करोडो लोग जीनको गोत्र का पत्ता नहीं, वह लोग अपना गोत्र कैसे पता करे?
Answers
The word GOTRA formed from two sanskrit words GAU (means cow) and Trahi (means shed).
Gotra means cowshed.
Gotra is like cowshed protecting a particular male lineage. We identify our male lineage / gotra by considering to be descendants of the 8 great rishi (sapta rishi + bharadwaj rishi). All the other gotra evolved from these only.
For example, families belonging to the Bharadwaja gotra are the followers of Bharadwaja Maharishi. But it does not necessarily mean that all its members belong to the same family. Different families in the same caste might have followed Bharadwaja Maharishi; hence so they acquired the name of Bharadwaja gotra.
Likewise, clans might have come into existence. In some castes, the clans were created by their profession and not by birth. For example, the main clans in Viswakarmas (Viswabrahmins) trace their origin to their occupation. They have five main gotras — Saanaga, Sanatana, Ahabhoonasa, Patnarasa and Suparnasa. Saanaga denotes blacksmithy. Sanatana denotes carpentry, Ahabhoonasa metallurgical works, Patnarasa sculptures and Suparnasa goldsmithy. There are some other gotras among Viswakarmas. So the people of the same gotra in the above said clans do not necessarily belong to same origin of birth or family.
We can trace the ancestry of families up to 10 or 15 generations. Beyond that it is not possible to go back.