Marichi and Kashyapa Gotra

[anantha_subramaniam]

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Dear Sirs,
Namaskaram. I belong to Marichi Gotra. Marichi in my knowledge is the father of Maharishi Kashyapa (Kashyap - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

Now would it be right to say that I also belong to Kashyapa Gotra? If not then how is it that there are different Gotras for father and son ? Please explain.

This question arises because we looking for a groom to my sister who belongs to Kashyapa Gotra. Thank you for all the efforts.

Regards
Anantha Subramaniam

 

[sangom]

Dear Sirs,
Namaskaram. I belong to Marichi Gotra. Marichi in my knowledge is the father of Maharishi Kashyapa (Kashyap - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

Now would it be right to say that I also belong to Kashyapa Gotra? If not then how is it that there are different Gotras for father and son ? Please explain.

This question arises because we looking for a groom to my sister who belongs to Kashyapa Gotra. Thank you for all the efforts.

Regards
Anantha Subramaniam

"gotra" concept just does not mean that particular rishi and all the male descendants from him down the line till date. It is a very hazy concept and can at best be considered as a version number as we find in software. Now if your argument is taken to its logical conclusion, atri, angirasa, vasishta were brothers of marchi and so those gotras also will have to be omitted. So, my suggestion to you is not to dig deep into all these outdated beliefs and select a boy who the girl and yourself consider the best and most suitable in worldly parameters.

I shall explain "how is it that there are different Gotras for father and son" in another post.

 

[sangom]

aṅgiras, marīci, atri, vasiṣṭha, pulaha, pulastya, kratu are the mānasaputras of brahma. The geneology of vasiṣṭha is like this:

marīci > kaśyapa > mitra varuṇa > vasiṣṭha > 1. indrapramadi, 2. śakti, 3. maitrāvaruṇa
1. indrapramadi > ābharadvasu > upamanyu
2. śakti > parāśara
3. maitrāvaruṇa > kuṇḍita

If we look at kaśyapa vamśāvali, it shows the following:

marīci > kaśyapa > 1. avatsāra, 2. asita
1. avatsāra > 1a. rebha, 1b. nidruva
2. asita > devala

agastya vaṃśa is :-
kaśyapa > mitrāvaruṇa > agastya > dṛḍhacyuta > idhmavāha

Thus we find that agastya and vasiṣṭha are patrilineal, actually brothers.

viṣṇuvṛddha and harīta gotras also trace back to marīci: marīci > kaśyapa >vivasvān > manu > ikṣvāku ...>yuvanāśva > mandhātā > 1. purukutsa, 2. ambarīṣa
1. purukutsa > trasadasyu > sambhūta > viṣṇuvṛddha
2. ambarīṣa > yuvanāśva > harīta

Now let us see how the pravaras (rishi lineages to be recited in the abhivādaye), gotras and sūtras are all mixed up.

āṅgirasa - ājamīḍa - kāṇva — ājamīḍa gotra — āpastamba sūtra
āṅgirasa - ājamīḍa - kāṇva — gardabha gotra — matsya sūtra

āṅgirasa - kaurava - kāṇva — gardabha gotra — āśvalāyana sūtra
āṅgirasa - gauruvīta - sāṅkṛtya — cāndrāyaṇa gotra — bodhāyana sūtra
sādhya - sāṅkṛtya - gauruvīta — saṃkṛti gotra — āpastamba sūtra

vaiśvāmitra - daivarāta - audala — jābāla gotra — bodhāyana / kātyāyana / laugākṣi gotras
vaiśvāmitra - daivarāta - audala — devarāta gotra — āpastamba sūtra

It will thus be seen that if we have to go by "unrelated" gotras in the patrilineal sense of the term, many gotras would have to be discarded. It is my considered view that the gotras or tribal groups which got absorbed into the Aryan way of living and were granted brahman status, were also bestowed with a certain gotra and a suitable lineage from one of the well-known rishis. That is how we get different gotras for father, son, grandson etc.

Note: Details re. lineages, gotra, pravara, sutra, etc., taken from the book "rishikalum gotrangalum", Lifco publication, 1974.