Brāhmaṇa Gotras of Dharmāraṇya
A gotra is a family line traced back to an ancient ṛshi (seer). Each gotra has its pravara, the list of the ṛshis from whom the family descends, recited in rituals. The Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa of the Skanda Purāṇa tells how Bhagavān Vishṇu granted a great boon: the permanent settlement of 18,000 brāhmaṇas at Dharmāraṇya, a holy place. These brāhmaṇas were arranged into 24 main gotras, each with its own pravara and its own qualities of learning and conduct. The text also lists several secondary gotras.
For each gotra, one of 25 yoginīs (powerful forms of the Devī) was given as the kula-devatā, the family devī who protects that family line forever. This full account of the settlement forms the founding record, both of family descent and of spiritual life, for the brāhmaṇa community of Dharmāraṇya.
Background
At the great gathering of devas at Dharmāraṇya, Yama offered a stotra (hymn of praise) to Vishṇu. After this, Vishṇu granted the highest boon: the permanent settlement of 18,000 brāhmaṇas in the kshetra (holy region). These brāhmaṇas were to be supported by the kājeśas (merchant-rulers). They would keep alive Vedic learning and yajña (fire offering) in Dharmāraṇya. They themselves would be protected by 25 yoginīs serving as kula-devatās, one for the family line of each gotra.
The Twenty-Four Main Gotras
The twenty-four main brāhmaṇa gotras set up at Dharmāraṇya, with their pravaras:
| Gotra | Pravaras |
|---|---|
| Bhāradvāja | Āṅgirasa, Bārhaspatya, Bhāradvāja, Sainya, Gārgya (5 pravaras) |
| Valpa | Bhārgava, Cyavana, Āpnuvāna, Aurva, Jamadagni (5 pravaras) |
| Kauśika | Viśvāmitra, Avumārī, Kauśika (3 pravaras) |
| Śuka | (pravaras from the Bhṛgu/Śukra line) |
| Śāṇḍilya | Asita, Devala, Śāṇḍila (3 pravaras) |
| Kāśyapa | Kāśyapa, Āvatāra, Raibhya (3 pravaras) |
| Gautama | Kautsya, Gārgya, Umavāha, Asita, Devala (5 pravaras) |
| Chandama | (pravaras from the Candra/Soma line) |
| Jāturī | (connected with the Jātukarṇa line) |
| Vātsa | (a sub-branch of the Bhārgava line) |
| Vasishṭha | Vṛsha, Bhāradvāja, Indrapramada (3 pravaras) |
| Dhāraṇa | Agastya, Darbha/Śvetāśva, Dadhivāhana (3 pravaras) |
| Ātreya | Ātreya, Ārcanānasa, Śyāvāśva, Āṅgirasa, Atri (5 pravaras) |
| Bhaṇḍila | (a sub-branch of the Vasishṭha line) |
| Laukara | (Laukāksha: Kāśyapa, Vatsa, Vasishṭha, 3 pravaras) |
| Kṛpāyāna | (a sub-branch of the Cyavana/Bhārgava line) |
| Upamanya | Vasishṭha, Bhāradvāja, Indrapramada (3 pravaras) |
| Gārgya | Āṅgirasa, Āmbarīsha, Yauvanāśva (3 pravaras) |
| Mudgala | (Āṅgirasa line; Mudgala sub-branch) |
| Maushaka | (a variant branch) |
| Puṇyāsana | (an auspicious line; its pravaras are given in the source) |
| Parāśara | (Vasishṭha line; Parāśara sub-branch) |
| Kauṇḍinya | (Vasishṭha line; Kauṇḍinya sub-branch) |
| Gāvyāsana | (a sub-branch of the Atri or “cow” line) |
Secondary Gotras
Besides the 24 main gotras, the text lists several secondary gotras:
- Jamadagni
- Māṇḍavya
- Gārgya
- Laukāksha
- Śikana (pravaras: Viśvāmitra, Devarāta, Auddāla)
- Vātsāyana (5 pravaras: Bhārgava, Cyavana, Āpnuvāna, Jamadagni, Aurva)
- Kauśakana (3 pravaras: Bhārgava, Śānahotra, Gārtsama)
- Tāśyapa (3 pravaras: Kāśyapa, Āvatāra, Raibhya)
- Śunaka
- Āṅgirasa (3 pravaras: Āṅgirasa, Āmbarīsha, Yauvanāśva)
- Śāṇḍilasa (3 pravaras: Asita, Devala, Śāṇḍila)
- Ātreyasa
The Twenty-Five Yoginīs Who Guard the Families
The brāhmaṇa families of Dharmāraṇya needed protection from harmful beings, such as the trouble caused by the yaksha Jṛmbhara. So the assembled devas installed 25 yoginīs as permanent kula-devatās, one for the family line of each gotra. These yoginīs are the protecting mothers of the Dharmāraṇya brāhmaṇa community in every generation:
- Śrīmātā: the foremost kula-devatā; protector of the main family lines
- Tāraṇī: she who carries across (saves from disaster)
- Devī: the Devī
- Āśāpūrī: she who fulfils hopes
- Gotrava: protector of the gotra
- Icchā: the power of will
- Ārtināśinī: destroyer of suffering
- Pippalī: connected with the sacred fig tree
- Tāraviśa: “star-poison”, a powerful protectress
- Jaganmātā: mother of the world
- Mahāmātā: the great mother
- Siddhā: the accomplished, perfected power
- Bhaṭṭārikā: the noble lady
- Kadambā: connected with the kadamba tree and its flower
- Vikāramīta: she who is beyond change
- Suvarṇavasuja: of golden form
- Mātaṅgī: the fierce śakti (divine power) who slew Karṇāṭaka
- Mahādevī: the great Devī
- Vāṇī: the devī of speech (Sarasvatī)
- Mukuṭeśvarī: the lady of the crown
- Bhadrī: the auspicious one
- Mahāśaktisaṃhārī: the great śakti who dissolves and destroys
- Mahābalā: of immense power
- Cāmuṇḍā: the slayer of Caṇḍa and Muṇḍa
- Mahādevī: the great Devī (a second form)
Sources
- Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa, Pūrvārdha, Chapter 9