kashyap as default gotra (ritual manual?)

[Benjamin Slade]

Dean Michael Anderson <eastwestcultural at YAHOO.COM> said:
> I don't have a textual reference but it is common in modern India that converts to Hinduism of European heritage are told to take Kashyapa as their gotra. I have seen them use it in
> rituals performed in very traditional contexts and it was accepted.> Of course, many Hindus of Indian heritage also have Kashyapa as their gotra.

Yes, Kashyapa seems to be the gotra taken by European-heritage Hindus, but this seems to be a specific instance of a more general rule rather than a recently-devised practice specifically for handling European converts. As I recall, Kashyapa is the gotra used if the father's gotra is unknown (which obviously could apply in variety of circumstances). And assignment of a gotra to converts from Islam would have been important in earlier times as well.

I'm still curious though about the textual attestations of/justifications for this practice, if anyone has any further information. 


best,
-------------------------------------------------
Benjamin Slade 
Dept. of Linguistics
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign                  
[ http://www.jnanam.net/slade/ ]                         
  
Stæfcræft & Vyākaraṇa (lingblog) - http://staefcraeft.blogspot.com

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 प॒रो ऽक्ष॑कामा॒ हि दे॒वाः 
   'The gods love the obscure.' (Śatapathabrāmaṇa 6.1.1.2)






________________________________
From: Dean Michael Anderson <eastwestcultural at YAHOO.COM>
To: INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk
Sent: Tue, 5 January, 2010 8:59:36
Subject: Re: kashyap as default gotra (ritual manual?)

I don't have a textual reference but it is common in modern India that converts to Hinduism of European heritage are told to take Kashyapa as their gotra. I have seen them use it in rituals performed in very traditional contexts and it was accepted.

Of course, many Hindus of Indian heritage also have Kashyapa as their gotra.

Best,

Dean Michael Anderson


--- On Tue, 1/5/10, Benjamin Slade <ingeardagum at YAHOO.CO.UK> wrote:

From: Benjamin Slade <ingeardagum at YAHOO.CO.UK>
Subject: kashyap as default gotra (ritual manual?)
To: INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk
Date: Tuesday, January 5, 2010, 6:38 PM

Some time ago, I came across a reference somewhere that in case of a person's gotra being unknown, for purposes of marriage etc., they should be assigned Kaashyapa gotra.

I can't recall where I saw this reference and Google hasn't been of any help. So I was wondering if anyone could point me to the source(s?) for this custom.

(Intriguingly the rsi Kashyapa seems to be connected with "conversion" of Mlecchas, e.g. in the Bhavishya Purana).

-------------------------------------------------
Benjamin Slade -  http://www.jnanam.net/slade/ 
Dept. of Linguistics
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign                  
                            
Stæfcræft & Vyākaraṇa - http://staefcraeft.blogspot.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  प॒रो ऽक्ष॑कामा॒ हि दे॒वाः 
    'The gods love the obscure.' (Śatapathabrāmaṇa 6.1.1.2)