Chapter 115 - Gotras of Sages

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

The sages said:

1-2. O highly intelligent one, do proclaim to us the name of that Brāhmaṇa Trijāta. Whose son was he? What is his Gotra? What is his appellation? How is he, though a Trijāta, greater than those people of noble birth, having good qualities and radiant due to their brilliance and learning? It was by him that his land of nativity was lifted up (rehabilitated).

Sūta said:

3. That excellent Brāhmaṇa was born of the race of Sage Sāṅkṛtya. He was well known as Prabhāva. His appellation was Datta and he was son of Nimi.

4. After redeeming the native place he built an auspicious shrine of the Trident-bearing Lord of Devas by the name Trijāteśvara.

5. Then some time, thereafter, he propitiated that Lord day and night with great faith and went to heaven along with his physical body.

6. If one visits that Lord with true devotion and bathes him always on the Viṣuva (Equinox) day, never shall a Trijāta be born in his family.

The sages said:

7. O Sūtanandana, recount to us the names of those Gotras that became extinct and those that were re-established in that city.

Sūta said:

8-9. Like the four Gotras of those beginning with Śuka who disappeared (left permanently) due to the fear of serpents, the following excellent Brāhmaṇas did not come back: those of Upamanyu Gotra, those born of Krauñca Gotra, those hailing from Kaiśorya Gotra and also those of Traivaṇeya Gotra.

10. I shall mention to you the remaining Brāhmaṇas of different Gotras. Twenty-six are remembered as born of Kauśika family.

11. O excellent Brāhmaṇas, eighty-seven were born of Kaśyapa family; twenty-one families born of Lakṣmaṇa’s family came back to that city.

12. Those who had vanished earlier came back again in great misery. Three of the Bhāradvāja family and fourteen of the Kauṇḍanīya family came back.

13. Raitikas were twenty and Pārāśaryas eight; Gargas twenty-two and Hārītas twenty-three.

14. The families of Aurvas and of Bhārgavas were cited as twenty-five; those of Gautamas twenty-six and those of Ālūbhāyanas (v.l. Ālūtāyana) were twenty.

15. The families of Māṇḍavyas were twenty-three, those of Bahvṛcas twenty-three, those of Sāṃkṛtyas and Viśiṣṭas (? splendid) (or those of distinguished Sāṅkṛtyas) were severally ten in number.

16. Further, Āṅgirasas were proclaimed as five in number; Ātreyas numbered ten and the same in the case of Śuklātreyas.

17. Vātsyas are reckoned as five and Kautsas sixteen (nine and seven). Śāṇḍilya sub-division of Bhārgavas are five and Mudgalyas are remembered as twenty.

18. Baudhāyanas and Kauśalas are proclaimed as thirty; Atharvas fifty-five and Maunasas seventy-seven.

19. Yājuṣas were thirty and the well known Cyāvanas were twenty-seven; Āgastyas thirty-three and Jaimineyas only ten.

20. Naivṛta Brāhmaṇas were fifty-five and Pāṭhīnas seventy. Gobhila Brāhmaṇas and Kākva Brāhmaṇas are remembered as five each.

21. Auśanasas and Dāśārhas are cited as three each. Further, there were sixty families of Lokākhyas and those of the Aiṇiśas seventy-two.

22. Kāpiṣṭhalas, those designated as Śārkaras and Dattas were seventy-seven, Śārkavas are mentioned as one hundred and Dārjyas seventy-seven.

23. Kātyāyanyas were three; Adhiṣṭhas and Vaidiśas are remembered as three. Kṛṣṇātreyas and Dattātreyas were five (each).

24. Nārāyaṇas, Śaunakeyas and Jābālas were one hundred in number. So also were Gopālas, Jāmadagnyas, Śālihotras and Karṇikas.

25. Further Bhāgurāyaṇakas, Mātṛkas and Traiṇavas were also similar.

O excellent Brāhmaṇas, all these were excellent Brāhmaṇas in due serial order.

26. It was for the consecration of all these that forty-eight excellent Brāhmaṇas were announced formerly by the Self-born Lord.

27. All of them were separately directed by the Lotus-born Lord. The enjoined rites were Sandhyā prayers, libations (Tarpaṇa to Pitṛs) and other things connected with Vaiśvadeva, Śrāddhas, the rites in the different Pakṣas (fortnights), balls of rice to be offered to the Pitṛs etc.

28. All the Pravaras connected with the rite of investing with the sacred threads, the particularly significant Mauñjis as well as the various styles of keeping hair-tuft were announced.

29. It was done by Trijāta after propitiating Pitāmaha, the Lord of Devas, for the sake of those leading Brāhmaṇas and for his own reputation.

The sages said:

30. How was Brahmā pleased by the noble-souled Trijāta? How was the Karmakāṇḍa (procedure of performing different religious rites) differentiated by that noble-souled one? Do mention everything. We are very much eager to know.

Sūta said:

31-33. For his sake, Prapitāmaha was propitiated by all the Brāhmaṇas: “O Lord, our native land was entirely redeemed (and rehabilitated) by this one alone.

Hence, O Lord, grant him the excellent knowledge of the Vedas so that the different special rites can function here, in this excellent city.

O Lotus-born One, do manage everything with due expedients so that he can have the status of preceptor with your favour, O Lord of Devas.”

34. Then Brahmā granted to him the excellent collection of the Mantras whereby the meanings of the Vedas and (the procedure of) the Yajña rites were entirely understood.

35-39. Then with a highly delighted mind, he told them all: “This one will become richly endowed with the knowledge of the meaning of the Vedas. He will become famous.

He will become well-known as Bhartṛyajña and will be an expert in the rites of Yajña. Whatever he tells you in the matter of Karmakāṇḍa should be unhesitatingly carried out by you for the sake of heaven and salvation. As enlightened by my statements, he will explain the meanings of the Vedic passages to you.

It shall be due (applicable)to you all who had abandoned this land and gone to other lands and holy spots. O excellent Brāhmaṇas, this is the truth.

Whatever act he performs shall be with his intellect keenly rooted in the Vedas. His speech shall never be directed towards falsehood or sin.”

40. After saying thus, Pitāmaha, the Lord of Devas, stopped. Bhartṛyajña performed all those auspicious Yajña rites.

41. For the sake of the welfare of the Brāhmaṇas alone he expounded the meaning of Śruti. All those excellent Brāhmaṇas were mentioned as having ten valid authorities (or extended to ten).

42. In this manner, excellent Brāhmaṇas belonging to all the sixty-four Gotras were brought together by the noble-souled Trijāta.

43. Thus, one thousand five hundred families collected there together in one place. Trijāta made them enjoy pleasures in common and attain salvation.

44. Formerly, the income and expenditure were reckoned in the Gotra in sixty-eight divisions or groups on the basis of the numbers of the men (i.e. members) thereof.

45-46. But ever since then, at the instance of Trijāta the matter became established in common pool.

Thereby, leading Brāhmaṇas used to come there from far-off lands and the city flourished. No one abandoned the city on account of sufferings or penury to go elsewhere, O Brāhmaṇas.

47. Then it became filled up with thousands of their sons, grandsons, great-grandsons, daughters' son, nephews etc. to a great deal.

48. That city is flourishing, O Brāhmaṇas, with innumerable citizens like the growth of the sprouts of Dūrvā grass, that grow from stem to stem.

Sūta said:

49. Thus the auspicious reckoning of the Gotras of the sages has been narrated to you all. The recital thereof is destructive of all sins.

50. If anyone reads this daily or listens to it devoutly, he shall never have extinction of his family on the earth any time.

51. He is liberated from sins committed ever since his birth upto death. He never suffers separation from people near and dear.