India as Known to Panini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashtadhyayi c8.s15.t1.24

c8.s15.t1.24

(14) Names ending in *putra*, and preceded by a masculine word (*Putraḥ pumbhyaḥ*, VI.2.132), as Kauṇaṭīputra. They have an initial acute accent (*ādy-udātta*). As counter-examples, were names preceded by the name of the mother, as Gārgīputra and Vātsīputra, and distinguished by the acute accent on the final vowel. The practice of adding the mother's name to *putra* is found in the Vaṁśa list of teachers in the *Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa* beginning with Sāñjīvī-putra (*Vedic Index*, II.443; *Br. U.*, VI.5). A Kātyāyanī-putra (Jātūkarṇya) and a Prātiyodhī-putra also occur in the *Śāṅkh. Āraṇyaka* (III.10; VII.13). It shows that such names formed part of a well recognised practice considered honourable. According to Pāṇini, one's designation after the *gotra* name of one's mother (*gotra-strī*) implied censure (IV.1.147), because it was supposed that the mother's name would be adopted only in the event of the father's name being unknown (*Kāśikā*, *Pitur-asaṁvijñāne mātrā vyapadeśo' patyasya kutsā*). But there seems to have been a change later on and Patañjali states that there is honour in being addressed by the mother's name, as Gārgīmāta, Vātsīmāta (*Bhāshya*, VII.3.107; III.340 *mātṝṇāṁ mātach putrārthaṁ arhate*).