry and sire a son, in order to fulfill his duties to the Banus. %nce he resolved upon doing this, #gastya pursued an unusual course of action. 0y his yogic powers, he created a female infant who possessed all the special Fualities of character and personality that would be appropriate in the wife of a renunciate. #t this time, the noble and virtuous )ing of Vidarbha was childless and was undergoing penances and prayers for the gift of a child. #gastya arranged for the child he had created to be born the daughter of that noble )ing of Vidarbha.

+he child was named PDopamudraP by her parents. #gastya approached the )ing and sought the hand of his daughter when she was grown up. She was utterly intent upon e(changing the palace of her father the )ing for the forest' hermitage of #gastya. Dopamudra and #gastya were duly married and lived a life of e(traordinary felicity. 1t is believed that they had two sons ' 0ringi " #chuthan. 1n Bahabharata (Vana 2arva: +irtha'yatra 2arva$, there is mention of his penance at Gangadwara (-aridwar$, with the help of his wife, Dopamudra (the princess of Vidharba$ I3J. #gastya is famous for being the first siddhar in the siddhars tradition. -e created many medicines, and !adha)am( #gasthia nadiG$, mandhri)am and he said all of them. +wo of his students and disciples were +herayar and +hol)appiar. #ccording to #)ilattirattu #mmanai, the religious boo) of #yyavaEhi, #gastya was created from the mind of lord Siva in order to offer boons to &aliyan (See:0oons offered to &aliyan$. #s per the order of Siva, #gastya offered many boons including all worldly )nowledge to him. Sage #gastya appeared to Rama when he was despondent at the impending war with Ravana and instructed him in the use of #ditya -ridayam, a hymn praising the Sun God. #gastya also composed Saraswati Stotram. <! hargava Gothram

Baharishi 0hrigu was one of the seven great sages, one of the Saptarshis in ancient 1ndia, one of many 2ra!apatis (the facilitators of *reation$ created by 0rahma (+he God of *reation$, the first compiler of predictive astrology, and also the author of 0hrigu Samhita, the astrological (Ayotish$ classic written during the Vedic period, +reta yuga, most probably around 7@@@ 0*. 0hrigu is a Banasa2utra (wish'born'son$ of Dord 0rahma, who simply wished him into e(istence, to assist in the process of creation, for this reason he is also considered one of the 2ra!apatis.

-e is married to &hyati, the daughter of 8a)sha. -e has two sons by her, named 8hata and Vidhata. -e had one more son, who is better )nown than 0hrigu himself ' Shu)ra. +he sage *hyavana coming in the pravara of Srivatsa Gothra is also his son. Sage 0hrigu finds mention in the Vayu 2urana, where he shown present during the great agna of 8a)sha 2ra!apati (his father'in'law$. +he 0hrigus, also )nown as 0hargavas, are a clan of sages descending from the ancient fire'priest 0hrigu. +hey instituted the ritual of offering the !uice of the Soma plant to the old deities +his treatise is said to contain over ; million horoscopes, in which he wrote down the fate of every being in the universe. 0hrgu lineage: 0hrgu was the son of 0rahma. (Bahabharata, 2auloma 2arva$ 0hrgu descendants: 0hargavas: 0hrugu was the father of Su)racharya, the grandfather of 8evayani and the great'grandfather of great'grandfather of ayati and the great' adu. 1ndraOs daughter Aayanti was married to 0hrguOs

son Su)racharya (who also called &avya$. (8evi 0hagavatham$. 0hrgu was the grandfather Rch)a (Richi)a$, great'grandfather of Aamadagni, great'great'grandfather of 2arasurama. Rch)a was the son of *yavana. (Bahabharata$. *yavana was the son of 0hrguO through wife 2auloma, who married Su)anya. 0hrgu and 0haradwa!a had discussions on many sub!ects. (Bahabharata$. =! haradwa>a Gothra

+he Barut 8evatas found sage 0haradwa!a near ganga river, raised him and taught him about the Vedas. -e was adopted by 0harata, the son of Sa)untala and 8ushyanta. -e performed a ya!na so that his foster father 0harata would have another son (0humanyu$ and handed that )ingdom bac) to him.

-e was a disciple of Gauthama Baharshi as well as of Valmi)i. -e was a first hand witness to the incident of the &rauncha birds. -e married Suseela and had a son called Garga. -is son 8ronacharya was born as a result of his attraction to an #psara Ghrtaci. -e trained 8rona in use of weapons. 8rona also learnt the use of weapons from #gnivesha, 2arasuramaOs student and from 2arasurama himself. 0haradwa!a had a daughter called 8evavarnini. She was given in marriage to Visravas and was the mother of &ubera. a!naval)ya, the author of the Satapatha 0rahmana was a descendant of 0haradwa!a. 0haradwa!a was a host to 8asarathaOs son 0harata when he was en route to meeting Sri Rama, to persuade him to return to #yodhya. 0haradwa!a had a debate with 0hrugu about the caste system and he said that physiologically there was no difference between members of any caste. -e performed the 2utra)ameshti ya!nam for 8ivodasa, so that he could get a son. 0haradwa!aOs Vedic mantras were placed in the si(th Bandala of the Rig Veda by Veda Vyasa. 8harmasutra and Srautasutra were written by 0haradwa!a. +he manuscript of the latter was in 2andu script and is available with the Visvavidyalaya of 0ombay(Bumbai$. #s per the R)tantra, pratisa)hya of the samaveda, 0rahma taught grammar to 0rhaspati who taught it to 1ndra, who in turn taught it to 0haradwa!a. -e was one of the great sages (rishis$ descendant of rishi #ngirasa, whose accomplishments are detailed in the 2uranas. ?! Atri Gothra!

1n -induism, #ttri is a legendary bard and scholar, and a son of 0rahma, and one of the Saptarishis in the seventh, i.e the present Banvantara . #ttri is also a rishi present in all manvantras. -e was among the three main seers who propounded the sacred thread (after 0rihaspati$ which has three strands symbolising *reation (0rahma and the letter #$, sustenance (Vishnu and the letter C$ and 8issolution (ShivaQmR and the letter B$. #tri Gothra is from the lineage of 0rahmarsi #tri and #nusuya 8evi. 0rahmarsi #tri is the seer of the fifth mandala (boo)$ of the Rigveda. -e had many sons, including Soma, 8atta, and 8urvasa. #tri/s wife is #nasuya or #nusiya devi, a daughter of &ardama 2ra!apati and an embodiment of chastity. Rama, the son of 8asaratha, visited #tri Baharishi/s #shram during his fourteen years of stay in the forest. 1t was #tri who showed the way to 8anda)aranya forest to Rama, after showering his hospitality on him. +here were also other great Rishis in that line: Budgala, Cddaala)i, Shaa)alaayani, *haandogya, etc.#ttri'samhita and #ttri'smriti are two wor)s attributed to #ttri. a. -aritha Gothra. b. viswamithra Gothra c.Vasistha Gothra d.Vadula Gothra e. Cpamanyu Gothra f.shouna)a Gothra g. san)rithi Gothra.

Section 00 *! 8aritha Gothra! (! viswamithra Gothra +! ,asistha Gothra <! ,adula Gothra =! @paman%u Gothra ?! Shounaka Gothra Sankrithi Gothra! *! 8AR0T8A G7T8RA! 6 )!

-arit.-arita was one of the great )ings of Suryavansha. 0rahmins with -arita Gothra are the descendants of -arit +he 2ravara of this Gothra is #ngiras, #mbarisha, uvanaswa. #mbarisha and uvanaswa were also great )ings of Suryavansha and ancestors of Dord Rama. 1n the Vishnu 2urana it is said, P+he son of #mbarSsha, the son of BTndhTtri, was uvanTUwaM his son was -arita, from whom the #ngirasa -Tritas were descendedPI3J. Sri Ramanu!a was also of -arita Gothra. (! ,0S3A50T8RA G7T8RA 0rahmarshi Vishvamitra is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of ancient times in 1ndia. -e is also credited as the author of most of Bandala 7 of the Rigveda +he story of Vishvamitra is narrated in the 0ala)anda of Valmi)i RamayanaI3J. +he Bahabharata adds that Vishvamitra/s relationship with Bena)a resulted in a daughter, Sha)untala whose story is narrated in the #di 2arva of the Bahabharata. Vishvamitra was a )ing in ancient 1ndia, also called &aushi)a (Pthe descendant of &ushaP$. -e was a valiant warrior and the great'grandson of a great )ing named &usha. +he Valmi)i Ramayana, prose ;3 of 0ala &anda, starts the legend of Vishvamitra, Gaadhi/s son is this great'saint of great resplendence, Vishvamitra. Regarding sage viswamithra not much familiar points are only told. 1t is ta)en for granted readers are familiar to viwamithra much than other sages. +he Vishnu 2urana and -arivamsha chapter 4= (dynasty of #maavasu$ of Bahabharatha narrates the birth of Vishwamitra. +! irth of ,iswamithra

#ccording to Vishnu 2uranaI4J, )ushi)a married a damsel belonging to 2uru' )utsa dynasty and had a son by name Gadhi who had a daughter named Satyavati(not to be confused with Satyavati of Bahabharata$. Satyavati was married to an old 0rahman )nown as Richi)a who was foremost among the race of 0hrigu. Richi)a desired a son having the Fualities of a 0rahman, and so he gave Satyavati a sacrificial offering (charu$ which he had prepared to achieve this ob!ective. -e also gave Satyavati/s mother another charu to ma)e her conceive a son with the character of a &shatriya at her reFuest. 0ut Satyavati/s mother privately as)ed Satyavati to e(change her charu with her. +his resulted in Satyavati/s mother giving birth to Vishvamitra, the son of a &shatriya Gadhi with the Fualities of a 0rahmanM and Satyavati gave birth to Aamadagni, the father of 2arasurama, a 0rahman with Fualities of a &shatriya. #fter many trials and undergoing many austerities, Vishvamitra at last obtained the title of 0rahmarishi from Vasishta himself 8uring this time he had a daughter named Sha)untala (who appears in the Bahabharata$ with Bena)a, an apsara in the court of 1ndra. Son of Sha)untala became a great emperor. -e came to be )nown as ,mperor 0harata and it is in his name that the land of 1ndia got its name 0harat. 5enaka episode and bith of Sakunthala! Viswamithra earlier name was &ousi)a. &aushi)a )nows that Bena)a genuinely loves him, so with great sorrow he curses her !ust to be parted from him forever. &aushi)a/s love of Bena)a is considered to have been intense and passionate beyond estimation. Rambha episode! +his is brought to light to &aushi)a when he angrily curses Rambha, an apsara sent by 1ndra to seduce &aushi)a again, to become a stone for a thousand years.

Trisanku episode When a proud &ing +risan)u as)ed his guru, Vasishta, to send him to heaven in his own body, the guru responded that the body cannot ascend to heaven. &ing +risan)u then as)ed Vasishta/s seven sons to send him to heaven. +he sons, outraged that +risan)u should not come to them when their father had refused, cursed him to be a chandala, or untouchable. -aving ta)en pity on +rishan)u, he willingly e(hausted all the punya he gained from his tapas, to enable him to ascend to the heavens. #ngered, Visvamitra used his yogic powers and ordered +risan)u to rise to heaven. Biraculously, +risan)u rose into the s)y until he reached heaven, where he was pushed bac) down by 1ndra. ,nraged even more by this, the powerful Visvamitra then commenced the creation of another heaven for +risan)u. +risan)u, however, did not en!oy +risan)u Svarga, he remained fi(ed in the s)y and was transformed into a constellation. 1n the process of forming a new universe, Vishvamitra used up all the tapas he had gained from his austerities. +herefore after the +risan)u episode, Vishvamitra had to start his prayers again to attain the status of a 0rahma Rishi, to eFual Vashistha. 8arishchandra1s Sacrifice# not much known$! While underta)ing a penance, &aushi)a helps a boy named Shunashepa who has been sold by his parents to be sacrificed at -arishchandra/s yagna to please Varuna, the God of the %ceans. +he )ing/s son Rohit does not want to be the one sacrificed, as was originally promised to Varuna, so young Sunashep is being ta)en. # devastated and terrified Sunashepa falls at the feet of &aushi)a, who is deep in meditation, and begs for his help.

&aushi)a teaches secret mantras to Sunashepa. +he boy sings these mantras at the ceremony, and is blessed by 1ndra and Varuna, and -arishchandra/s ceremony is also completed. 1n the 1ndian epic Ramayana, Vishvamitra is the preceptor of Rama, prince of #yodhya and the seventh #vatara of Vishnu, and his brother Da)shmana. +here are two Gothras, or lineages, bearing the name of Visvamitra. ,isvamitra Gothra off shoots 2eople belonging to the Visvamitra Gothra consider 0rahmarishi Visvamitra as their ancestor. +here is an off'shoot of PVishvamitra GothraP called P*ha)ita Vishvamitra Gothra more li)ely, e(planation, is that a group of descendants decided to split from the main group and started their own branch of this line. 2eople belonging to &aushi)a (&aushi). &ousi)a.&ousi)asa.&oushi)a.&ausi)a$ Gothra ta)e Ra!arishi &ausi)a as their root. &ausi)a was one of the names of Visvamitra.33 Royal clans of ?< clan of Barathas belong to &aushi) Gothra including the illustrious house of Shiva!i and Rashtra)utas Some brahmins in South Gu!arat, +amil 6adu and #ndhra 2radesh also have &aushi).&oushi) as a family Gothra. Some of the )umauni region brahmin li)e 0hatt also belongs to &aushi) Gothra. <! ,AS0ST8A G7T8RA Vasistha, in -indu mythology was one of the Saptarishis (Seven Great Sages Rishi$ in the seventh, i.e the present Banvantara,I3J and the Ra!purohit . Ra!guru of the Suryavamsha or Solar 8ynasty. -e was the manasaputra of 0rahma. -e had in his possession the divine cow &amadhenu, and 6andini her child, who could grant anything to their owners.

#rundhati is the name of the wife of Vashisht Vashisht is credited as the chief author of Bandala = of the Rigveda. Vashisht and his family are glorified in RV =.77. Sage Vashishtha was Ram/s guru and the Ra!purohit of P1)shwa)uP dynasty. -e was a peace loving, selfless, intelligent and great Rishi. -e had established Guru)ula (residential college$ on the ban)s of river PSaraswatiP, where he and his wife P#rundhatiP were ta)ing care of thousands of students stayed there and studied there and Vashishtha Rishi was the chief principal. Regarding sage V#S1S+-# not much familiar points are only told. 1t is ta)en for granted readers are familiar to V#S1S+-# too much than other sages. B0L99PA 9P0S7B9 &ing 8ileepa was a )ing of the Raghuvamsha dynasty. -e had a wife named Suda)shina, but they had no children. For this reason, 8ileepa visited the sage Vashisht in his ashram, and as)ed him for his advice. Vashisht replied that they should serve the cow 6andini, child of &amadhenu, and perhaps if 6andini was happy with their service, she would grant them with a child .after worship he got a son. E7GA,AS0ST8A Bembers seeing the serial V,ngae brahminanW in Aeya +V may be recollecting the compliment of boo) ogavasistha to #sho) during his upanayanam. oga Vasistha is an ancient scripture narrated by sage Vasistha to Rama. # uniFue and an e(tremely profound discourse, that provides innumerable insights and secrets to the inner world of consciousness. +his e(tremely huge scripture (,nglish translation about <.; Bb$ covers all the topics that relate to the spiritual study of a see)er. Rama, the eldest son of 8asaratha, after completing a pilgrimage of holy places returns to the palace. #fter his return, he is constantly found wandering

lost in thought and completely disenchanted with the worldly life and the pleasures of the )ingdom Vasistha as)s for Rama to be brought before him. Rama is then brought to the palace and 8asaratha as)s him what is bothering him. Rama then e(plains his disenchantment with worldly things and e(presses sadness at the miserable life as a worldly man. +he ensuing answer to Rama/s Fuestions forms the entire scripture that is oga Vasistha. #fter the flood of the matsya avataram, Vasishtha and his wife #rundhati may have had a hermitage on the ban)s of the river Saraswati, but they spent a lot of time at #yodhya, the capital of the &osala )ingdom . #rundhati was a lot younger than Vasishtha. While at #yodhya, Vasishtha not only taught Sri Rama, but was an advisor to his father, 8asaratha as well. Vasishtha was a contemporary of &ing 6imi (Aana)aOs 2oorva!a (previous born$$ and Gautama Bahrashi. =! ,AB@LA G7T8RA Vadula was a Rishi who gave his name to a Gothra, or a line of descent, commonly amongst 0rahmins. Vadula Baharishi was reportedly prone to great distraction, which some ascribe to deep, consciousness'e(panding meditation. 6%+,:' 6othing more than this 1 could collect of this sage. 1 reFuest learnt members to add to my write up . ?! @PA5A'E@ G7T8RA +he &ambo!as are a very ancient &shatriya tribe of the north'western parts of the 1ndian subcontinent, of what now forms north'eastern #fghanistan and southern parts of +a!i)stan. Cpamanyu was one such Rsi of &ambo!a lineage who finds freFuent mention in ancient 1ndian te(ts li)e Rig Veda, several 2uranas and the epic Bahabharata.

Cpamanyu is the name of a Vedic Rsi who finds reference in 0oo) 1, -ymn 3@4. ? of the Rig Veda I9J, Siva 2urana, Dinga 2urana, &urma 2urana and also in #di 2arava I=J as well as in #nushasana 2arava of epic Bahabharata I>J I?J. CpamanyuOs Guru was so pleased with him that he blessed him with instant memory and told him that he will )now the Vedas and 8haramshashtras (other religious te(ts$ automatically without any effort. Scholars including S. &. 8e, 6. *haudhury write that /Cpamanyu was also the epic promulgator of the Shaivism. -is hermitage was in the mountains of -imalayas I37J. -is father was the sage Vyaghrapada I39 Cpamanyu, a pupil of #yoda 8haumya also received his Vedic education at +a)sasila. Cpamanyu had heard of Shiva in several forms from his mother and afterward, recited to &rsna the thousand and eight names of Shiva I77J. +he people with Cpamanyu Gothra live in far western part of 6epal and eastern 2arts of Aammu " &ashmir. +hey are basically present !ust below the Bount &ailash as they pray to Dord Shiva only. -owever, according to 8r 8. *. Sircar, Cpamanyu Gothra is not found in early Sans)rit literature and it is difficult to determine at this time whether it is a mista)e for #upamanyava Gothra I9<J. Cpamanya Gothra is said to be an offshoot of the Vrigu (2arasara$ Gothras. +his means that a Rishi hailing from the &ambo!a tribe was also founder of a 0rahmanical class....... 2eople staying !ust below or the South (,astern " Weastern$ parts of Bount &ailash (6epal " 1ndia$ are the descendants of Cpamanyu.Cpamanyu Gothra. +he &ambho!as (Cpamanyu Gothra$ can be easily identified as they are fair and have colorful eyes ( ellow, light blue, light brown$ with a bit broader Forehead " nose, possibly due to admi(ture.

2raying to Dord Shiva every Bonday is a routine for all &ambho!a.Cpamanyu Gothra (all clans$. # visit to Dord Shiva/s +emple every Bonday is a must for every Cpamanyu Gothra. &ambho!as.Cpamanayu Gothra pray to Dord Shiva and 8urga Baa is their &ula 8evi. +he earliest mention of &ambo!as occurs in Vamsa 0rahamana of Samaveda where a teacher &ambo!a #upamanyava is referred to. +he sage Cpamanyu mentioned in the Rigveda (i.3@4,?$ is in all probability the father of this &ambo!a teacher . )! S8A@'A-A G7T8RA Shauna)a is the name applied to teachers, and to a Sha)ha of the #tharvaveda -e is claimed as the teacher of &atyayana and especially of #shvalayana, and is said to have united the 0ash)ala and Sha)ala Sha)has of the Rigveda. 1n legend, he is sometimes identified with Gritsamada, a Vedic Rishi. #ccording to the Vishnu 2urana, Shauna)a was the son of Gritsamada, and invented the system of the four levels of human life. Shauna)a had a prominent role in the epic BahXbhXrata. +he epic BahXbhXrata was narrated to Shauna)a by a story teller named Cgrasrava Sauti during a conclave of sages headed by Shauna)a in a forest named 6aimisha. A! SA'-R0T80 G7T8RA San)rithi is the Grandson of Sage Vashishta, and the son of Sage Sha)thi. 1ncidentally, Sage Sha)thi is the father of Sage 2arashara (the father of Sage Veda Vyasa.$ +here is not much )nown about Sage San)rithi e(cept that his name figures in the #vadhuta Cpanishad, where Dord 8attatreya e(plains the nature of an #vadhuta to Sage San)rithi., founder Rishi of the San)rithi Gothra.

+he lineage of San)rithi/s is given as Sha)thya, San)rithya, and Gauriveetha. i.e. lineage of Sha)thi, San)rithi, and Gauriveethi. 6%+,:' 6othing more than this 1 could collect of this sage. 1 reFuest learnt members to add to my write up. Section 000
*! 5oudgal%a Gothra (! Sandil%a Gothra +! Salakh%ana Gothra <! Raivata Gothra =! -oundin%a Gothra ?! 5anda%a Gothra )! 5aitre%a Gothra 6 A! -ata%ana Gothra!

*! 5oudgal%a Gothra 6#D# #61 was the young wife of very old sage, Budgala, but she was a great 2ativrata. ,ven when Budgala Rshi became afflicted by leprosy and started stin)ing, she continued to serve him. %nce, when he was consuming food, one of his fingers fell of from his hands and fell into the food. 6alayani removed it and partoo) the remaining food. +he sage was e(tremely pleased. 1n order to please he too) five bodily forms corresponding to the five (2anchabhootas$ elements and satisfied her in all respects. #fter thousands of years, he wanted to retire from family life and wanted to live the life of a sage. 0ut, 6alayani tried to prevent him and )eep him in the material pleasures. Budgala Rshi cursed her that she will be borne as the daughter of 8rupada and will marry five men. (source : #di 2arva of Bahabharata verses 3?= to 4@9$. Sages belonging to the Baudgalya Gothra are well )nown for their patience and forbearance. %ne such rshi was living through 0hi)shatana (alms$ at &uru)shetra. %nce Rshi 8urvasa came to his #shram (hermitage$ as his guest, in a digambara (na)ed$ form and Budgala gave him, whatever food he obtained as alms. 8urvasa consumed some food from the same. +he remaining food, he massaged on his own body. et, Budgala did not become angry. +he following

days also 8urvasa came to Budgalas #shram before the latter could Fuench his hunger and repeated the same behaviour. Budgala gave all the food to 8urvasa and remained hungry for several days. Finally, 8urvasa said that he was e(tremely pleased with Budgalas patience and forbearance and blessed Budgala with an offer to ta)e him the -eaven in his physical body. 1mmediately the 8evas came with their plane. Budgala enFuired 8urvasa about the pleasures available in the -eaven and then in the end he refused to be drawn to such pleasures. (source : Vana 2arva of Bahabharata *h. 4<3$. +here was a great Vedic Scholar from Baudgalya Gothra, who participated in the sarpa yaga (serpent sacrifice$ of Aaname Aaya. (source : #di 2arva of Bahabharata *h. ;7$. Budgalas were rigvedies and might have continued to be so till they were in the 6orthern part of 1ndia and might have shifted to &rishna a!ur Veda, much after they established themselves in the Southern part of 1ndia. +his may be the reason why Budgalas follow the *handramana calendar while all the other &rishna a!ur Vedis follows the Sauramana calendar. 2ersons belonging to Baudgalya gothara celebrate their birthdays according to their na)shatras falling in the solar months in which they were born, while they perform the shrardhams (death anniversary$ in the thithies of the lunar months in which the deaths too) place. +he route through which Baudgalyas would have traveled might be 0aluchistan ' 2un!ab ' &ashmir ' %rissa ' #ndhra ' +amil 6adu " &erala. 5udgala and Ganapathi Ganesha 2urana spea)s of Rshi Budgala, who was an ardent devotee of Dord Ganapathi, who was so pleased with him that he gave his devotee powers to give boons to other bha)tas (devotees$.

8a)sha became an ardent devotee of Ganapathi. %n Ganapathis advice, he met Rshi Budgala, who taught him the one lettered mantra %B. +his, 8a)sha chanted relentlessly. 5udgala Purana 2erhaps no other Rshi in the human world has a purana named after himself. +his 2urana does not give any information about Rshi Budgala, but is out and out e(position of the grandeur of Dord Ganapathi. +his shows the humility of the author, Rshi Budgala. +his 2urana has ? )handas (cantos$ and gives details about all facets of Ganesha worship. 5audgal%as of Recent Times! %f the persons belonging to Baudgalya Gothra, who have made a name for themselves, the most popular one is Cpanyasa *ha)ravarthy, Sengalipuram #nantarama 8ee)shithar. -is upanyasams (discourses$ on Ramayana and 0hagavatham and

Bahabharatham moulded the characters of many of us during our childhood. -is rendering of the shlo)as from the epics had a ma!estic tone which still ringing in our ears. (! Sandil%a! Sandilya is one of the great sages of ancient 1ndia and a Vedic scholar. #mong 0rahmins there is a Gothram named after him, specifying that the generations of people belonged to Sandilya as the paternal root. 1n -induism, it is believed that -indu goddess 2arvathi, bride of Shiva, also belonged to the Sandilya/s generation and is a daughter of -imavantha the lord or )ing of the -imalayas. 1t is believed that Sandilya had si( more ancestors, namely &aashyapa, #vatsaara, 6aidhruva, Rebha, Raibha, Sandila and SandilyaI3J .

+! Salanka%ana! +he Salan)ayanas were an ancient dynasty that ruled the Vengi region of 1ndia/s eastern coast from 7@@ to 99@ #8. +hey were 0rahmins and their name is derived from their symbol and Gothra name, which stood for 6andi (the bull of Shiva$. +he Salan)ayanas succeeded the #ndhra 1)shva)u dynasty and were vassals of the 2allava )ings of southern 1ndia. 8uring their time the script for +elugu and &annada began to clearly separating from that of the other South 1ndian and 6orth 1ndian languages. 1n the late 9@@s, the Salan)ayanas were conFuered by Badhavarma 11 of the Vishnu)undinas (a &shatriya Ra!u dynasty$. <!Raivata -akudmin Raivata &a)udmin was the )ing of &usasthali. RaivataOs father was Revata and his father was #narta. #nartaOs sister was Su)anya (*yavanaOs wife$ and their father was Saryati, whose father was Vaivaswatha Banu. Vaiwaswatha is.was the son of Vivaswan. Vivaswan is another name for Surya 8eva. (1n the 0hagavad Gita, Sri &rishna says that -e taught Vivaswan, in a previous$. Raivata &a)udmin had a daughter called Revati. %n 0rahmaOs advice, he gave his daughter Revati in marriage to 0alarama, the elder brother of Sri &rishna. Raivata was also called &a)udmi. =! -aundin%a &aundinya was a brahmin who first came to prominence as a youth due to his mastery of the vedas and was later appointed as a royal court scholar of &ing Suddhodana of the Sa)yas in &apilavastu. +here &aundinya was the only scholar who uneFuivocally predicted upon the birth of 2rince Siddhartha that the prince would become an enlightened 0uddha, and vowed to become his disciple.

&aundinya and four colleagues followed Siddhartha in si( years of ascetic practice, but abandoned him in disgust after Siddhartha gave up the practice of self mortification. Cpon enlightenment, Siddartha gave his first dharma tal) to &aundinya/s group. &aundinya was the first to comprehend the teaching and thus became the first bhi))hu and arahant. Following the formation of the sangha, &aundinya and the other mon)s travelled with the 0uddha by foot through the Gangetic plains area of what is now 0ihar and Cttar 2radesh to spread the dharma. ?! 5andav%a! Bandavya was a sage wrongly punished by the )ing by being impaled as the chief of robbers who had clandestinely hidden their stolen goods in a corner of his hermitage when he was in deep contemplation. Dord 8harma gave him this punishment for having tortured birds and bees in his childhood. #t this Bandavya cursed 8harma who was born as Vidura, the wise, to the servant maid of #mbali)a, wife of &ing Vichitravirya, who offered her to Sage Vyasa in place of #mbali)a. )! 5aitre%a! +he 0rihat 2arasara -ora Sastra, a treatise on astrology was e(pounded by Rishi 2arasara (the father of Veda Vyasa$ to Rishi Baitreya. Rishi Baitreya e(plained parts of the 0hagavatham to Vidura, a son of Veda Vyasa.(#uthorship and *opyright 6otice : #ll Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada &andula$ A! -Dt%D%ana &XtyXyana (c. 7rd century 0*$ was a Sans)rit grammarian, mathematician and Vedic priest who lived in ancient 1ndia.

-e is )nown for two wor)s:+he Vartti)a, an elaboration on 2XYini grammar. #long with the BahXbhXsya of 2ataZ!ali, this te(t became a core part of the vyX)arana (grammar$ canon. +his was one of the si( Vedangas, and constituted compulsory education for 0rahmin students in the following twelve centuries. -e also composed one of the later Sulba Sutras, a series of nine te(ts on the geometry of altar constructions, dealing with rectangles, right'sided triangles, rhombuses, etc. &XtyXyana/s views on the word'meaning connection tended towards

naturalism. &XtyXyana believed, li)e 2lato, that the word'meaning relationship was not a result of human convention. For &XtyXyana, word'meaning relations were siddha, given to us, eternal. Section 0, *! Bhanwantari Gothra (! Camadagni Gothra +! -anva Gothra 6 <! -Dt%D%ana Gothra! Bost of the details are compilation from Wi)ipedia. *! Bhanwantari Gothra 8hanvantari is an avatar of Vishnu from the -indu tradition. -e appears in the Vedas and 2uranas as the physician of the Gods (devas$, and the God of #yurvedic medicine. 1t is common practice in -induism for worshipers to pray to Dord 8hanvantari see)ing his blessings for sound health for themselves and.or others. 8hanvantari was an early 1ndian medical practitioner and one of the worldOs first surgeons. 0ased on -indu traditions, he is regarded as the source of #yurveda. -e perfected many herbal based cures and natural remedies and was credited with the discovery of the antiseptic properties of turmeric and the preservative properties of salt which he incorporated in his cures.

0eing a very s)illed surgeon according to the standards of his time, he is widely believed to be the pioneer of modern medical practices li)e plastic surgery I3J. #lbeit his methods were a lot cruder and more painful and were used only in emergencies, such as on the in!uries of war victims. #ll his surgeries were performed without anesthetic, however in spite of his crude methods he was reported to have had a very high success rate. #s a result of the brilliance and achievements he displayed in the field of medicine he was chosen as one of the 6ine Gems in early 1ndian ruler Vi)ramadityaOs court. #ccording to traditions, he taught surgery methods and procedures to Susrutha, the Father of #yurvedic Surgeon. The Legend 8hanvantari is depicted as Vishnu with four hands, holding medical herbs in one hand and a pot containing re!uvenating nectar called amrita in another. +he 2uranas state that 8hanavantari emerged from the /%cean of Bil)/. irthda% celebration 0irth day celebration of Dord 8hanvantari, the God of health, healing and cure, is celebrated with great enthuiasm and happy environment, by the practitioners of the #yurveda every year, on 8han +eras, two days before 8eepwali, the -indu festival of Dights. 1n the Samudra Banthan, Dord 8hanvantari appeared with the )eeping #mrit 2ot, Shan)ha, *ha)rra and Aalau)a each one in his four hands. Temples in 0ndia 1n 6orthern 1ndia no permanent temple is established for Dord 8hanvantari. +he reason is not yet )nown, but in Varanasey Sanssa)rit Vishvavidyalaya,

Varanasi, Cttar 2radesh state, one statue of Dord 8hanvantari is present in the Buseum of the Cniversity. -owever there are few dedicated temples to the Dord 8hanwantri, in South 1ndia especially in &erala and +amil 6adu, where #yurvedic medicine is highly practised and patronised. 1n +amil 6adu, in the courtyard of Sri Ranganathaswamy +emple (Srirangam$, is the 8hanvantari +emple where daily worshipping of the deity is performed. 1n the front of this temple there is an engraved stone believed to date around the 34th *entury. +he writing on the stone contains the details that Garud Vahan 0hattar, who was a great ayurvedic physician , established the statue inside the temple. #s a /2rasad/ or /+eerth/, a decoction of the herbs is given to the visitors. +hough not )nown to many, there is a temple dedicated to Dord 8hanvantari in &erala. 1t is in a village called 6elluvaya, 4@ )ilometers from guruvayur and trissur, located e(actly midway between the two towns. +he temple is believed to be as old as the temple of Guruvayur. Bany ayurvedic doctors from )erala visit this temple before they start practicing medicine. #bout 3@ )m from the railway station is the ages old, very powerful 8hanvantari +emple, &annur (*annanore$, &erala. # not so well )nown temple in its humble environs has a serene atmosphere. 8hanvantari poo!a is performed here for the good health of anyone, of any faith, from any corner of the world. #dded attraction is the -uge +emple pond with water liliesH Similarly, there/s a 8hanvantri &shetram (i.e.temple$ in the outs)irts of *alicut, in &erala. +his temple is gaining prominence, as people come from far off places to offer their prayers to the Dord, to cure them of their ailing diseases, or to be blessed with a healthy life ahead.

+here is an e(clusive very big temple for Dord 8hanwantari in *herthala Baruthorvattom village in the #lleppy district. 1 have visited and made prayers in the temple. 1n #ll 1ndia #yurvedic practitioners worship Dord 8hanavantary. Ashta ,aid%a of -erala 1n &erala, the family of P#shta VaidyaP is famous and traditionally provide #yurvedic and Siddha treatment to the sic). +he forefathers of these #sta vaidyas are still today serving in the same manner as centuries ago. +his family worships Dord 8hanvantari. Some family members have built temples inside their houses while others have built proper temples in his honour. 6ear &ota))alat 2ulamantol village, here is a family of #shta Vaidya. +his family has a temple of Dord 8hanvantari. Vaidya Badam is near Vada))ancheri. -ere the #shta Vaidya Batra dattan have a statue of 8hanvantri, made of a mi(ture of five metals. 1n trishura/s 2erungva, a big temple is here built by #shta vaidya. +he #shta Vaidya families are in the following places: #alyittur &uttancheri Vayas)ara *hirattaman %lassa *annanore (&annur$ +ai))ad Vellod 2ulamanthole

1t seems that tradition of Dord 8hanwantri worshipping is regularly persisting in the families to families in &erala. While all the ashtavaidayan families (+hey are all 2ushpa)a 0rahmins.$ worship 8hanwantari it is felt they may be of 8hanwantari Gothra. Dearnt members may wirite to me who belong to 2ushpa)a 0rahmins group. References: 8hanavantari ' the God of #yurveda

&alyan -indi monthly magaEine, Barch 4@@3 issue, Geeta 2ress, Gora)hpur, C2 Source of References: Dord 8hanvantari -indu God 8hanwantari: +he promulgator of #yurveda. 8oes #yurveda begin with 8hanvantari, the ancient physicianG 0y 8.2. #grawal 8hanvantari in the 0hagavata 2urana.

(! CamadagniGothra Aamadagni is one of the Saptarishis (Seven Great Sages Rishi$ in the seventh, i.e. the present Banvantara I3J. -e is a descendant of the sage 0hrigu, one of the 2ra!apatis cretaed by 0rahma, the God of *reation. Aamadagni had several children with wife Renu)a, the youngest of whom was 2arashurama, an #vatara of Dord Vishnu. 9;ecution of Renuka Renu)a was such very devoted wife and the power of her chastity was manifest. Such was this power, that she used to fetch water from the river in a pot made of unba)ed clay every day. +he pot would hold together because of her devotion to her husband. %ne day, when she was at the river, a handsome Gandharva happened to be passing by in the s)y, in his chariot. Smitten with desire for this handsome youth, for merely an instant, the damage to her powers was done. +he unba)ed pot that she was carrying, dissolved into the river. She was no longer chaste of mind. #fraid to go bac) to her husband, she waited at the river ban).

Beanwhile Aamadagni, who was waiting for fresh water to begin his morning sacrifices, noticed that his wife had not yet returned from the river. 0y his yogic powers, he divined all that had ta)en place. ,(ceedingly angry with his wife, he called his eldest son, told him what had happened and as)ed him to e(ecute his mother. -orror'stric)en, his son refused to perform this deed. -e then as)ed all of his sons, in the order of their seniority, to e(ecute their mother. While all the elder sons refused (and so Sage Aamadagni turned them to stone$, only his youngest son, 2arashurama, ever'obedient and righteous, at once beheaded his mother with his a(e. Aamadagni, pleased, offered to grant two boons to 2arashurama, who at once as)ed that his mother be restored to life and his brothers to be unturned from stone and accepted into the family again. 1mpressed by his son/s devotion and affection for his family, Aamadagni granted this boon and many others. Aamadagni was later )illed by a &shatriya )ing &artavirya #r!una, over a dispute over a divine calf named )amadhenu. References: 1nhabitants of the Worlds Bahanirvana +antra, translated by #rthur #valon, (Sir Aohn Woodroffe$, 3?37, 1ntroduction and 2reface. +! -anva Gothra! &anva is a renowned rishi, author of several hymns of the Rigveda, called a son of Ghora and one of the #ngirasas. +he &anvas are the descendants of &anva. &anva is also the name of a founder of a Vedic sha)ha, of several princes and founders of dynasties and several authors. +he &anvas are also a class of evil spirits, against whom hymn 4.4; of the #tharvaveda is used as a charm.

Sahunthala daughter of Viswamithra and Bena)a was brought up by sage &anva.+he child born to Sha)unthala is 0harat from whom our country got the name so. <! -Dt%D%ana Gothra! &XtyXyana (c. 7rd century 0*$ was a Sans)rit grammarian, mathematician and Vedic priest who lived in ancient 1ndia. -e is )nown for two wor)s: +he Vartti)a, an elaboration on 2Xnini grammar. #long with the BahXbhXsya of 2ataZ!ali, this te(t became a core part of the vyX)arana (grammar$ canon. +his was one of the si( Vedangas, and constituted compulsory education for 0rahmin students in the following twelve centuries. -e also composed one of the later Sulba Sutras, a series of nine te(ts on the geometry of altar constructions, dealing with rectangles, right'sided triangles, rhombuses, etc. &XtyXyana/s views on the word'meaning connection tended towards

naturalism. &XtyXyana believed, li)e 2lato, that the word'meaning relationship was not a result of human convention. For &XtyXyana, word'meaning relations were siddha, given to us, eternal. +hough the ob!ect a word is referring to is non'eternal, the substance of its meaning, li)e a lump of gold used to ma)e different ornaments, remains undestroyed, and is therefore permanent. +his view may have been the nucleus of the Sphora doctrine enunciated by 0hartu hari in the ;th c., in which he elaborates the word'universal as the superposition of two structures [ the meaning'universal or the semantic structure (artha'!Xti$ is superposed on the sound'universal or the phonological structure (Uabda'!Xti$. 1n the tradition of scholars li)e 2ingala, &XtyXyana was also interested in mathematics. -ere his te(t on the sulvasutras dealt with geometry, and

e(tended the treatment of the 2ythagorean theorem as first presented in >@@ 0* by 0audhayana. &XtyXyana belonged to the #indra School of grammarians and may have lived towards the 6orth west of the 1ndian subcontinent. G7T8RA SAG9S - Part (! :ompiled b% Sri Gopalakrishna Ramai%er, #Retired AG5, Tambaram, :hennai! 0ntroduction! +here are 9? established Dead -indu Gothras (or Gothram$. #ll members of a particular Gothra are believed to possess certain common characteristics by way of nature or profession. +he term Gothra was used in its present sense for the first time in the 0rahmanas. 1t was systematised by about the 9th century 0* to accommodate changed social rules and laws and by the time of the Sutras, it was a well' established system. Gothras have their orgination to saptharshies who change with Banvanthara. We are in the seventh Banvanthara now. Bany of the seven sages have been repeated and replaced. 1n the first manvanthara the saptharshies were Barichi, #tri, #ngeerasa, 2ulasthia,2ulaha &ratu and Vasishta. +hey are believed to be the mind'born sons of 0rahma. #ccording to the 0audhKyanas/rauta'sLtra VishvKmitra, Aamadagni, S'L$

0haradvK!a, Gautama, #tri, Vasishtha, &ashyapa and #gastya are > sagesM the progeny of these eight sages is declared to be Gothras. We have discussed the Gothra Sages earlier in the Part * in sections 0 to 0,! 1n the following part 11, the discussion is about section , to ,000 as listed below: 0nde;

Section

,$ *! -as%apa gothra (! ,amadeva gothra +! Pulasthia

Gothra <! Pulaha gothra =! Angirasa gothra 6 ?! Atre%a Gothra Section ,0$ *! -utsa gothram (! Shounaka gothram +! Parasara gothram Section ,00$ *! Srivatsa Gothra (! ,atsa Gothram +! -ausika Gothram <! Shadamarshna Gotra 6 'aithrupa -as%apa Gothram Section ,000$ *! Lohita Gothra, (! -apila Gotra, +! Bathaathre%a gothra, <! Galava gothra, =! 5athanga Gothra, ?! Sur%a Batta gothra, )! 5ithrasu Gothra, A! -ausala gothram, F! :harora Gotra, *G! Bhalab%a gothra 6 **! ,ishnu Gothra! Section , *! -as%apa gothra (! ,amadeva gothra +! Pulasthia Gothra <! Pulaha gothra =! Angirasa gothra ?! Sadarmashna 6 )! Athre%a Gothra

*! -ASEAPA G7T8RA

-as%apa gothra is a ver% ver% familiar Gothra! 'ot much known details are detailed while known details are >ust mentioned! -ash%apa a ,edic sage to whom some hymns of Rigveda are attributed! All authorities agree in assigning to him a large part in the work of creation! -ash%apa was the son of 5areechi! Baksha Pra>apati married his thirteen daughters with sage -ash%apa! The names of those daughters were Aditi, Biti, Banu, -ala, Bana%u, Sinhika, -rodha, Pradha, ,ishwa, ,inata, -apila, 5anu and -adru!

All these women gave birth to so man% children that the whole creation was filled up with their progenies and off springs! Aditi was the mother of all the Bevatas and the twelve Aadit%a #suns$! Biti gave birth to the 1Bait%a1 #demons$, Banu was the mother of the 1Banavas1 #demons$, 1-ala1 and 1Bana%u1 also gave birth to the Banavas #demons$ 1Sinhika1 gave birth to lions and tigers, 1-rodha1 was the mother of the demons who had great anger, 1,inata1 gave birth to 1Garuda1, 1Arun1 etc! -adru was the mother of snakes and cobras and 15anu1 was the mother of all human beings! 8ence, it becomes Huite clear that all the species which e;ist in this world originate from the same ancestor and hence all of us are like brothers and sisters! 3e are the offspring of 5aharshi -ash%apa and so are the trees, the animals, the birds etc! 7ut of these *+ women, Aditi was the senior most loving wife of the sage -ash%apa! She was the mother of all the deities including 10ndra1! 9ven Lord ,ishnu incarnated as ,amana in this famil%! According to the 5ahabharata, the Rama%ana, and the Puranas, he was the son of 5arichi, the son of mankind, the above is confirmed! The Satapatha rahmana gives a different and not ver% rahma, and he was father of ,ivaswat, the father of 5anu, the progenitor of

intelligible account of his origin thus/II J8aving assumed the form of a tortoise, Pra>apati created offspring! That which he created he made #akarot$K hence the word koorma #tortoise$! -as%apa means tortoiseK hence men sa%, LAll creatures are descendants of -as%apa!M This tortoise is the same as Adit%a!J

The Atharva veda sa%s, JThe self-born -as%apa sprang from Time,J and Time is often identical with Sri 5aha ,ishnu! The 5ahabharata and later authorities agree in representing that -as%apa married Aditi and twelve other daughters of Baksha! @pon Aditi he begat the Adit%as, headed b% 0ndra, and also ,ivaswat, and Jto ,ivaswat was born the wise and might% 5anu!J % his other twelve wives, he had a numerous and ver% diversified offspring/ demons, nagas, reptiles, birds, and all kinds of living things! 8e was thus the father of all, and as such is sometimes called Pra>apati! 8e is one of the seven great Rishis, and he appears as the priest of Parasurama and Ramachandra! So marr%ing the daughters of Baksha sage -ash%apa happen to be the co- brother of Lord Siva who married Sati another daughter of Baksha, and also of moon god who married () daughters of Baksha from Aswathi to Revathi! (! ,amadeva Gothra
%nce, during thirtieth )alpa named Ra)ta, Dord 0rahma was meditating on 2arameshthi Shiva. Suddenly a divine child appeared before him who was of red comple(ion and who had put on red apparels. -e was none other than Dord Vaamdev. Dord 0rahma immediately realiEed the divinity of that child and was convinced that he was the embodiment of #lmighty God. Dord 0rahma eulogiEed Vaamdev who was pleased by his devotions. Four divine entities'Viri!a, Vivahu, Visho)a and Vishwabhavana manifested from the body of Vaamdev. #ll of them had great resemblance to Dord Vaamdev. Vaamdev preached

them on the finer points of religiousness so that man)ind could be benefited by this )nowledge.

+ 6 <! Pulasthia and Pulaha Gothrams

'ote- 0 have combined these two sages because man% pertains both! datas received

6ainital and 2ulasthia' 2ulaha

6ainital is referred to in the \Banas &handO of the \S)anda 2uranaO as the +ri'Rishi' Sarovar, the la)e of the three sages, #tri, 2ulastya and 2ulaha who were reputed to have arrived here on a penitential pilgrimage and, finding no water to Fuench their thirst dug a hole and siphoned water into it from Bansarovar the sacred la)e in+ibet.

&ing 0harata and 2ulaha

+he life of &ing 0harata depicted in 2urana highlights the truth that attachment can distract even a man of renunciation. 0orn in the lineage of mighty emperors, 0harata ruled the )ingdom he inherited with a sense of duty and devotion. -e was not only a !ust )ing loved by his sub!ects but was also spiritually inclined, as his father Rshabhadeva was a manifestation of the Dord -imself. 0harata performed many sacrifices and his devotion to God grew day by day. -e retired to the hermitage of Sage 2ulaha on the ban) of the Ganda)i river (Salagrama)shetra in 6epal$ after dividing the )ingdom between his sons, to devote his life to worshipping God. #s he sat meditating one day, he was disturbed to see a pregnant deer in distress chased by a lion and it succumbed to the e(haustion of premature delivery. Boved at the sight of the helpless young one without its mother he too) it to his hermitage and lavished his care on it to the e(tent that he became intensely attached to it. Such a man of detachment who had gained total control of his senses and mind after renouncing a )ingdom voluntarily, now doted on a deer whose welfare and pran)s occupied his entire attention that he was reborn as a deer in his ne(t birth.

2ulasthia and Bangalya sthavam

Bangalya sthavam/ is a prayer addressed to several avatharas of Dord Vishnu, occurring in the forty third chapter of the Vishnu 8harmotharam 1thihasam. 1t is a conversation between Sage 2ulasthya and his disciple sage 8haulabhya.

%n being as)ed by 8haulabhya, about the most suitable prayer to drive away bad dreams and for being able to complete all !obs in a proper fashion, sage 2ulasthya tells him that only a prayer to Dord Vishnu would help him achieve that, and he also teaches the prayer to him. +hat prayer is PBangalya sthavamP.
+he prayer is for increasing /mangalyam/ (Bamasthu mangalya vivrudhaye$by see)ing Dord Vishnu/s blessings,to protect oneself from all evils and sins +he result is that any wor) started with a prayer for Bangalya' vriddhi, (as in Bangalya sthavam$ is completed without any problem. +he 2hala'sruthi of this sthothra says that on reciting this at the beginning of any action, the sins that hinder that action are removed. +he action can be fulfilled without hindrances and one will also be blessed with all types of wealth. Sreemad 0hagavattham has got lot of ref to 2ulasthia and 2ulaha #shram in -ardwar S0 ;.=.> S0 ;.=.33 S0 ;.>.7@ S0 3@.=?.3@ Sage 2ulasthya has described how to start vedic rituals as follows:' +a)e bath, do sandhya vandanam, and collect enough water to sprin)le over the homa articles and the house. 8o achamana and start the Vedic rituals.

1n the lineage from Satrupa ]2rasuti ]2reeti got married to 2ulasthia and her sister &shama got married to 2ulaha. &shama'wife of Sage 2ulaha had many offspring among whom &ardam " Sahishnu were prominent. 2reeti, wife of Sage 2ulastya had two sons named 8attarnavr and 8ahvahu. She also had a daughter named 8washdwati. &ratu/s wife'Sannati had si( thousand offspring who became famous as 0aal)hilyas.

=!

Angirasa

Gothra

Sage #ngirasa appear in addition pravara of many gothras. Sage #ngirasa is one of the Saptarishis (Seven Sages$ and the Banasaputra (son born of the mind$ of 0rahma. -e is one of the 2ro!enitors of human)ind -e is also mentioned in the other three Vedas. Sometimes he is rec)oned as one of the Seven Great Sages, or saptarishis of the first Banvantara, with others being, Barichi, #tri, 2ulaha, &ratu, 2ulastya, and Vashishtha. 0rahmas mind born daughter is Satrupa. -er daughter is 2rasuti. 2rasutiOs daughter Smriti was the wife of sage #ngirasa. She had given birth to five daughters''' Sini, Vali, &uhu, Ra)a and #numati. Sage 0rihaspati was his son. %ther accounts say that he married smrithy, the daughter of 8a)sha. 1n the Rigveda, #gni is sometimes referred to as #ngiras or as a descendant of #ngiras (RV 3.3$. 1n the Rigveda, 1ndra drives out cows from where they had been imprisoned by either a demon (Vala$ or multiple demons (the 2anis$ and gifts them to the #ngirasas (RV 7.73, 3@.3@> and a reference in >.39$. Bandala < of the Rigveda is attributed to a family of #ngirasas. Dord 0uddha is said to be a descendant of Sage #ngirasa in many 0uddhist te(ts.

Bany verses in the Vedas are attributed to Sage #ngirasa.

Atharva veda and Angirasa

-e along with sage #tharvan are said to have composed most of the #tharvana Veda. Some descendents of Sage #ngirasa are said to be &shatriya by birth and 0rahmins by calling. +his is so because the Sage helped a childless &ing to beget children. #tharva Veda : #tharva Veda has mantras, those are to be used for various special purposes. +he #tharva Veda Samhitaa has two parts. (3$ +he #tharva " (4$ the #ngirasa. 0ecause of these two ma!or sections, this Veda is also called #tharva angirasa, and in short #tharva Veda.

2ara and #para Vidya

%ne of the stories related to Sage #ngirasa is mentioned in the Bunda)a Cpanishad. # householder by the name Sauna)a carries his firewood and reaches the forest where Sage #ngirasa is. -e approaches the Sage reverentially and beseeches V% -oly Sage, teach me that through which the whole universe can be )nown.W #ngirasa was happy to hear the beautiful Fuestion, and started his discourse by classifying the entire spectrum of things to be )nown into two categories. +he 2ara and the #para Vidya. #s the #para Vidya /ob!ects/, and 2ara Vidya /ob!ect/ reFuires an entirely different approach Shauna)a inspite of his best efforts could not get the desired fruit of omniscience was that he was

un)nowingly pursuing #para Vidya

but with the wish to get the fruits of 2ara Vidya, and thus the frustration.
Sage #ngirasa goes on to e(plain the two different )inds of )nowledge on this ,arth. The lower knowledge he states are the sciences, h%mns, rituals, grammar, poetr% astrolog% etc! The higher knowledge is that which leads a man to that which never dies! The 0ndestructible! Sage #ngiras to e(plain this further says V+his body is li)e a tree in which two birds live. +hey loo) ali)e. +he lower bird is tasting the fruits of the tree and some are sweet and others are sour. +he higher bird is !ust watching the lower bird. %ne day the lower bird is tired of everything and starts to weep. +he lower bird sees the higher bird which is calm, unattached and at peace. +he lower bird hops towards the higher one. 1t suddenly realiEes that the upper bird is also !ust himself, his true Self. &nowing this his grief disappears. -e realises that the ,go was not real, the Self was real, the observer of all.

?! Sadamarshna Gothram
# few words more about Shatamarshana Gothram. 6atha Buni, #alavandar ( aamuna Buni$ belong to this Gothram. #bout Shatamarshana Gothram lineage, 0efore Shatamarshana: #n)iras, 2urugutsar and +rasadasyu were all born in this Gothram. Shatamarshana gothris are called Sreshtars or Sottai &ulam people in +amil. #alawandar refers to his reputed Dineage referring to his grandfather 6ata Buni " Shatamarshana this way:

PSottai nambiP son of #lavandhar (great grand son of 6athamuni$ , one of the =9 mudhalis, could be the reason for the name Psottai )ulamP. Q 2erhaps he was bald in some usual part of the head and was addressed that wayH$. Bany vaishanvites belong to this gothram. We have already seen the lineage of #ngiras. 3.#n)iras ' Shatamarshana (2enance in the middle of Five fires at -aridhwar and got the boon that the Sata Vayu will not affect him. -is predecessors, 2uru)utsar and +raasa 8asyu were authorities on Rig Veda. +ras is made up of 7 &inds of fear.Since these three )inds of fear ran away fro him out of fear for his 2ower derived from penance, -e is called +rasa 8hasyu. #ll the three Rishis (#n)iras, 2uru)utsar, +rsadasyu$ are thus included in the 2ravaram of Shatamarshana Gothris.

)! Athre%a Gothram
7. #treya is a descendent of Sage #tri one of the saptharshies.We have already read about #tri Gothra. +he lineage for #treya Gothram is.#tri'''$ 8attatreya'''$ #treya Gothram$ Sri Ramanu!ar and Vedanta 8esi)an are born in #treya Gothram.

0ndrasMs palace on earth -stor%

#treya is a descendent of Sage #tri. -e had done many yagnas and was able to go to any place as he li)ed. %ne day in course of his wanderings he came to the court of 1ndra which fascinated him by its beauty and festivities. -e thought that no other place could be more pleasant and he wanted it with all his heart. -is modest hut could not please him any more. -e called his wife and told, \What sort of rubbish are you giving me to eatG 8oes it taste goodG our fruits and vegetables cannot come anywhere near the sweetmeats 1 ate at 1ndraOs courtO. So saying he called Viswa)arma and as)ed him to ma)e his hermitage li)e 1ndraOs palace. 1f you do not do as 1 tell 1 shall reduce you to ashes by curse. +he buildings, the court, the gardens, the elephant, the horse, the chandelier, the music, the food, and the courtiers ] all these must be as they are in 1ndraOs palace. #fraid of the curse, Viswa)arma forthwith built a palace which could rival 1ndraOs palace. Buch pleased the muni said, \+his is the very thing 1 wantedO. #fter some time however the demons began to frown at the place and said, \Doo), that fellow 1ndra has surreptitiously left the heaven and built up a home on earth. Det us go and give him a good thrashing for )illing our VritraO.

Shouting, \&ill 1ndraH &ill 1ndraHO the demons in a body laid that palace under siege. +he muni was happily reclining on his bed. 0ut when he heard the shouts of the demons he became mortally afraid. Within minutes using all )inds of weapons the demons reduced the place to a heap of rubbles. +he muni himself did not escape some minor in!uries. -e came out trembling and going to the demons he told them with folded hands, \1 swear, 1 am not 1ndra, 1 am a muni, a 0rahmin and a very poor and innocent man. Why are you so angry with meGO \+hen why have you been posing li)e 1ndraG Remove your trappings at onceO, said the demons. \#t once 1 am doing as you say. 1 must have lost my head and did these foolish things. 1 shall never do it again.O Viswa)arma was summoned and was told by the muni to replace the palace with his modest ashram. -e told him, \8o it soon, or 1 shall die at the hands of these demons.O RealiEing that the muni was in grave danger Viswa)arma readily obeyed and the huts and the forests reappeared where a short while ago a palace stood. -owever, before he left Viswa)arma en!oyed a hearty laugh at the predicament of the muni.

Section ,0 *! -utsa gothram (! Shounaka gothram +! Parasara gothram!

*! -@TSA G7T8RA5
&utsa Baharishi is a Saptarishi of this Banvantara. ,ach Rishi has their own speciality, Baharishi &utsa stands for sweetness. 1t is said that of the >4 su)tas in the Rudram, about <; are the outpourings of Baharishi &utsa. 1t is also stated that &utsa Baharishi e(plained the allegories of the first laws of celestial bodies +he 2ro)shana Bantram goes as follows K^_%m 0hoo: %m 0huvaha: %m SuvahaK^`. 1t is said that water is a purifier. +he water gets the ability to purify anything that it touches. +his power is rested upon water through the 2ro)shana Bantram. +he +aittriya Samhita states that the Bantra 8rishtas of the above mantra are none other than #tri, 0hrigu " &utsa Baharishi.

A* 5eaning of -utsa
&utsa is indeed a very strange name. +he word &utsa means in Sans)rit fault'finding

%ne who engages in scolding or belittling others. -ow could such a name attach to one who was a great Bantra 8rish+aa in his own right besides being in the lineage of the renowned Baharishi #angirasa G 1t might mean that perhaps he was very e(asperated with the vagaries of the world and was vocally e(pressing his displeasure to the annoyance of those who were annoyed with him for his stentorian disciplining. #nd, therefore, this name got stuc) to him.

A( -utsa and Anpil temple

1t is, however, seen that even this great Rishi who was so strict in his own observances, once made a mista)e in pronouncing a Veda mantram and, therefore, was cursed to become a frog in the well. When he atoned for his lapse, Veda 2urusha told him that even while being a frog, he would remember his previous birth and will be relieved of the curse if he did penance in a 2ush)ara6i (-oly waters$ and prayed to Soundarara!a 2erumaaD in Vaalmi)i )sh,tram for 9> days. +his he did and was cured of his curse and regained his former self. +his Valmi)i )shetram is none other than #601D, the birthplace of Sage Vaalmi)i and one of the 3@> 8ivya 8,sams consecrated by +irumaEhisai #Ehwar. +he 2ush)ara61 is )nown as Bandoo)a 2ush)ara6i. (#uthority: +iruvarangam +iru))%yil (pages =7'=9$ of the official publication of Sri Ranganatha Swami 8evastaanam, Srirangam$ (1ncidentally, this is one of the many glories of #601D, #601D is situated ; miles east of Dalgudi, in +iruchy 8istrict, +amil 6adu$

A+ Prokshana manthram
We are familiar with the 2r%)sha6a mantram, %m 0hoo: 0huva: and Suvaha. +he Bantra drish+a of the fourth Vyaahriti Suvah. 1s none other than this &utsa Rishi. +he Veda Va)hya in +aittriya Samhita 4.<.; attests this fact thus: 0rahmavaadin% vadantyatbhir haveemshi prou)shee: )enaapa iti brahma6,ti brooyaat adbirhy,va haveemshi pr%)shati brahma6aapa: +his occurs in the aaga pra)ara6am in the Vedas as an answer to the Fuestion:

With what do you purify the offerings (havis$ ' 0y sprin)ling water

A<! -utsa mistaken for 0ndra b% 0ndrani herself

Rig Veda 9.3<.3@ mentions a conversation between Sage Vaamad,va and 1ndra which illustrates how &utsa and 1ndra were not only bosom friends but also were loo)'ali)es so much that at one stage 1ndra6i herself could not differentiate between them. She had to ascertain from the horses mouth of 1ndra himselfH 1t would appear that at the reFuest of &utsa who was the son of one Ra!arishi called Ruru, 1ndra helped in decimating Rurus enemies and invited &utsa to 1ndralo)a to celebrate the victory. 1t was then that the above incident happened. +here is a Soo)tam in Ri) Veda 3.3@<.< that consists of = mantras. +hough &utsa discovered this Soo)tam, he too) pride in calling it in con!unction with his #chaarya, #aangirasa as &utsa: #angeerasa:

A= -alidasa and -utsa

&aalidaasa commences the ;th Sargam of his Raghuvamsa with an invocation to &utsa. it was due to the blessings of Sage &outsa that fame of Raghu Vamsa was firmly established.

(! S87@'A-A G7T8RA5
Shauna)a is the name applied to teachers, and to a Sha)ha of the #tharvaveda. 1t is especially the name of a celebrated Sans)rit grammarian, author of the rig veda' 2ra`tibca`)hya, the 0rihad'devata`, the *araTdea'vybfha and other wor)s. -e is claimed as the teacher of &atyayana and especially of #shvalayana, and is said to have united the 0ash)ala and Sha)ala Sha)has of the Rigveda. 1n legend, he is sometimes identified with Gritsamada, a Vedic Rishi. #ccording to the Vishnu 2urana, Shauna)a was the son of Gritsamada, and invented the system of the four levels of human life.

* Shounaka and 5ahabharata

Shauna)a had a prominent role in the epic Bahabharata. +he epic Bahabharata was narrated to Shauna)a by a story teller named Cgrasrava Sauti during a conclave of sages headed by Shauna)a in a forest named 6aimisha. Souna)a, who learned all the 2uraa6as from the renowned Sootha 2ouraa6i)ar and publiciEed them to the world. 6ame of &utsa is found mentioned in the Vedas in about 9@ to ;@ conte(ts shows how the greatness of this Rishi is recogniEed in the Vedas.

=!: PARASARA G7T8RA

2arasbara is a Rigveda Baharishi and author of many ancient 1ndian te(ts. 2arasbcara was the grandson of Vasishtha, the son of Sha)ti'muni, and the father of Vyasa. +here are several te(ts, which give reference to 2arasbcara as the author.spea)er. Bodern scholars believe that there were many individuals who used this name throughout time. -indus believe that the same 2ara`bcara taught these various te(ts and the time of writing them varied. +he actual sage himself never wrote the te(ts, he was )nown as a traveling teacher, and the various te(ts attributed to him are given in reference to 2arasbcara being the spea)er to his student. 1 being a learner of astrology refer to 2arasara -ora sasthra

:* Parasara- sath%a vathi- 5ahabharata

0rahma created Vasishtha and with #rundhati had a son named Sha)ti'muni who had 2arasbcara. With Satyavati, 2arasbcara had Vyasa. Vyasa had 8hritarashtra, 2andu and Vidura through his dead brother/s wives. +hus 2arasbcara was the great' grandfather of both the warring parties of the Bahabharata, the &auravas and the 2andavas. 8e was present also during the time of hisma1s death

:(- Parasara was brought up b% ,asistha

2arasbara was raised by his grandfather, Vasishtha, because he lost his father at an early age. -is father, Sha)ti'muni, was on a !ourney and came across an angry Ra)shasa (demon$ who had once been a )ing but was turned into a demon feeding on

human flesh as a curse from Vishwamitra. +he demon devoured 2arasb/s father. 1n the Vishnu 2urana, 2arasbcara spea)s about his anger from this. 1nfact vasistha wanted to leave the world on griefg

:+ Te;ts attributed to sage ParNsOsara

#uthor of verses in the Rigveda: recorded as the author of RV 3.<;'=7 and part of RV ?.?=. 2arasbara Smriti (also called 2arasbcara 8harma Samhita$: a code of laws, which is stated in the te(t to be for the present &ali uga. Spea)er of Vishnu 2urana considered by scholars as one of the earliest 2uranas. I9J spea)er of the 0rihat 2arasbara -orab Sastra , also written as 02-S. 1t is considered a foundational te(t of astrology. +he Sans)rit in which it is composed dates to the =th or >th centuries *, Spea)er of the Vr)sayurveda (Pthe science of life of treesP$, one of the earliest te(ts on botany.I3J. +his te(t was considered to be an ancient botany primer for students of +raditional 1ndian Bedicine. Bahamuni parasara, -usband of Satyavati and the father of Vyasadeva. Baitreya was Bahamuni 2arasara/s diciple, so Vyasa and Baitreya were very close friends. -e was spiritual master of Bahara!a Aana)a and a great devotee of Dord Siva. -e is the author of many Vedic scriptures and sociological directions. We may be recollecting the verse'2arasaratma)a m vanthaee su)athathum thaponidhim in Vishnu sahasranam.

:<! Parasaramasmrithi- some interesting points

-e also manifested to the people living in the &ali uga his blessings in the scripture called 2arasar Smriti. Smriti created by sage 2arashar and )nown by his name as

/2arashar Smriti is the most benevolent for the modern &ali uga. 2arashar has himself said:

-R0T9 T@ 5A'A,7 B8AR5ASTR9TAEAA5 GA@TA57 S5R0TA8 PP B3APAR9 S8A'-8AL0-80TAA -ALA@ PARAS8ARA8 S5R0TA8 PP

Beaning' Banu Smriti was most relevant in Satya uga. 1n +reta, Smriti created by Gautam had most relevance whereas in 8wapar, Shan)h/s Smriti was mostly recogniEed. 0ut in &ali uga, it is 2arashar Smriti that by and large shows the way to the ignorant people. Sage 2arashar was the father of Vedvyasa. 1n the first chapter of this great treatise, Baharshi Vedvyasa reFuests his father to create such an ideologically and morally sufficient discipline that will help the people in &ali uga to overcome their woes.

SAR,AB8AR578A -R0T9 CATA8 SAR,9 'AS8TA8 -ALA@ E@G9 PP :8AAT@R,AR'EA5 SA5AA:8AARA5 -0':80T SAAB8AARA'A5 ,AB PP

Beaning' #ll these religions were created in Satya uga and would be destroyed in &ali uga. -ence, )indly outline some ordinary religious norms so that all the four classes could run their lives in a religious way. Sage 2arashar too was fully aware of the attenuation that religion would suffer in future on the basis of his deep )nowledge, that great sage contemplated on the problems which he thought would imminently afflict the religion in &ali uga. *hange is the only thing that remains constant in nature. Religion is also no e(ception to this rule. 1n twelve chapters, 2arashar Smriti preaches its whole moral discourses. *onduct and e(piation are the main sub!ects of contemplation here.

:<!*!8ow to treat a performed

eggar appearing while sraadha is

1f a beggar arrives when a 0rahmin household is offering sacrifices for the solace of his deceased ancestors, the 0rahmin must divide the cereals in two parts and should

reserve one to ma)e offerings and donate the other as alms to the beggar.

,A0S83AB9,-R0TA5 PAAPA5 S8A-T7 'A 80

80-S8@R,EAP780T@5 PP

80-S8@-R0TA'B7S8AA ',A0S8,AB9,7 ,EAP78AT0 PP

Beaning' +he sin committed un)nowingly while offering sacrifices to the dead ancestors is done away with by the beggar. 0ut, a crime committed against a beggar at such a moment is never done away with by the offering of sacrifices to the dead ancestors.

:!<!( 7ffering Sacrifices to the dead ancestors/

%ffering sacrifices to the dead ancestors is one of the five great agyas. 8uring this ritual, a 0rahmin should ma)e offerings to the sacred fire. +hen, he should use the remaining cereals to offer to the dead ancestors and also to the animals and birds. 1f a 0rahmin does not perform this ritual, he is bound to suffer severe torments in hell and ta)e reincarnation as a crow.

:!<!+ 'orms for Bining/

# 0rahmin should dedicate his food to God first. +hen he should ta)e it as a pious giving of God. While dining, a 0rahmin should not cover his head, should not face the south and should not put his hand on the left leg. +hese are all deeds characteristic of demons.

:!<!< B@T09S 72 A 375A'

Regarding the duties of a woman, sage 2arashar says that a woman, who doesnK^ht serve even her disabled husband faithfully, turns the family into a hell.

BAR0BRA5 ,EAAB80TA5 5@R-8A5 PP 8ARTAARA5 EAA 'A 5A'EAT9 PP SAA 5R0TAA CAEAAT9 ,EAAL0 PP ,A0B8A,EA':8A P@'A8 P@'A8 PP

Beaning' # woman, who does not regard her poor, diseased or ignorant husband, becomes a serpent after her death and faces widowhood again and again. #fter her monthly periods, a woman must crave for intercourse only in the company of her husband.

R80T@S'AATAA T@ EAA 'AAR0

8ARTAARA5 '7PASARPAT0 PP

SAA 5R0TAA 'AR-A5 EAAT0 ,0B83AA :8A P@'A8 P@'A8 PP

Beaning' # woman, who does not dedicate herself after her periods to her husband, goes to hell after her death and faces widowhood in subseFuent births.

:!<!=!B@T09S 72 A 8@S A'B

# husband, who does not accept the desire of his wife of having intercourse after her periods, commits a crime eFual to )illing an unborn child. Sage 2arashar asserts that, )illing an unborn child is more severe sin than )illing a 0rahmin. # sweet relation between the spouses is the )ey to a successful social life. -ence, they should help each other with dedication at the times of emergency. -usband should also respect his wife and behave accordingly even if she is a disabled person. *.9.< illegal relations +he tenth chapter describes the e(piation reFuired to wash the sins of having illegal carnal relations with women other than the wife. Sage 2arashar, it seems, had )nown that it would be a characteriEing feature of &ali uga. -ence, he says AGA5EAA GA5A'9 :8A0, S8@BB8A@ :8AA'BRAEA'AA5 :8AR9T PP Beaning' # man who has relations with other women than his wife, can get purified only by observing *handrayan Vrata (a fast devoted to the moon$.

+hose 0rahmins, who have illegal carnal relations with the women of low caste must observe a fast for three days and three nights continuously. +hen, he must get shaven of his head hair including the normal tuft of hair left otherwise. #nd ultimately, he should observe to 2ra!apatya Vrata.

:!<!) 'ightmares/
#ccording to 2arashar Smriti, nightmares are a)in to the sins and reFuire proper e(piation by ta)ing a bath. B@8S3AP'A5 EAB0 PAS8E9B3A ,A'T9 ,AA -S8@R-AR5A'0 PP 5AT8@'9E PR9TAB8@59 :8A S'A'A59, ,0B80EAT9 PP Beaning' 1f one has a nightmare in which he sees himself vomiting, getting shaven, having intercourse or sees smo)es rising above a cremation ground, one should get purified by ta)ing proper bath. +a)ing a proper bath, ill effects of a nightmare are removed.

:=! Parasara and Tirupuram kundram- Saravana Poikai

+he si( sons of sage 2arasara were cursed to become fishes in the Saravana 2oigai. %n reFuest for redemption, these si( boys were ordered to pray to Dord Subrahmanya. When they got his darsan, they could get redemption. 1t was also made )nown to them that Dord Subrahmanya would come to +irupparan)unram after vanFuishing the demon Surapadma. #n(iously they waited for the arrival of Subrahmanya. When the mission of Subrahmanya to vanFuish Surapadma was over at +iruchendur, on his way, he came to this spot followed by all the devas and heavenly beings whom he had released from the untold miseries caused by Surapadma. %n his arrival at +irupparan)unram, the sons of 2arasara received Subrahmanya and, at their reFuest, he consented to stay there. -e at once ordered Viswa)arma to construct a beautiful abode for himself, for the devas and for others.

-e also suggested to the heavenly architect to build roads and erect a city around them.

:?!

Parasa-

Limping

sage

2arasbara was )nown as the Plimping sageP. -e had his leg wounded during the attac) of his ashram.

Section ,00 *! Srivatsa Gothra (! ,atsa Gothram +! -ausika Gothram <!

Shadamarshna Gotra 6 'aithrupa -as%apa Gothram.

+he famous P8asagothramsP (ten Gothrams$ are : #athreya, 0harathwa!a, Gauthama, Aaamadagnya, &aasyapa, &aundinya, &ausi)a, Vaasishta, Vaatsa " Vishwaamitra! 1n 8wadasa gothrams the following additional gothras, apart from 8asa gothrams are told. +hese are: #gasthia, #angirasa, Gargi, -aritha, &anva, &utsa, Boudgalya, 6aithruva &asyapa, 2arasara, Sandilya, San)rithi, Shadarmarshna, Srivatsa " Vaadula.

We have already covered from the list of 9> gothras 74 already. +he remaining are 3< including the not covered itemsfrom the dasa gothras and dwadasa gothras. +he not covered Gothras from the list of dasa gothras and dwadasa gothras are the following:' a. Sri vatsa and b. vatsa Gothram c..&ousi)a Gothram d.. shadamasrana e. 6aidrupa )asyapa gothram. 1n this section =, these gothras are covered.

+A!Sreevatsa Gothra

1n the south a number of 0rahmin families belong to Sree vatsa Gothra. 1ncluding me too. 1n fact 1 started the write up trying to )now about sage Srivatsa. 1 could get very few references about sage Srivatsa.

+he Vedas reiterate the supremacy of Dord 6arayana who protects the entire creation. +he names and ad!ectives used to refer and describe -im further corroborate -is omnipotent nature.

%nce when the sages were discussing among themselves as to who was the protector of the entire manifestation, it was Sage Srivatsa who pointed out that it was Dord 6arayana who sustained the entire creation and related the instance of -is incarnation as Varaha (boar$ to protect Bother ,arth.

+he lineage for Srivatsa Gothra is from sage 0righu and Valmi)i. +he pravara has ; rishies 0hargava, chyavana, aplavana, aurva, Aamadagniya. We have covered 0hargava gothram and Aamadagni gothram too.

*orrectly pronounced shri vatsa bh#rgava, ch#yvana, #pnav#na, aurva, !#madagnya is the pravara. +hey are bh#rgavas, descendents of bhRiigu, !ust li)e g#lava who is also a branch of the bh#rgava clan. 1 have read from the net the pravara sages less being for fathers and gothra sage is the last Rishi. 1s it the reason we donOt have much about sage Srivatsas Sri vatsa is a mar) on the Dord VishnuOs chest and where Goddess De)shmi resides. ,very body )now the story of Baha Vishnu remained calm and as)ed 0righu whether he felt pain on his leg while hitting him.

0 reHuest learned readers to support m% write up about Srivatsa Gothra with their additional information!

<

,atsa Gothra

+he sage Vatsa is refered in 2adma purana e(plaing the glories of chapter 39 by Dord Siva to 2arvathi Dord Shiva said P% 2arvati, )indly hear from me the glories of the Fourteenth *hapter of the irjmad 0hagavad'gjtX, with the greatest attention.

1n Simhaladvip was a )ing of the name Vi)rama'Vetala. %ne day, when he was going to the forest for hunting, he too) his son and two hunting dogs along with him. When he reached the forest he released one dog to chase a rabbit. When that dog was chasing it, the rabbit loo)ed as if it was flying. Running and running, that rabbit reached a beautiful hermitage, which was very peaceful. 8eer were sitting happily under the shade of the trees, and mon)eys were !oyfully eating the fruits of those trees. +he cubs of the tigers were playing with the baby elephants, and sna)es were crawling over the peacoc)s.

1n this forest, the great sage Vatsa lived, who worshipped Dord &rishna by reciting the Fourteenth *hapter of the irjmad 0hagavad'gjtX.

6ear the ashram of Vatsa, one of his disciples was washing his feet while chanting the Fourteenth *hapter of irjmad 0hagavad'gjtX. +he earth at that spot became wet. Aust then that rabbit came running and slipped in the mud. 1mmediately that rabbit attained a heavenly body. #n airplane came down, pic)ed him up and too) him off to the heavenly planets. #fter a moment, the dog arrived there in search of the rabbit, and he also slipped in the mud. -e gave up that dog body, attained a heavenly body and was also ta)en off to the heavenly planets.

Seeing all of this, the disciple of Bahara!a Vatsa started to laugh. &ing Vi)rama'Vetala, having witnessed those amusing events, inFuired from that brahmana, P-ow is it possible that the rabbit and the dog went off to heaven in front of our eyessP +hat 0rahmana said, P1n this forest, a great sage of the name Vatsa, who has completely conFuered his senses, is always engaged in chanting the Fourteenth *hapter of the irjmad 0hagavad'gjtX. 1 am his disciple, and 1 am also by his grace always engaged in chanting the Fourteenth *hapter of the srjmad 0hagavad'gjtX. 8ue to that rabbit and dog slipping in the mud which had been made wet from the water which had washed my feet, they both attained the higher planets.

6ow 1 will tell you the reason why 1 was laughing. 1n Baharashtra there is the town of the name 2ratudha). # brahmana of the name &eshava had lived there. -e was the most cruel of men. -is wife/s name was Vilobbana. She was a very loose lady who

always en!oyed the company of other men. For this reason, her husband became very angry and )illed her. 1n her ne(t life she became that dog, and that brahmana &eshava, due to his sinful activities, became that rabbit.P

Dord Shiva said, P#fter hearing the glories of the Fourteenth *hapter of irjmad 0hagavad'gjtX, &ing Vi)rama'Vetala also began daily reciting the Fourteenth *hapter of irjmad 0hagavad'gjtX.

When he gave up that body, he went to Vai)untha, where he was able to engage eternally in the service of the lotus feet of Dord Vishnu.

+he pravars of vatsa gothra is 7 only Vatsa '0hargava,

and not ; li)e Srivatsa Gothra. #planavana.

Syavana,

+here is a referance of vatsa )ing also. 0ut there is nothing about he became a sage li)e Viswamithra.

= :!-ousika Gothra
&ing &ousi)a was &shatriya, &aushi) gotra is also of many &shatriyas too. *ertain te(t Vishwamitra has been refered as 0rahmarshi while &aushi) as Ra!arshi.

+he 0hrugu gotra families consider good fortune to get a girl from this family. Aamdagni/s mother Satyavati was Vishwamitras sister, and his wife Renu)a was also a &shatriya. -ence it can be seen that the Gotras of &shatriyas have a very solid foundation.

,ishwamitra&ousi)a &ausi)a gothra (&usi)a$ have

*+
different

sub
pravara #agamarsha6a,

lineage
sages from ]

Rishis$
Viswamithra. +hrayarsheya.

Vaiswamithra,

&ausi)a

Viswamithra' Vaiswamithra, 8evaraatha, #uthala ] +hrayarsheya.

+here is also a version actually &ausi)a was the grandfather of Vishwamitra (&ausi)a$, but feel this do not hold water from the following Fuotes form the R#m#ya6a #yodhya &anda Rama Sarga spo)e 74, affectionately slo)ha to 33 Da)shmana to 4@34. 34.

asfollows.

37,39.Rama then told Da)shmana to invite sages #gastya and &ousi)a and shower them 3;,3<.Ramatells with costly gifts.

Da)shmanatodonateapalanFuin,scarificialpedastalsandsil)clothesto

thosewhoarewellversedinvedasandtaitriyaupanishad. ,very body )now about ogavasistha incident and after that Sri rama and De)shmana proceed with sage &ousi)a(Viswamithra$.

+he day/s !ourney brought them to the ban) of the Sona RiverN Rama as)ed: PRevered Sir, this region appears rich and prosperousM what is its name and history, 1 would li)e to )now.P

Viswamitra replied, PRamaH 0rahma had a son through sheer Will. -e was named &usaM he was a great ascetic, steadfast and strict in vows, heroic in spiritual adventure, learned in the science of morals. -e wedded the daughter of the noble ruler of Vidarbha... +hey had four sons ' &usamba, &usanabha, #dhoorthara!a)a and Vasu. &usa divided the world into four parts and assigned one part to each of them, directing them thus: PSonsH Rule over the part assigned to each of you and prosperHP ,ach of them started constructing a capital city for the )ingdom ' &usamba built &ausambi, &usanabha built Bahodaya, #doorthara!a)a built 8harmaranya and Vasu built Girivra!a.

RamaH +his area is part of the )ingdom of VasuM we have all around us five hills, and so, this *ity is called Girivra!a (*ollection of -ills$. +his auspicious Sona river is also )nown as Sumagadhi, so that this region is named Bagadha. +he Bagadhi flows from east to west here, li)e a !asmine garland placed among the mountain valleys. +he ma!esty of Vasu has blessed the land on both ban)s of this river to be ever green and

plentiful. +he second son, &usanabha, was well established in 8harmaM he was a pillar of Righteousness. -e had a number of daughters, but, no sonN.. +hey were later given in marriage ' all of them ' to the ruler of &ampilya *ity, 0rahmadatta by name. When they all left for that *ity, his house became empty and barren.. 1f only 1 had a son, this calamity would not have overpowered me.P +hus, -e entertained the longing for a son. Aust then, his father, &usa, happened to visit him and he enFuired the reason why he loo)ed sad and full of concernM the son laid bare before him his mind and its an(ieties. &usa chided him for becoming so worried for this particular reasonM he blessed him that he get a son soon. #nd, as he blessed, so it happened. +he son born was named GaadhiM he grew up to a very devoted virtuous princeM since he was born in the lineage of &usa he was )nown as &ousi)a.

-is sisters lost their husbands after some time and as dutiful wives, they immolated themselves and gained heaven. +hey were born on the -imalayas as sacred rivers which !oined together to form the famous &ousi)i river. &ousi)a was attached very much to the eldest of the sisters, Sathyavathi by name and so, he too) residence on the ban) of this river, and established himself at Siddha asram, and celebrated the a!na he had resolved upon with ceremonial rectitudeN

#t this, the mon)s who had gathered around the sage e(claimed, P%, how wonderfulH Really, we are fortunate that we could listen to the story of the hoary ancestors of our BasterH #nd started praisingN

Viswamitra interrupted them and said, P1 would not have dwelt on all this, but, RamaH our Fuestion prompted me to replyM 1 do not give details regarding this body and its antecedents. 1t is already nightM let us ta)e rest.

+hat night, every one was ruminating over the tales of the forefathers of the Baster. +he story of Vishvamitra is narrated in the 0ala)anda of Valmi)i RamayanaI3J. +he Bahabharata adds that Vishvamitra/s relationship with Bena)a resulted in a daughter, Sha)untala whose story is narrated in the #di 2arva of the Bahabharata.

-is story also appears in various 2uranas, however they show variations from the Ramayana. 2eople belonging to the Visvamitra Gotra consider 0rahmarishi Visvamitra as their ancestor. 2eople belonging to &aushi)a Gotra ta)e Ra!arishi &ausi)a as their root. &ausi)a was one of the names of Visvamitra.

33 Royal clans of ?< clan of Barathas belong to &aushi) gotra including the illustrious house of Shiva!i and Rashtra)utas.

4 more clans belong to the Vishvamitra gotra. &aushi)a gotra also belongs to 0aish clan of ra!put which includes in the suryavanshi ra!put.

Some 0rahmins in South Gu!arat, +amil 6adu and #ndhra 2radesh also have &aushi).&oushi) as a family Gotra. Some of the )umauni region 0rahmin li)e 0hatt also belongs to &aushi) gotra. References k Valmi)i Ramayana.

Gautama n%a%a sutram, *!(?

+he 4> Saiva #gamas are said to have been revealed from all the five faces of Siva. +he first four taught five #gamas each, while the last, 1sana, gave rise to eight.

+he Sadyo!ata face revealed the &ami)a,

oga!a, *intya, &arana and #!ita. +hese were

taught to &ausi)a Rishi. +he rishis who received the agamas were &ausi)a, &asyapa, 0haradva!a, Gautama and #gastya. 2lease note that these are all rig vedic rishis, therefore the rig veda and the agamas could not have been revealed at vastly different times.

?B Shatamarshana Gothram
#ll of them are devotees of Sriman 6arayana and are Staunch Vaishnavas.

#bout Shatamarshana Gothram lineage, 0efore Shatamarshana: #n)iras, 2urugutsar and +rasadasyu were all born in this Gothram. Shatamarshana gothris are called Sreshtars or Sottai &ulam people in +amil. #alawandar refers to his reputed Dineage referring to his grandfather 6ata Buni " Shatamarshana thi s way:: P Aanitvaham Aagati Bahati &yata asasamP( Stotra Ratna)aram.$ 2.#. Ranganatha +atacharya has written about the glory this Gothram in his monographP Shatamarshana Gothra 2rabhavamP.

Bandyam iyengars in )arnata)a have this gothram.6atha Buni, #alavandar( aamuna Buni$ belong to this Gothram.

0rahma according to 2uranas had 9 sons:#tri, 0hrigu,Vasishta and #n)iras. +heir lines are as follows: 3. #n)iras$ Shatamarshana (2enance in the middle of Five fires at -aridhwar and got the boon that the Sata Vayu will not affect him. Similar to the case of Sata)opan (6ammalwar later$. -is predecessors, 2uru)utsar and +raasa 8asyu were authorities on Rig Vedam.+ras is made up of 7 &inds of fear. Since these htree )inds of fear ran away fro him out of fear for his 2ower derived from penance,-e is called +rasa 8hasyu. #ll the three Rishis (#n)iras, 2uru)utsar,+rsadasyu$ are thus included in the 2ravaram of Shatamarshana Gothris. 1n ancient vedic times such transformations, usually involving marriage relationships with famous 0rahmin family resulted in )shatriyas becoming br#hma6as: maudgalya (descendents of )ing bhRkimy#shva$, sha8marSha6as (descendents of great i)shv#)u )ing trasadasyu$, v#dhulas (descendents of )ing v1tayhavya, the haihaya yadu$ etc became 0rahmins.

)9 'aitruva kaas%apa gothram

1t is debated among scholars that the name &aasyapa may be generic and many Sages too) pride in calling themselves as &aasyapas with additions. #lso it may be li)ely, e(planation, is that a group of descendants decided to split from the main group and started their own branch of this line.

#s such it appears to me since only one sage change in the pravara of this gothra it can be an off shoot of the &ashyapa Gothra.

&ashyapa ' &asyapa, #avatsaara, Sandilya, 6aitruva )ashyapa' &asyapa, #avatsara, 6aitruva. +he gothra is correctly pronounced as the naidhruva )#shyapa gotra. +he Rkishis were avats#ra, naidhruva were descendent of )ashyapas and authors of the som#dhy#ya of the ?th ma68ala of the Rkigveda. +he peculiarity of this gotra is the soma only #pr1, unli)e the agni #pr1s of the other gotras.

Section ,000 *! Lohita Gothra, (! -apila Gotra, +! Bathaathre%a gothra, <! Galava gothra, =! 5athanga Gothra, ?! Sur%a Batta gothra, )! 5ithrasu Gothra, A! -ausala gothram, F! :harora Gotra, *G! Bhalab%a gothra 6 **! ,ishnu Gothra!

The following gothras are covered in this write up! a. Dohit Gothra c. 8attthreya Gothra e. Bathanga Gothra g. Bithrasu Gothra i. charora gothra ). Vishnu Gothra b. &apila Gothra d. Galava Gothra f. Surya data Gothra h. &aushal gothra !. 8alabhya gothram '

+a!L780T

G7T8RA

Dohit literal meaning in sans)rit means /red/ colour. Dohit is an 1ndian name. Widely used by -indus. Dohit indicates.symboliEes good luc), good omen. 1n 1ndia, people give importance for /red/ color especially during some auspicious occasions li)e /poo!a/,a red color powder called /)um)um/which indicates the power of Goddess 8urga. Dohith means red Dohitagni is red flame. Bany Bandyam iyengars of &arnata)a have this gothram.

<b!-apila

Gothram

Bost of us )now story of 8evhuti married to aged sage &ardam. Sage &ardam had a condition that he will remain with her till progency is achieved.

#t appropriate time, 8evhuti gave birth to nine beautiful daughters. With the birth of nine daughters, the resolution of &ardam was completed.

8evhuti said' 0ut we are all in your refuge. 0efore deserting us, tell me finding suitable grooms for the daughters is the responsibility of the father.

-e assured his wife: P 8evi, don/t be sad, Very soon, the Dord will appear as your son. -ence, from now on, start worshipping God with faith and devotion and follow self' control. +hus, 8evhuti began worshipping the Dord. #t appropriate time, the Dord appeared as her son &apil.

Beanwhile, 0rahma also came there with nine 2ra!apatis and at his insistence, &ardam married his daughters to those nine 2ra!apatis. &alaa was married to Barich, #nusuya to #tri, Shraddha to #ngiraM -avirbhu to 2ulastya, Gati to 2ulah, &riya to &ratu, &hyati +o 0righu and #rundhati was married to sage Vashishtha.

#fter the appearance of the Dord as &apil, he preached &ardam. +hereafter, &ardam went to the forests. +here, he felt the all pervasive 2armatma in his own #tma(soul$ and thus attained 2arampada( the supreme status$.

0ac) in the hermitage, 8evhuti too felt the futility of lust. She, therefore reFuested &apil for her salvation. &apil preached her about oga, )nowledge and devotion towards the Dord. When her prayers were over, &apil too) her permission and went to the forests. 8evhuti stayed at the hermitage and meditated on the Dord. #fter several years, 8evhuti attained salvation and that place is now )nown as Siddhipad. 1t is situated on the ban)s of the river Saraswati. -aving freed herself from all )inds of sins, 8evhuti/s body became holy and assumed the form of a river. ,ven today, all devotees who are blessed with whatever they desire, venerate it.

&apila is the father of the San)hya philiosphy. Veda Vyasa tells us that he is an #vatar of Vishnu and that he is the son of &ardama Baharshi and 8evahuti.

+he first philosophy that Sri &rishna discusses in the 0hagavad Gita is the San)hya philosophy. 2atan!ali the author of the follower &apila of protested against the the oga Sutras and the Bahabhasya was a San)hya sacrifice of philosopy. animals in a!na.

#s per the 6arada 2urana: &apila had an #srama in 2atala. +he sons (<@,@@@ and one$ of &ing Sagara thought that &apila had stolen their sacrificial horse and they entered 2atala. +hey disturbed &apila, who turned them to ashes with a glare. +he 6agas fled 2atala in fear. Sagara adopted his grandson, #mshuman and sent him to 2atala to recover the horse. #mshuman respectfully approached &apila and recovered the horse. (6ote the number <@,@@@ ' that is a clue to an astronomical significanceN. which we shall e(plore later$. #nd then 0hagiratha storyN.

=c

BATTT8R9EA

G7T8RA5

+he 8att#treya gotra while not seen in south 1ndia is seen amongst -imachalis and &ashmiris they all descend from the great atri bhauma the first of the #tris. #s every body )now the story of birth of 8attathreya to sage #tri to#nasuya ,it is not detailed here.

?d!Galava

gothra

Galava gothra, has limited descendents are found even in 6orth 1ndia, 1 am not sure about south 1ndia.

)e

5athanga

gothra

1n the Ramayana, Baharishi Batanga was a man who was brought up as a 0rahmin but was the son of a *handala. 1t possibly refers to many different persons. 1n the Ramayana, Rama and Da)shman visited the hermitage of Batanga near the

Rishyamu)a mountain and met the devotional tribal woman, Shabari. -is story, as told in the Bahabharata, relates that he was mercilessly goading an ass/s foal which he was driving. +he mother ass, seeing this, tells her foal that she could e(pect no better, for her driver was no 0rahmin but a *handala. Batanga, addressing the ass as Pmost intelligent,P begged to )now how this was, and was informed that his mother when into(icated had received the embraces of a low'born barber, and that he, the offspring, was a *handala and no 0rahmin.

1n order to obtain elevation to the position of a 0rahmin, he went through such a course of austerities as to alarm the gods. 1ndra refused to admit him. -e persevered again for a hundred years, but still 1ndra persistently refused such an impossible reFuest, and advised him to see) some other boon. 6othing daunted, he went on a thousand years longer, with the same result. +hough de!ected he did not despair, but proceeded to balance himself on his great toe. -e continued to do this for a hundred years, when he was reduced to mere s)in and bone, and was on the point of falling. 1ndra went to support him, but ine(orably refused his reFuest, and, when further importuned, Pgave him the power of moving about li)e a bird, and changing his shape at will, and of being honoured and renowned.P

+he Sage Batanga is renowned as the one who was granted the boon of having his prayer granted, that the supreme 8ivine Bother (God as Bother$ be born in his family as his own daughter.

Af Sur%a data Gothra and Fg 5ithrasa Gothra

6ote' 1 have combined the two since orgin of both the gothras are same.

Sa)aldwipiya 0rahmins or 0ho!a)a 0rahmins, is a class of -indu priests and #yurveda teachers (acharyas$,I3J with concentrations in Western' and 6orthern 1ndia. +he Sa)aldwipiyas are also )nown as Baga 0rahmins. #lso )nown as Baga 0rahmins are the Suryadhwa!a 0rahmins, who however consider themselves to be distinct from the Sa)aldwipiya.0ho!a)a 0rahmins.

+he Sa)aldwipiya 0rahmin community of 1ndia identify themselves as having 1ranian roots, and assert that they inherit their by'name maga from a group of priests who established themselves in 1ndia as the Baga'8ias or Baga'0rahmanas.

+he doctrinal basis for that assertion is 0havishya 2urana 377, which may be summariEed as follows:
&rishna/s son Samba was afflicted with leprosy, which was cured after he worshiped Surya, -induism/s Sun God. 1n response, he built a temple to Surya on the ban)s of the *handrabhaga river, but no competent 0rahmin could be found to ta)e up the role of priest in the temple. So Samba sought help of Gauramu)ha, the adviser of the yadu chief, Cgrasena.

Gauramu)ha responded with a suggestion that Samba go to Sha)dvipa and invite their priests to worship Surya. Further, as)ed Samba, Ptell me, oh 0rahmin, what are the antecedents of these worshipers of the SunGP

+o which Gauramu)ha replied... P+he first of the 0rahmins amidst the Sha)has was called /Su!ihva./ -e had a daughter of the name 6i)shubha, who so enamored Surya that she was impregnated by him.

+hus she gave birth to Aarashabda who was the founding father of all the Baga' #charya. +hey are distinguished by the sacred girdle called the #vyanga that they wear around their waist.P #nd so Samba called on &rishna to send him Garuda, on whose bac) he then flew to Sha)adwipa. -e collected the Baga'#charya, brought them bac) to 1ndia and installed them as priests of his Surya temple. +he lineage married 0ho!a vamsa women and so their descendants came to be )nown as 0ho!a)as. #s such, the Sa)aldwipiya are one of only twoIbJ 0rahmin groups who are said to have originated outside 1ndia, even if about half their clan names (gotras$ are the same as those of other 0rahmins. Whatever their original beliefs, by the time the 0havishya 2urana 377 was composed the Sa)aldwipiyas were identified as devotees of Surya, -induism/s deity of the Sun (cf. -var$.

SubseFuently, in Vrihata samhita <@.3?, Varahamihira directs that the installation of the Surya images should be made by the maga, as they were the first to worship the divinity. %ther te(ts en!oin that the images of Surya should be dressed li)e a northerner with the legs covered, that he should wear a coat and a girdle. +he early

representations of the divinity actually follow these in!unctions, and early iconography depicts the deity in central #sian dress, replete with boots.

Sha)dwipi 0rahamins do in fact appear to have been instrumental in the construction of Sun temples in different part of the country, to include &ashmir, &athiawad and Somnath in Gu!arat, 8holpur in Ra!asthan, -issar in Aodhpur, 0haratput and &ha!uraho in Badhya pradesh, &onar) in %rissa and 8eo, 2unyar), 8ev)und and Cmga in 0ihar. +he tale of the arrival of the Sa)aldwipiyas appears to have been part of living tradition for many centuries. +he Govindpur inscription of 337='337> refers to a maga family of Gaya, 0ihar that was celebrated for its learning, Vedic scholarship and poetic faculty, and who descended from one of the original Samb invitees.

6ote' 8o these people are parta)ing as 0rahmins in gaya for our Gaya sraadhaG +he doubt now come to me from their appearance, comple(ion and behaviour. 1t was my e(perience while performing Gaya sraddha about ;@ or 0rahmins came for different sraadhas. +hey !ust touched all food items andate ma(imum four handful of items. +he 0rahmins of the Godda district in Cttar 2radesh li)ewise trace their lineage to the original invitees. +he maga'vya)ti of &rishnadas Bishra is an elaboration of the legend. +he 0ho!a)as are also mentioned in the inscriptions of Baurya #sho)a and &haravela +he # -istory of 0rahmin *lans states that lX)advjpj 0rahmins have a love for traditional (Sans)rit$ )nowledge and their Sams)Xras are li)e those of the Baithil 0rXhamanas, although matrimonial and other customary relations with Baithil (or other 0rahmins$ are not in vogue.

Pthey wear long called maga

a!nopavita at the age of > years, )eep Fuiet while eating, li)e to because they read the Vedas in haphaEard ways.P

)eep beards li)e sages, perform agnihotra, and charmed with mantras, and were

+he Sa)aldwipiya centre was at Bagadha. #ccording to their tradition, they are identified by their purs rather than by their lineage.

+here are altogether 37 lX)advjpj gotras: &XUyapa, Garga, 2XrXUara, 0hrigu.0hargava, &auinya, &ausala, 0haradwa!, Vasu, Suryadatta.#r)adatta, 6ala, 0havya Bani and

BihrXsu. Ba!or Sa)aldwipiya centers are in Ra!asthan in Western 1ndia and near Gaya in 0ihar. +he term /0ho!a)a/ is popular in the western states while /Sa)advipi/ and its numerous variations is typical for the north and east. +he terms /Graham Vipra/ and /#charya 0rahmin/ are common in West 0engal and Ra!asthan. %ne of the Sa)aldwipiya groups, the /Suryadhwa!a/ 0rahmins, are endemic to 6orthern 1ndia and is the only Sha)adwipiya group classified as &ashmiri 2andits.

+he 0ho!a)as are historically associated with several Aain temples in Gu!arat and Ra!asthan, where they serve as priests and attendants. Some of the Sha)dwipi 0rahmins of 0ihar and Cttar pradesh are #yurvedic physicians, some are priests in Ra!put families, while yet others are landholders.

*G

-oushal

gothra

Specifically in -aryana and 2un!ab Gaur 0rahmins from &aushal Dineage are found. +hese 0rahmins are the direct descendents of -iranyabha )aushalya Rishi, a teacher of great 1ndian Sage agnaval)ya. References to &aushalya Rishi can be found upon research in Shrimad 0hagwat Baha 2uran. Bany )hatris also use &aushal as their gotra, however it remains unclear as to the connection between this and the 0rahmin lineage. 1t is a matter of speculation whether it is a result of Guru Shishya 2arampara where students too) pride in being identifed by the Gotra of their teacher, or whether it is something totally diverse having no connection at all. +he Gaur 0rahmins of -aryana are indigenous to -aryana and in some cases it is said that they originally came from 0engal a long time ago.

&aushal Ra!vir was the special name and famous )ing in the 1ndian history. 1t is said that he had ;3< Fueens in his mahal for his pleasure.

+he word &aushal in 8evnagri +hesaurus (-indi language$ means *lever or 2erfect or S)illful.S)illed. &aushal is also very common first name for people originating from Gu!arat,0ihar,

1ndia,

West

coast

region

of

1ndia.

&aushals were the special names given to -indu )ings by their gurus. Bost of the -indu &ings had &aushals as their 2riests. +heir origin was in 6orth 1ndia " near the areas of 2un!ab " -imachal 2radesh,0ihar.

&aushals were traditionally renowned for their )nowledge of astrology and spiritual healing. 1ts mainly used as a Surname or Dast 6ame (e.g. #tul &aushal$ by few of the members of vast 1ndian 0rahmin *ommunity mainly from 6orthern region. %n the other hand it can also be used as an 1ndian First 6ame of a person as a 6oun (e.g. &aushal &adecha$.

**i

:harora

gothra

*harora is one of the gotras in Sanadhya 0rahmins. *haroras live in 0haratpur district of Ra!asthan state in 1ndia.

Sanadya 0rahmin (or Sanadh$ are a community of 0rahmins, living prominently in Western Cttar 2radesh area of 1ndia.

Sanadhya Samhita gives an account of the origin of the Sanadhya community. Dord Ramachandra of #yodhya invited some #di Gauda 0rahmins to conduct a ya!na. #s da)shina he gave villages to =;@ of them, who came to be called Sanadhya. +hey were engages in tapa, thus came to be called Sanadhya.

#n alternative theory is that since they worship Dord Sun (or Surya$ (S)t san$, they are called Sanadhya. Si)h Guru Gobind Singh has mentioned that his ancestors once lived in the Sanadh region, this may have been the region from where the Sanadhya originated. 1n the 3?th and 4@th national convention of &anya)ub!a 0rahmins by &anya)ub!a Bahati Sabha, in 3?4< and 3?4= respectively, an earnest appeal was made for unity among and &anya)ub!a 0rahmins whose different branches included Sanadhya, 2ahadi(&umaun 0rahmins$, Au!houtia, Saryupareen, *hattisgadhi, 0humihar 0rahmins different 0engali 0rahmins.

Sanadhyas are a dominant section of north 1ndian 0rahmins, most numerous in Gangetic 8oaba region and they touch the &anau!ias on the north west e(tending over central Rohil)hand, and the part of the upper central duab from 2ilibhit to Gwalior. Sanadhya 0rahmins ma)e a triumvarate along with )anya)ub! 0rahmins and 0engali brahimns in practicing the doctroine of nobility M li)e biswa system of )anya)ub! 0rahmins and )uleen system of 0engali 0rahmins, the sanadhyas rigourusly practice the /allh/ system to !eaously safeguard the purity of their blood. +hey are branch of #di Gauda 0rahmins, RtviE of ashwmegh ya!na performed by Dord Sri Rama and have matrimonial relations in their own fold and #di Gauda 0rahmins.I;J +hey have matrimonial relations with )anya)ub! 0rahmins as well.

Bigration and infiltration of Sanadhya 0rahmins into central 1ndia from the north too) place after the fall of Barathas. 1n the beginning of the 3?th century by 3>4@ #8 families of Sanadhyas started to migrate to the 6armada valley e(tending from Bandla to -oshangabad and so also into the Balwa from Vidisha to C!!ain and 1ndore.

*(

Balabh%a

gothram

8alabhya is a sage mentioned in the *handogya Cpanishad. -is lineage is the 8alabhya gotra. +he *handogya Cpanishad describes a conversation between sages Shila), 8alabhya and 2ravahana. +he sage is also mentioned in the 0havisya'uttara 2urana where the sage 2ulastya narrates him the story of &rishna ta)ing the form of a mendicant. Xs)a (<th';th centuries 0.*. according to Shu)la, Georgetown Cniversity$ was a Sans)rit grammarian who preceded 2Xnini. -is famous te(t is 6iru)ta, which deals with etymology, le(ical category and the semantics of words. -e is thought to have succeeded lX)anXyana, an old grammarian and e(positor of the Vedas, who is mentioned in his te(t. -e is sometimes referred to as teacher$. +he 6iru)ta attempts to e(plain how certain words get to have their meanings, especially in the conte(t of interpreting the Vedic te(ts. 1t includes a system of rules Xs)a XcXrya (XcXrya o

for forming words from roots and affi(es, and a glossary of irregular words, and formed the basis for later le(icons and dictionaries. 1t consists of three parts, viE.:(i$ 6aighantu)a, a collection of synonymsM (ii$ 6aigama, a collection of words peculiar to the Vedas, and (iii$ 8aivata, words relating to deities and sacrifices.

+he niru)ta was one of the si( vedangas or compulsory ritual sub!ects in syllabus of Sans)rit scholarship in ancient 1ndia.

*(k

,ishnu

gothra

Bany people proclaim they are either Vishnu gothra or siva gothra. +hey are Vaishanvites or Saivites. Bostly Vaisya community is found telling this gothram.

*+ Appended items
3. #tri Gothra' Sri 8urvasa, the venerable one, was /born/ into one of the most illustrious family. -e is the son of #tri Baharshi, and Sri #nasuya devi. 4. Viswamithra gothra' 1n +amilnadu and #ndhra they are about a 4@p of the 0rahmins. Several )shatriya lines of andhras, li)e shatav#hanas also claim descent from Vishvamitra.

Vishv#mitra/s clan a famous )shatriya clan became a 0rahmin clan' the )aushi)a gotra. Vishvamitra, the grand author of the gayatri mantras in the rig veda is also the author of the +riyamba)a mantra (aum triyamba)am ya!amahe$.

+$

,adula

Gothra

and

5oudgala%a

gothras

1n ancient vedic times such transformations, usually involving marriage relationships with famous 0rahmin family resulted in )shatriyas becoming br#hma6as: maudgalya (descendents of )ing bhRkimy#shva$, sha8marSha6as (descendents of great i)shv#)u )ing trasadasyu$, v#dhulas (descendents of )ing v1tayhavya, the haihaya yadu$ etc became 0rahmins.

<$

haradwa>a and

harga va gothras

1n more later times many 0rahmins assumed )shatriya'hood. +he bharadv#!a family gave rise to the shunga )ings, )#6va family to the )#6va dynasty, the maitreya family to the maitra)a )ings, the bh#rgava family to the famous gaqnga dynasty of south 1ndia.

=! -ausika, -as%apa,

haradva>a, Gautama and Agasthia gothras!

+he 4> Saiva #gamas are said to have been revealed from all the five faces of Siva. +he first four taught five #gamas each, while the last, 1sana, gave rise to eight. +he Sadyo!ata face revealed the &ami)a, oga!a, *intya, &arana and #!ita. +hese were taught to &ausi)a Rishi. +he Vamadeva face gave rise to 8ipta, Su)shuma, Sahasra, #msumat and Suprabheda, and taught them to &asyapa Rishi. +he #ghora face revealed Vi!aya, 6isvasa, Svayambhuva, #gneya (or #nala$ and Vira, and gave them to sage 0haradva!a. +he +atpurusha gave rise to Raurava, Bu)ata, Vimala, *handra!nana and Bu)habimba (or 0imba$, and taught them to Sage Gautama. +he 1sana face revealed 2rodgita, Dalita, Siddha, Santana, Sarvo)ta, 2arameswara, &irana and Vatula to Sage #gastya.

?!

-AS8EAPA

G7T8RA

+he 0hagavata 2urana states that the #psaras were born from &ashyap and Buni. 1n the family line of &ashyapa, along with him there are two more discoverers of Bantras, namely, his sons #vatsara and #sita. +wo sons of #vatsara, namely, 6idhruva and Rebha, are also Bantra'seers. #sita had a son named Shandila, from whom the famous Shandilya family line (Gotra$ started.

)! -A',A G7T8RA
Since Viswamitra fought with Vasistha, and &anva raised ViswamitraOs daughter, we )now that they all lived around the same time. &anva Rishi #shram on the ban)s of river Balini, 94 )m from -aridwar. &anva does not figure in any of the lists of SaptaRishis. -e was not one of the Rishis that Satyavrata Banu brought over in his boat. We )now him through his Vedic Bantras and through a beautiful play called #bhignyana Sa)untalam written by a great poet called &alidasa about Viswamitra, Bena)a, Sa)untala, 8ushyanta, &anva, 8urvasa and 0harata.

A!

Gouthama

gothra

Sita #Rama%an$ belongs to Ea>ur ,eda, She belongs to Pravara consisting of the three Rishis viQ!, Aangirasa, Aa%aas%a and Goutama, She belongs to Goutama Gotra!

R@9ST07' 6 A'S39R on I G7T8RA *ompiled by Gopala)rishna Ramaiyer, (Retd. #GB, 0S6D$, +ambaram, *hennai

R-G*! 3here do we have ma;imum

rahmins in 0ndia4

#'@3. 0rahmins even in Cttar 2radesh, where they are most numerous, constitute !ust ? percent. 1n +amil 6adu they form less than 7 percent and in #ndhra 2radesh they are less than 4 percent. R-G(! 8ow man% sages are there as profounder of Bharma Sasthras4 #'@4. +wenty'one Rishis were the profounder of 8harma Sastras. +here is a lot of contradiction among these 8armasastras, even within one

Smriti. +hese differences in the rules and rituals resulted in the rigid stratification of sub'castes among 0rahmins. 6one of these smritis is supreme and universally applicable throughout the 1ndian Sub'continent. +he oldest among these 8harma Sutras are #pasthambha, 0audhayana, Gautama and Vasishta Sutras. #pasthambha: #pasthambha, &rishnaya!urveda #pasthambhaOs a native School. teachings of -e are #ndhra belonged called *ountry, to fifth belonged century to 0*. or

#pasthambhasutra

#pasthambhasmriti. audha%ana/ # odha%ana$ 0audhayana also belonged to &rishnaya!urveda School and was an inhabitant of #ndhra *ountry. 0audhayanaOs teachings are called 0audhayanasutra or 0audhayanasmriti. rihaspati/ 0rihaspati was probably the first !urist to ma)e a clear distinction between civil and criminal !ustice. a!naval)ya referred to 0rihaspati Gautama/ Gautama was the most ancient sage of all 0rahmin lawgivers. -e was Fuoted by 0audhayana and belonged to Samaveda School. GautamaOs teachings are called Gautamasutra 8arita/

0audhayana

and

Vasishta

in

their

8harmasutras

Fuote

-arita.

-aritasmriti or -aritasutra is an e(tensive wor). -at%a%ana/ a!naval)ya mentions &atyayana. &atyayanasmriti is Fuoted in several wor)s of Viswarupa, Bitramisra etc. Smriti *handri)a cites <@@ verses of &atyayana sutras. -e may belong to the same period as 6arada and 0rihaspati. 5anu/ Banu is a mythical personality and is the ancestor of the entire human)ind. Banu received the code from 0rahma, and communicated it to ten sages and reFuested 0hrigu Rishi to repeat it to the other nine. +his code of conduct recited by 0hrigu is called Banusmriti 'arada/ Sage 6arada was probably a native of 6epal around first century #8. 6aradasmriti is the first legal code unhampered by the mass of religious and moral teachings. Some authors thin) that 6arada belonged to Gupta period when there was a distinct revival of 0rahminism and Sans)rit literature. ,asishta/ Vasishta belonged to 7rd century 0* and a native of 6orth 1ndia. VasishtaOs teachings are called Vasishtasutra or Vasishtasmriti. ,ishnu/

Vishnu belonged to 3st or 4nd century #8. VishnuOs teachings are called Vishnusutra or Vishnusmriti. Ea>navalk%a/ a!naval)ya belonged to Su)laya!urveda School34. -e was a native of Bithila *ity in 6orth 0ihar and probably lived anywhere from few centuries before *hrist to 4@@ #8. -owever, some scholars thin) he belonged to first or second century #8. a!naval)ya 8harmasmriti has been sub!ect of numerous commentaries. +he most celebrated of all the commentaries of so'called -indu law. 2assages from Bita)shara have been found practically in every part of the 1ndian *ontinent and became an authority. +he a!navl)yasmriti is concise, more systematic and better arranged than the Banusmriti. R-G+! 3hat is the origin of Gothras4 #'@7. #ccording to one legend (according to Sherring$, all the chief 0rahmin gotras are descended from the Saptarishis (seven sages$. Sherring says the Vatsa, 0ida, #rshti)hena, as)a, Bitryu, Shauna) and 0ainya gotras claim descent from sage 0hrigu (Vatsa'0righuG$ he gotras of Gautam, 0haradwa! and &ewal'#ngiras from sage #ngirah the #tre, 0adbhuta), Garishtira and Budhgala from sage #triM the &aushi)a, Dohit, Rau)sha), &am)ayana, #!a, &atab, 8hanan!ya, #gamar)han, 2uran and 1ndra)aushi)a from sage Viswamitra the 6idruba, &asyap, Sandila, Rebha and Danga)shi from sage &asyapM the Vashisht, &undin, a!navl)yasmriti is

Bita)shara and is practically the beginning of the 0rahmin law and the

Cpamanyu, 2arashara and Aatu)araniya from sage VashishtM nd the 1dhamabahar, Somabahar, Sambhabahar and #gastya. 7ther Gotras are said to have been derived from these gotras! R-G<! :an %ou please give a chart of gothras and the sage from whom the% are derived4 & 3 Sage 0hrigu Gothras desended Vatsa, 0ida, #rshti)hena, as)a, Bitryu, agyabhar from sage

Shauna) and 0ainya 4 #ngirah Gautam, 0haradwa! and &ewal'#ngiras

7 9

#triM Viswamitra

#tre, 0adbhuta), Garishtira and Budhgala &aushi)a, Dohit, Rau)sha), &am)ayana, #!a, &atab, 8hanan!ya, #gamar)han, 2uran and 1ndra)aushi)a 6idruba, &asyap, Sandila, Rebha and Danga)shi Vashisht, &undin, Cpamanyu, 2arashara and Aatu)araniya 1dhamabahar, Somabahar, Sambhabahar and agyabhar

; < =

&asyapM Vashisht #gastya.

R-G= 5ostl% which ,edas are followed b% different Gothras4 #'@;. Though, an%one among the group can follow their

convenient ,eda, each sect or branch can even change over to other ,eda of their liking, 0 give below a few actual belongingsK however, it might var% on present generationsK 0hargaus, San)ritas, Gargs (*handras$, 0hrigus and Sauna)s follow the RigM +he

&asyaps, &aasyaps, Vatsas, Sandilas and 8hanan!ays follow the Sama. +he 0haradwa!s, 0haaradwa!s, #ngirahs, Gautams and Cpamanyus observe the a!ur M the &aushi)as, Grita)aushi)as, Budhgalas, Galawas and Vashishts follow the #tharva. #ll others follow the a!ur Veda. R-G?! 3here does the north and south geographical division of rahmins starts4 #'@<. +he 0rahmin sub'castes are broadly categoriEed into two great geographical divisions'the north and the south. +he dividing line is the 6armada River. (By note ' recollect, manthra narmada sindhu )averi godavari namosthuthae during Cpa)arma ceremony$. +he gaur (white$ subcastes, according to Sherring, inhabit the region north of the 6armada and the dravi8a subcastes, the south. R-G)! 3ho are 8os%alas4 #'@=. +he -oysala &arnata)as are Smarta 0rahmins living in the State of &arnata)a in the 1ndian Cnion. Bany eminent scholars, musicians, philosophers, generals and religious pontiffs belong to this community. (Read more here$ R-GA! 3hat is the legend behind rahmin migration to south4

#.@>. +he 0rahmin migration to the South features in the legends of sage #gastya. +he Vindhya mountain range in central 1ndia continued to grow higher showing its might and obstructed cloud movement causing draught. Sage #gastya decided to solve the problem and traveled south. +he Vindhya mountain bowed to #gastya and the sage reFuested Vindhya to stay prostrated until he returns. Vindhya complied with this reFuest and the Sage #gastyhya never returned to northH

R-GF! 0s it correct that earliest

rahmin migration to south was

to Andhra4 3hat was the period4 #'@?. +he earliest 0rahmins to arrive in #ndhra were most probably sage Viswamitra/s students and progeny around 34@@ 0*. South 1ndian )ings showed respect and patronage for 0rahmins and 0rahminism since ancient times, e.g., Satavahana dynasty that ruled for five centuries and e(tended over #ndhra and central 1ndia, %ne of the most important features of Satavahana dynasty was granting land to 0rahmins. Sangam era of *hera, *hola and 2andya )ings in 8eep South also used to grant lands to 0rahmins. Bost of the 0rahmins in #ndhra 2radesh belong to smaarta 0rahmin group, i.e., the followers of smritis and followers of #di San)aracharya. +he smaarta 0rahmins follow #pastambasmriti or #pastambasutra (not Banusmriti$. #pasthamba (q<@@ 0*$ was one of the earliest lawma)ers of south 1ndia who lived on the ban)s of River Godavari. 0oudhayana, 2arasara, a!nval)ya sutras and other laws were also

important in the past, e.g., in the courts of Sri)rishnadevaraya. R-*G! 3hat are the details of rahmins of Andhra toda%4 a!naval)ya

#'3@. 2radhamasa)ha 6iyogi 0rahmins (see below$ follow sutras and &anva sutras.

+he smaarta 0rahmins in #ndhra 2radesh can be grouped into two ma!or divisions formed about a thousand to about =@@ years ago (most probably during &a)atiya rule$, 6iyogi and Vaidi)i.

-owever, in addition to smaarta 0rahmins, there are other 0rahmin groups such as Sri Vaishnavas, Badhavas and #radhyas. 6iyogi 0rahmins : 6iyogi 0rahmins are those 0rahmins who too) up various secular vocations including military activities and gave up religious vocation, especially the priesthood. 6iyogi 0rahmins depend and emphasiEe on modern education. +hey were ministers in the courts of )ings and feudatories. Bany of them were village accountants.cler)s, )aranams (#ndhra$ or patwaris (+elangana$, until recently. +he 6iyogis are considered to be eligible for priestly service. 0ut they will never either accept a religious gift or parta)e of Sraaddha food (food given to 0rahmins duiring the death related rituals$. #ccording to Aogendranath 0hattacharya, 6iyogi name is derived from oga, which means religious contemplation or meditation, as opposed to aga, which means religious sacrifice. 6iyogin in Sans)rit also means PemployedP or PappointedP and accordingly, it is probable that they are so'called because they accept secular employment. 6iyogi 0rahmins include eminent personalities li)e Veeresalingam &andu)uri, Radha)rishnan Sarvepalli, Ven)atgiri Varahagiri, &D Rao, 2ra)asam +anguturi, Ven)atanarasimharao 2amulaparti (2V$, General &. V. &rishnarao etc. #s the times have changed, even Vaidi)a 0rahmins should earn money to protect the 8harma, despite the traditional ban on earning money. +hat was one of the main reasons for the e(istence of 6iyogi 0rahmins. +here are many subcastes in Vaidi)i 0rahmins as well: #mong the Vaishnavities, the strict vegetarians and highly educated people also are given the appro(imate status of brahmins in #ndhra 2radesh. +hey adhere to either the medieval +en)alai or Vada)alai and #gaama scriptures +hese Vaishnavite 0rahmins are spread mainly in &arnata)a and #ndhra, and to some e(tent in +amilnadu also .

+he great Vaishnavite reformers li)e Ramanu!acharya, Ramananda (north 1ndia$, Badhva (all over south 1ndia$, Vallabhacharya (found among velanadu, gu!arat, ra!asthan and C2$, 6imbaar)a, etc. 6ot all the followers of these Vaishnavite reformers are 0rahmins. Some of these Vaishnavites include #charis and velanadu vaidee)ulu. +hese Vaishnavas are also )nown as #ndhra Vaishnava. Bany of the famous temple establishments li)e +irupati and #hobilam are run per vaishnavite agamic canons. R-**! 3hat are the praised activities of Ramanu>achar%a4 #'33. +he big hearted Raamanu!a fought against caste distinctions and gathered under his doctrine, people from all wal)s of life and caste and religion and occupation and said henceforth they shall be )nown as one community. +hus he created the Vaishnava community, and told them to always wor) for reform of society. +he great Raamanu!a specifically included among his followers sc/s, tribals, immigrant foreign soldiers, arabs and tur)s, destitutes women, !ains, etc. #ll the same it appears they made sure that the brightest were selected as Sri Vaishnavites, evangeliEers of vaishnavism, without any regard to their former caste or other origins %ne characteristic method used by the gurus was community dinners, where everybody sat together without distinction. +his went a long way towards reduction of old discriminations. #s a conseFuence there are e(pert coo)s who easily handle very large scale coo)ing among them. R-*(! Bo Cains have >oined ,aishanvisam4 #'34. 1t seems many !ains also merged with vaishnavites, !ust li)e in an earlier era buddhists shifted to various sects of saivism +he vaishnavite

communities in #ndhra 2radesh have a mar)ed bent towards education, literature and performing arts li)e music and dance. R-*+! 3hat is the period of 5adwachar%a4 #'37. +he Badhvaas date from the recent reform activities of Badhvacharya (somewhere in the 34th century$ also of the vaishnava sampradaya , and they were prominent in the last days of Vi!ayanagar (3;@@/s$. # famous guru of the line was Raghavendraswami. (+hey are found all over )arnata)a, south Baharashtra, +amilnadu as well as #ndhra. R-*<! 3ho were the earliest group of Tamilnadu4 #'39. +he earliest group of 0rahmins to come to +amil 6adu is largely )nown as Guru)uls. +hey have been here from very ancient times and were primarily invited to be temple priests in the early *hola period. Bany of them were great Vedic scholars. +hey conducted the coronation of the )ings and acted as their spiritual advisors and Gurus. Bany of them were the great e(ponents of Vedic #strology and #yurvedic Bedicine. The% are supposed to be followers of audh%ana sutra and and are divided as 1-anchipuram1, Gurukuls! 1t is 1Tiruvalangadu1 1ThirukaQhakundram1 rahmins came to

interesting that all the three are the names of ancient towns and temples around &anchipuram. +his clearly indicates that the earliest migration was to &anchipuram. R-*=! 3ho are -ashmri Saraswath rahmins4 rahmins4 Are the% branhched from

#'3;. #ccording to accepted traditions in the rest of the country, &ashmiri 0rahmins are believed to be a branch of the Saraswat

0rahmins who were so called because they were believed to have settled along the course of an ancient river in the 6orth'West 1ndian *ontinet (1ndo'2a) region$ called Saraswati. When this river dried up, these 0rahmins migrated. # large section of this uprooted community was settled in the Western &on)an coast of the present state of Baharashtra. %thers moved further 6orth into the Valley of &ashmir. +he first 2rime Binister of the 1ndian Cnion, 2andit Aawaharlal 6ehru, belongs to the 2andit community of )asmiri 0rahmins. +he 6ehru dynasty ruled the Cnion for almost half a century. R-*?! 3ho are Tuluva rahmins4

#'3<. +he ancient +ulu nadu e(tended from Go)arna in the north, all along coastal &arnata)a up to &asargod in the south. +his included both coastal Cttara &annada district as well as all of 8a)shina &annada district. %ver many centuries the principal language of +ulu nadu was +ulu. +oday +ulu is spo)en only south of River &alyanpur in Cdupi and 8a)shina &annada districts of &arnata)a. +his is the heartland of +ulu nadu today. While Cdupi is the religious center of +ulu nadu, Bangalore is the commercial hub. R-*)! 7ther than ,iswamithra can %ou sa% a few non sages4 #'3=. 1n the past, however, through rigorous courses and tests some non'0rahmins became Rishis, e.g., &ings li)e Viswamitra, Vishnuvardhana, Radheerga, Veerahavya etc. became Rishis and established their own Vedi) schools and new 0rahmin branches. R-*A! 3hat is the relation with Sanskrit for rahmins4 rahmin

#'3>. +he Sans)rit is an ancient language that became irrelvant to 1ndians in general, and 0rahmins in particular. 1t is the language of

0rahmins.

-owever, whenever, 0rahmins migrated to lands, they

adopted to the local language and customs and adopted local Gods, yet maintained their Sans)rit language, the Vedas, traditions and culture. R-*F! 3hat was the reason Ean>alwakia came out from

vaisampa%ana 4 #'3?. %nce upon a time, an assembly of 0rahmins was arranged in presence of Dord 0rahma. #ll the 0rahmin teachers and professors were invited. 1t was declared that who ever among the invited fails to attend the 0rahmin assembly would be considered to have committed the sin of murder of a 0rahmin (0rahmahatya$. For some unavoidable circumstances, 2rofessor Vaisampayana could not attend this meeting and acFuired the sin of 0rahmahatya. -e assembled all his disciples and reFuested them to share the burden of the sin of murder. %ne of his disciples was a!naval)ya. -e was a great intellectual and

was very powerful due to his )nowledge. -e came forward and suggested that he would ta)e all the sin and manage it with his powers and reFuested Vaisampayana to let go other disciples. Vaisampayana was enraged at this reFuest. -e considered this reFuest as arrogance of agnaval)ya and completely out of line. *onseFuently, he ordered a!naval)ya to give up all the learning that he learned from Vaisampayana and leave his school immediately. a!naval)ya followed the orders of the professor and discarded all the learning, which immediately evaporated into the solar dimension. #nd he became poorer in his )nowledge and hence in powers and luster. a!naval)ya went to the Sun God and reFuested the Sun to teach him a!urveda.

+he Sun God agreed to teach and as)ed him to follow him in the form a horse during his continuous travel across the s)ies and learn. +hus a!navla)ya became a Va!asaneya, one who learned as a horse and a branch formed called Va!asaneya sa)ha. +his a!urveda learned by a!navl)ya as a horse from the Sun God is called Su)la a!urveda and the earlier one that was learned from Vaismpayana was &rishna a!urveda. R-(G! Bo gothra s%stem started during Ea>urveda period4 #'4@. +here is a thin)ing li)e that .+he gotra system is part of a system of classification or identification of various 0rahmin families in ancient times. +he gotra classification too) form probably sometime during the a!ur Veda period, after the Rig Veda period. 1t is believed that the gotras (now account to a total of 9?$ started to consolidate some around 3@'> *entury 0.*. +he present day gotra classification is created from a core of > rishis (+he Saptha rishis r #ga #gastya$. +he Seven rishis are Gautama, 0hardwa!a, Vishwamitra, Aamadagni, Vasistha, &ashyapa and #tri. Seven Rishis (Saptarshi$ are recogniEed as the mind born sons of the creator 0rahma. +hey desired offspring and received it. #ll present day 0rahmin communities are said to be descendants of these > Rishis. %ver the years the number of gotras incresed due to: 8escendents of these Rishis also started new family lineage or new gotras (&aundinya was a descendent of Vasihta, Vishwamitra was a descendent of &aushi)a and Vatsa was a descendent of Aamadagni$. 1nspired by a saint whose name they bear as their own Gotra. +he lines of descent from the ma!or rishis are originally divided into Ganas Isub divisionsJ and each Gana is further divided into families.

-owever, subseFuently the term gotra is freFuently applied to the ganas and to the families within the ganas interchangeably. R-(*! 8ow do -ula devata principle originated4 #'43. +hese Rishis belonged to different sects li)e Sha)ti, Shavites and Vishnavites and had different deities for worship. Such deities came to be )nown as the &uladevatas. R-((! 3hat was the purpose of Gothra orgination4 #'44. +he gotras of GS0s is believed to be originated from the ten Rishis. 0haradwa!, &ausi)a, Vatsa, &aundinya, &ashyapa, #tri, Vashista, Aamadagni, Gautam and Vishwamitra (&amshi$ The gotra s%stem was instituted for the purposes of identif%ing one1s ancestors and pa% respects during various invocations and other rituals to honor their fathers, fore'fathers and so on, up to their respective Rishis. This was later e;tended to other aspects of the such as 5arriage and temple worship! 1n present days, marriage will not be allowed within the same gotra in order to avoid impure matrimony. +his thin)ing is in tune with the modern day genetic paradigms of hybrid vigor. R-(+! 8ow man% famous gothrams are there4 #'47. +here are more than 34@ Gothras )nown amongst the 0rahmins. Cnder the Sapta'Rishi grouping, each Rishi/s lineage has its own sub' lineage or grouping with Single, three, five or Seven Rishis, which are referrred to in the 2ravaram. ou can get the Rishis group, sub'lineage of the Sapthra'Rishis and the Gothra 2ravaram from this page! rahmin life,

R-(<! 3hat is the specialit% of Angirasa, -anva and

hargava4

#.49. #mong the Gothra analysis of 2ravaras, one can see the #an)irasa Rishi appears 34 times including multiple versions. #an)irasa is the Rishi with whom more than half of the #tharva Veda samhitas are associated. #n analysis of the Rishis associated with the Veda Bantras will give info on the other Rishis associated with the Gothras and their lineage. Sage &anva is the foster father of Sa)untala celebrated by &aalidasa. 0hargava referes to the lineage of 0hrigu Baharishi, the foster father of Baha Da)shmi worshipped as 0hargavi. R-(=! 3hat is the gothram of 'athamuni4 #'4;. 6atha Buni, #alavandar ( aamuna Buni$ belong to

Shatamarshana Gothram. R-(?! 3hich sage appears in Rama%an in addition to ,asista and ,iswamithra4 #'4<. 0haradwa!a appears in Raamayanam. R-()! 3ho are the four sons of rahma4

#'4=. 0rahma according to 2uranas had 9 sons: #tri, 0hrigu,Vasishta and #n)iras. R-(A! 3hat was the gothra of Sreerama #Sri Ram$4 #'4>. Dord Rama was Raghu Vansha. +his was because Dord Rama/s great'grandfather Raghu became famous.

# Gotra relates directly to the original seven or eight Rishis of the Vedas. 1n this sense, Dord Rama did not have a Gotra, and in rituals his Gotra would be the Gotra of his 0rahmin priest. +his practice is still common today as it was in ancient times according to earliest -indu sources. +herefore, Gotra has always been only a 0rahmin lineage that descends from seven or eight rishis associated with the Saptarishi or the seven stars of the Great 0ear constellation as according to original -indu Vedic system. R-(F! Though gothras were for all was it particular to keep the ra% b% rahmins4

#'4?. es. +he word PGotraP means Pray.P 1n 0rahmin tradition, it is the duty of the Brahmin to keep his particular ray alive by doing daily rituals that he may transmit the power of that ray to others for the benefit of man)ind. R-+G! Bo 2amil% deit% known as kula deivam or kula devata is related to Gothra4 #'7@. 6% 6% 6%. # common mista)e is to consider gotra to be synonymous with clan or &ula. # )ula is basically a set of people following similar rituals, often worshipping the same God (the &ula' 8evata ' the God of the clan$. &ula has nothing to do with lineage or caste. 1n fact, it is possible to change one/s &ula, based on his faith or 1shta'deva. 6ote'1 had the e(perience of meeting many gothra 0rahmins coming to my &uladeivam Aadayudayar temple in &allidai)urichi. R-+*! Bo sudras see gothra for marriage4

#'73. Shudras also have gotras, and follow it in marriages. For e(ample a weaver falls under Bar)andeya gotra. Bar)andeya was )nown be a Baharishi and had <@ sons. Barriages are held within Bar)andeya but never in same family name. So, every weaver falls under one of these gotra. Barriages within the gotra (PswagotraP marriages$ are banned under the rule of e(ogamy in the traditional matrimonial system. 2eople within the gotra are regarded as )in and marrying such a person would be thought of as incest. R-+(! B7 Gothra is partilineal or matrilineal too4 #'74. 1n some communities, where gotra membership passed from father to children, marriages were allowed between uncle and niece, while such marriages were forbidden in matrilineal communities, li)e Balayalis and +uluvas, where gotra membership was passed down from the mother. R-++! Bo -anchipuram was one of the oldest cities4 #'77 es. &anchipuram is one of the two most ancient cities of 1ndia,

the other being Varanasi (&ashi$. +he lin)age between the Varanasi (&ashi$ and &anchi has e(isted from earliest times and has been facilitating the migration of priests between the 6orth and the South. R-+<! Bo -anchipuram was the orginal destination for priests from north4 #'79. 1t is possible that &anchipuram, +iruvangadu and +iru)ali)undram were the first destinations for the Guru)uls who arrived. +hey stayed and wor)ed there till they were redeployed to other interior temples and towns.

R-+=! 3here do e;panded4

rahmin communities flourished and how it was

#'7;. Vedas mention a mighty river called the Sarasvati where Brahmin communities flourished, where the Indus Valley civilization flourished and dispersed when the Saraswati river dried up around 1 !! B"#$ Dong before, during the Ramayana period 0rahmins migrated to 8anda)aranya (8anda)a Forest$ in the south with Viswamitra, the author of several hymns in Rigveda including Gayatri mantra. R-+?! Bo Rigveda is declared as part of world heritage b% @'9S:74 #'7<. es, C6,S*% declared, Rig Veda as part of the World -eritage. R-+)! 3hat are the dail% practices of a rahmin4

#'7=. 8aily practices of 0rahmins include sandhyavandana (prayers to Gayatri and Sun God$, prayer to ishtadaiva or ilavelpu (personal God$, yoga, non'violence, vegetarianism etc. ,verything in the daily life of a 0rahmin is a ritual. -owever, special rituals include marriage, ritual conception and consummation of the wedding, rituals of childbirth, naming ceremony, first feeding ceremony, the childOs first tonsure, upanayana (the sacred' thread ceremony ' initiation into vedic learning and ritual$, ritual baths, cremation rituals, shraaddha, etc. important for a practicing 0rahmin. +raditional 0rahmin accepts Vedas as apaurusheyam (not man'made$, but revealed truths and of eternal validity or relevance and hence the Vedas are considered Srutis that which have been heard and are the paramount source of 0rahmin traditions and is believed to be divine. #ll of these rituals are very

R-+A! According to Panini and e;planation of gothra4

odha%ana what is the

#'7>. 1n general, gotra denotes all persons who trace descent in an unbro)en male line from a common male ancestor. 2anini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as / apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram/ (1V. 3. 3<4$, which means /the word gotra denotes the progeny (of a sage$ beginning with the son/s son. When a person says / 1 am &ashypasa' gotra/ he means that he traces his descent from the ancient sage &ashyapa by unbro)en male descent. #ccording to the 0audhKyanas/rauta'sLtra VishvKmitra, Aamadagni, 0haradvK!a, Gautama, #tri, Vasishtha, &ashyapa and #gastya are > sagesM the progeny of these eight sages is declared to be gotras. +he offspring (apatya$ of these eight are gotras and others than these are called / gotrKvayava /. +he gotras are arranged in groups, e. g. there are according to the ssvalKyana'srautasLtra four subdivisions of the Vasishtha gana, viE. Cpamanyu, 2arKshara, &undina and Vasishtha (other than the first three$. ,ach of these four again has numerous sub' sections, each being called gotra. So the arrangement is first into ganas, then into pa)shas, then into individual gotras. +he first has survived in the 0hrigu and sngirasa gana. #ccording to 0aud, the principal eight gotras were divided into pa)shas. R-+F! 8ow pravaras are told4 Bo different t%pes of pravaras are there4 #'7?. +he pravara of Cpamanyu is Vasishtha, 0haradvasu,

1ndrapramadaM the pravara of the 2arKshara gotra is Vasishtha, ShK)tya, 2KrKsharyaM the pravara of the &undina gotra is Vasishtha, BaitrKvaruna, &aundinya and the pravara of Vasishthas other than these three is simply Vasishtha.

It is therefore that some define pravara as the group of sages that distinguishes the founder (lit. the starter) of one gotra from another. There are two kinds of pravaras, ) sishya!prasishya!rishi!

parampara, and ") putrparampara. Gotrapravaras can be e)arsheya, dwarsheya, triarsheya, pancharsheya, saptarsheya, and up to 3? rishis . &ashyapasa gotra has at least two distinct pravaras in #ndhra 2radesh: one with three sages (triarsheya pravara$ and the other with seven sages (saptarsheya pravara$. R-<G! Some argument is there that in gothra were different sish%a pravaras are there marriage is permissible with in the gothra! 8ow far it is correct4 #'9@. +his pravara may be either sishya'prasishya'rishi'parampara or putra parampara. 3hen it is sish%a-prasish%a-rishi-parampara marriage is not acceptable if half or more than half of the rishis are same in both bride and bridegroom gotras! 0f it is putraparampara, marriage is totall% unacceptable even if one rishi matches! R-<*! Bo Sutra is a later development after forming Gothras4 3hat are the different t%pes of sutras4 #'93. es. Sutra 2eriod: 8uring the sutra period, roughly sometime

during 3@@@ 0* to 4@@ 0*, 0rahmins became divided into various

Sa)has or branches, based on the adoption of different Vedas and different readings and interpretations of Vedas Sects or schools for different denominations of the same Veda were formed, under the leadership of distinguished teachers among 0rahmins. +he teachings of these distinguished rishis are called sutras. ,very Veda has its own sutras. +he sutras that deal with social, moral and legal precepts are called dharma sutras, whereas those sutras that deal with ceremonials are called Srauta sutras and domestic rituals are called gruhya sutras. Sutras are generally written in prose or in mi(ed prose and verse. +hese sutras are based on divine Vedas and are manmade and hence are called Smritis, meaning Vrecollected or remembered.W +here are several 0rahmin law givers such as %ngirasa, %pastham&ha, %tri, Brihaspati, Boudhayana, Daksha, 'autama, (arita, )atyayana, *ikhita, +anu, ,arasara, Samvarta, Sankha, Satatapa, -sanasa, Vasishta, Vishnu, Vyasa, .a/navalkya and .ama$ R-<( 3ho was sage haradwa>a4

#'94. 0haradwa!a was one of the great sages (rishis$ descendant of rishi #ngirasa, whose accomplishments are detailed in the 2uranas. 0haradwa!a rishi was the father of 8ronacharya and the grandfather of #shwatthama -e was one of the Saptarshis (Seven Great Sages Rishi$ in the present BanvantaraM with others being #tri, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Aamadagni, &ashyapa I3J.

R-<+! 3hat is the orgin of Gothra4 #'97. +he word PgotraP means PlineageP in the Sans)rit language. #mong those of the 0rahmin caste, gotras are rec)oned patrilineally. ,ach gotra ta)es the name of a famous Rishi or sage who was the patrilineal forebearer of that clan. #nd each Gotra is addressed by the suffi( /sa/ or /asa/ as relevant. +he concept of Gotra was the first attempt among 0rahmins to classify themselves among different groups. #t the beginning, these gentes identified themselves by the names of various rishis (#ngirasa, #tri, Gautam, &ashyapa, 0hrigu, Vasishtha, &utsa, and 0haradva!aM the first seven of these are often enumerated as Saptarishis$. -ence the gotra was applied to the grouping stemming from one of these rishis as his descendants Bany lines of descent from the ma!or rishis were later grouped separately. #ccordingly, the ma!or gotras were divided into ganas (subdivisions$ and each gana was further divided into groups of families. +he term gotra was then freFuently started being applied to the ganas and to the sub'ganas. ,very brahmin claims to be a direct patrilinial descendant of one of the founding rishis of a certain gana or sub'gana. It is the gana or su&0gana that is now commonly referred to as gotra$ %ver the years, the number of gotras increased due to:8escendants of original rishi also started new family lineage or new gotras and 1nspired by another rishi whose name they bear as their own gotra. R-<<! Bo Gothra and Pravara are related to 4

#'99. Surely . 2ravara is the number of the most e(cellent ('cf. reference, Sans)rit',nglish 8ictionary,Bonier'Williams$ rishis who belonged to that particular gotra to which a person belongs. Gotra is the name of the founding father. 1n vedic ritual, the importance of the pravara appears to be in its use by the ritualist for e(tolling his ancestry and proclaiming, Pas a descendant of worthy ancestors, 1 am a fit and proper person to do the act 1 am performing.P +he sacred thread ya!nopavita worn on upanayana has close connection with the concept of pravaras related to brahmin gotra system. While tying the )nots of sacred thread, an oath is ta)en in the name of each one of these three or five of the most e(cellent rishis belonging to one/s gotra.(1s there any such ractise.G +elling mantra' an!opaveetham paramam pavithram pra!apathaeN golden thread, silver thread followed by cotton thread is worn 1 thin) 1 want your enlightenment$ 1t may be noted some gothras have variations of pravara sages. When the variation is more intermarriage from the same gothra is permitted provided the pravars are shisya pravaras. +he full affiliation of a brXhamana consists of (3$ gotra, (4$ pravaras (7$ sutra (of &alpa$, (9$ sha)ha. # brahmana named /t/ introduces himself as follows : 1 am /t/, of Shrivatsa gotra, of upastamba sutra, of +aittiriya shX)ha of a!urveda, of five pravaras named 0hXrgava, *hyXvana, upnavan, #urva and AXmdagnya (+his e(ample is based upon the e(ample given by 2attXbhirXm Shastri in the introduction to VedXrtha'2Xri!ata, cf. ref.$.