Difference between revisions of "Atulya gotra"
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| + | == What is gotra? == | ||
| + | <p style="text-align:justify;">Gotra is a Sanskrit term meaning family, race, lineage, tribe, herd of kin, subdivision, genus, class, species, all meaning belonging to the same clan or family, etc.<ref name="ref3">Available from: https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/2020/web/webtc1/index.php</ref> It denotes the group of individuals having common ancestors or having the same paternal origin roots from common male lines. </p> | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Definition of gotra === | ||
| + | <p style="text-align:justify;">Paṇini defines gotra as “apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram (IV. 1. 162) Gotra can be understood as the grandson or lower descendent and not exactly the immediate offspring.<ref name="ref4">Srisha Chandra Vasu, Astadhayayi of Panini translated into English, Chaturtha Adhyaya, Prathama Paada, Book No. 4, Published by Sindhu Charana Bose, published 1896, Page No. 688</ref> <br/>As Rigveda, gotra simply means to move forward i.e. lineage of family line.<ref name="ref5">Saraswati, Swami Dayanand (2010). Rigvedadi-Bhashya-Bhumika. Vijaykumar Govindram Hasanand. p. 199.</ref></p> | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Synonyms of gotra === | ||
| + | <p style="text-align:justify;">Amarkosha and Shabdakalpadruma mentions the synonyms of gotra like santati (progeny), janana (procreation), kula (race), abhijana (family), anvaya (succession), vansha (lineage) etc.<ref name="ref6">Available from: https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/csl-apidev/servepdf.php?dict=SKD&page=2-355-b</ref></p> | ||
| + | |||
| + | == Atulya gotra in context to historical origins and cultural background == | ||
| + | Marriages in same gotra are prohibited as per Hindu religious customs as the process of marriage should be within the exogamous units. Intermarriage is advised to be avoided to prevent family members' decent from a common ancestor. <br/>According to the text Dharmasindhu, Kashyapa, Atri, Vasistha, Vishvamitra, Gautama Maharishi, Jamadagni and Bharadvaja are seven sages (also known as saptarishi). Agastya and Jambu maharishi are also considered among 8 Gotra. The progeny of these eight sages is declared to be gotras. These are the primary 8 gotra and further branching leads to the establishment of 108 gotra.<ref name="ref7">Kashinath Updhyaya, Dharmasindhu, reprinted 1986, Tritiya Pariccheda Purvardha, Sri Satguru Publications, Delhi , Page No. 191</ref> <br/>In the Brahmin caste, 49 Gotras are reckoned and supposed to be sprung from and named after celebrated teachers or leaders like, Atreya, Vashishta, Shaṇḍilya, Kashyapa, Gautama, Bharadvaja etc. According to this Hindu tradition, every gotra has a specific gotra-nama (surname) and gotra-devata (family deity).<ref name="ref8">Singer, Milton; Cohn, Bernard S., eds. (2007). Structure and change in Indian society (1. paperback printing ed.). New Brunswick, N.J.: AldineTransaction. p. 408. ISBN 978-0202361383.</ref> As per Manusmriti, number of gotra are 24 in number. However, the surname of person is kept different from gotra. <br/>One sage can have disciples from the same gotra and the same gotra can be found across different castes. These were primarily adopted by Brahmin but are also found in a few Kshatriyas and Vaishya as well. <br/>As per Manusmriti, there is no harm in sagotra marriage if the individuals are not related for six generations on both maternal and paternal sides. (सपिण्डता तु पुरुषे सप्तमे विनिवर्तते । समानोदकभावस्तु जन्मनाम्नोरवेदने |) which means that sapindata or the familial lineage ends after seven generations.<ref name="ref9">Suredrakumar, Manusmriti with hindi translation and Anusheelana commentary , 5th Adhyaya Verse No. 60 , Sixth edition, Aarsha Sahitya Prachara Trust , Delhi , Page No. 426</ref> The Manusmriti mentions that marriage within the 3 generations of the maternal side and the same gotra on the paternal side is prohibited for all three varna.<ref name="ref10">Suredrakumar, Manusmriti with hindi translation and Anusheelana commentary , 6th Adhyaya Verse No. 142 , Sixth edition, Aarsha Sahitya Prachara Trust , Delhi , Page No. 500</ref> Texts like Dharmasindhu and Yagyavalkalamriti<ref name="ref11">Yajnyavalakal Smriti with Mitaksara commentary of Vijnaneshwara, Chapter No. 3, printed 1918, Panini Office , Bahadurganj Allahabad , Page No. 105</ref> also mention the same principle considering the factor of gotra in marriage. Dharmasindhu mentions the Chandrayana Tapa (a fasting ritual) and dnyana (knowledge) Prayashchitta (atonement) for the negative implications of marriage in same gotra.<ref name="ref12">Kashinath Updhyaya, Dharmasindhu, reprinted 1986, Tritiya Pariccheda Purvardha, Sri Satguru Publications, New Delhi, Page No. 198</ref> <br/>Other references of the Sagotra marriages in Indian cultures are mentioned in Agni Purana, Rigveda, Mahabharat, Shatapatha Brahmin and other texts like Bible, Quran etc.<ref name="ref13">Rajbali Pandey, Hindu saṁskāras: socio-religious study of the Hindu sacraments, Motilal Banarasidas, Page No. 174</ref> | ||
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Revision as of 12:07, 8 April 2024
Atulya Gotra is unique concept considering the aspect of marriage within the individuals of the same kin or lineage mentioned both in Ayurveda and ancient cultural, religious, and philosophical texts. This is in line with the consanguinity that is still prevalent in many regions like the Middle East, Arabic countries, and a few parts of India as well. This article deals with the scientific aspects of gotra, specificity in clans (atulya gotra), and consanguinity mentioned across the literature.
Introduction
Man being a social animal , many social institutions like caste systems and other religious practices have been prevalent as a part of cultural practices. Caste is one such practice peculiar to Indian subcontinent and not only limited to the Hindu religion but also practiced by a large extent by Muslims, Christiana and Sikh traditions. Varna is termed as the word attributed to the four fold division of the society into Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Kshudra. In ancient Indian subcontinent, varna is considered to be major classification of the population, while Jati is termed as subclassification or many a times regional classification of the castes. The caste is determined by birth and many a times in ancient India the caste was also attributed with the occupation and other social norms commonly practiced by the members of the particular clan. The caste groups are considered to be endogamous and hence the marriages betweeb two distinct castes (inter caste marriages) were not favoured in ancient India.[1] This is the reason why the mention of Atulya gotra is commonly mentioned in many texts focusing on Dharmashashtra (social and religious texts), Nitishashtra (political science), Ayurveda etc.
Gotra is term focusing on the famiy organisation in Brahmanical systems. It is the evidence of patrilineal sibship where the descendants trace back to common ancestors. The Gotra were assigned after the Pravara or names of Rishi who were considered to be the first bearers of the systems. The Atulya Gotra is principle of exogamy where a man must marry outside his/her own heriditary group or clan most popular in brahmanical family. The main reason behind this may include many factors like promotion of genetic diversification , extension of cultural and familial traditions.[2]
| Section/Chapter/topic | Concepts/Atulya gotra |
|---|---|
| Authors |
Bhojani M. K. 1 Joglekar Aishwarya2 |
| Reviewers & Editors |
Basisht G.3 Deole Y.S.4 |
| Affiliations |
1 Department of Sharir Kriya, All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi, India 2 Department of Samhita Siddhant, All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi, India 3 Rheumatologist, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. 4 Department of Kayachikitsa, G. J. Patel Institute of Ayurvedic Studies and Research, New Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat, India |
| Correspondence emails |
meera.samhita@aiia.gov.in carakasamhita@gmail.com |
| Publisher | Charak Samhita Research, Training and Development Centre, I.T.R.A., Jamnagar, and Symbiohealth Foundation, India |
| Date of publication: | April 10, 2024 |
| DOI | -- |
What is gotra?
Gotra is a Sanskrit term meaning family, race, lineage, tribe, herd of kin, subdivision, genus, class, species, all meaning belonging to the same clan or family, etc.[3] It denotes the group of individuals having common ancestors or having the same paternal origin roots from common male lines.
Definition of gotra
Paṇini defines gotra as “apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram (IV. 1. 162) Gotra can be understood as the grandson or lower descendent and not exactly the immediate offspring.[4]
As Rigveda, gotra simply means to move forward i.e. lineage of family line.[5]
Synonyms of gotra
Amarkosha and Shabdakalpadruma mentions the synonyms of gotra like santati (progeny), janana (procreation), kula (race), abhijana (family), anvaya (succession), vansha (lineage) etc.[6]
Atulya gotra in context to historical origins and cultural background
Marriages in same gotra are prohibited as per Hindu religious customs as the process of marriage should be within the exogamous units. Intermarriage is advised to be avoided to prevent family members' decent from a common ancestor.
According to the text Dharmasindhu, Kashyapa, Atri, Vasistha, Vishvamitra, Gautama Maharishi, Jamadagni and Bharadvaja are seven sages (also known as saptarishi). Agastya and Jambu maharishi are also considered among 8 Gotra. The progeny of these eight sages is declared to be gotras. These are the primary 8 gotra and further branching leads to the establishment of 108 gotra.[7]
In the Brahmin caste, 49 Gotras are reckoned and supposed to be sprung from and named after celebrated teachers or leaders like, Atreya, Vashishta, Shaṇḍilya, Kashyapa, Gautama, Bharadvaja etc. According to this Hindu tradition, every gotra has a specific gotra-nama (surname) and gotra-devata (family deity).[8] As per Manusmriti, number of gotra are 24 in number. However, the surname of person is kept different from gotra.
One sage can have disciples from the same gotra and the same gotra can be found across different castes. These were primarily adopted by Brahmin but are also found in a few Kshatriyas and Vaishya as well.
As per Manusmriti, there is no harm in sagotra marriage if the individuals are not related for six generations on both maternal and paternal sides. (सपिण्डता तु पुरुषे सप्तमे विनिवर्तते । समानोदकभावस्तु जन्मनाम्नोरवेदने |) which means that sapindata or the familial lineage ends after seven generations.[9] The Manusmriti mentions that marriage within the 3 generations of the maternal side and the same gotra on the paternal side is prohibited for all three varna.[10] Texts like Dharmasindhu and Yagyavalkalamriti[11] also mention the same principle considering the factor of gotra in marriage. Dharmasindhu mentions the Chandrayana Tapa (a fasting ritual) and dnyana (knowledge) Prayashchitta (atonement) for the negative implications of marriage in same gotra.[12]
Other references of the Sagotra marriages in Indian cultures are mentioned in Agni Purana, Rigveda, Mahabharat, Shatapatha Brahmin and other texts like Bible, Quran etc.[13]
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References
- ↑ Deshpande, Satish. 2003. Contemporary India: A Sociological View. Penguin Books. New Delhi.
- ↑ John Brough, The early Brahmanical system of Gotra and Pravara- A translation of the Gotra Pravara Manjari of Purushottama Pandita , 1953 , Cambridge University Press, Page No. 1-10
- ↑ Available from: https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/2020/web/webtc1/index.php
- ↑ Srisha Chandra Vasu, Astadhayayi of Panini translated into English, Chaturtha Adhyaya, Prathama Paada, Book No. 4, Published by Sindhu Charana Bose, published 1896, Page No. 688
- ↑ Saraswati, Swami Dayanand (2010). Rigvedadi-Bhashya-Bhumika. Vijaykumar Govindram Hasanand. p. 199.
- ↑ Available from: https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/csl-apidev/servepdf.php?dict=SKD&page=2-355-b
- ↑ Kashinath Updhyaya, Dharmasindhu, reprinted 1986, Tritiya Pariccheda Purvardha, Sri Satguru Publications, Delhi , Page No. 191
- ↑ Singer, Milton; Cohn, Bernard S., eds. (2007). Structure and change in Indian society (1. paperback printing ed.). New Brunswick, N.J.: AldineTransaction. p. 408. ISBN 978-0202361383.
- ↑ Suredrakumar, Manusmriti with hindi translation and Anusheelana commentary , 5th Adhyaya Verse No. 60 , Sixth edition, Aarsha Sahitya Prachara Trust , Delhi , Page No. 426
- ↑ Suredrakumar, Manusmriti with hindi translation and Anusheelana commentary , 6th Adhyaya Verse No. 142 , Sixth edition, Aarsha Sahitya Prachara Trust , Delhi , Page No. 500
- ↑ Yajnyavalakal Smriti with Mitaksara commentary of Vijnaneshwara, Chapter No. 3, printed 1918, Panini Office , Bahadurganj Allahabad , Page No. 105
- ↑ Kashinath Updhyaya, Dharmasindhu, reprinted 1986, Tritiya Pariccheda Purvardha, Sri Satguru Publications, New Delhi, Page No. 198
- ↑ Rajbali Pandey, Hindu saṁskāras: socio-religious study of the Hindu sacraments, Motilal Banarasidas, Page No. 174