| "Gautra",
a term applied to a clan, a group of families, or a lineage
- exogamous and matrilineal - whose members trace their descent
to a common ancestor, usually a sage of ancient times.
A Gautra
is of immense importance to a Hindu for it shores up
his identity. All Hindu ceremonies require a statement
of the gautra. A devout Hindu speaks out his gautra and pravara
every day in the morning.
Gautra
also comes of use during the performance of the rites of passage
or sanskaras. People of the same gautra (sagautra) are not
allowed to marry, to prevent inbreeding. At weddings, the
gautra of the bride and the groom are proclaimed aloud to
establish that they are not breaking this socially ordained
genetic precaution. Marriages between certain gautras are
also not allowed; for instance, marriages between those of
the Vasishtha and Vishvamitra gautras are not permitted. This
is because these two sages were opponents and their descendants
are traditional foes. |
