India as Known to Panini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashtadhyayi c8.s5.8

c8.s5.8

SAGOTRA—Next to caste was *Gotra*. *Gotra* denoted the ancestral family from which its members traced their descent. Members belonging to the same *gotra* were called *sagotra* (VI. 3.85). The *gotra* name of a person on the basis of his *gotra* must have been a matter of considerable practical importance. In the *Jātakas* we often find the *gotra* name of a person asked along with his personal name. This is shown by Pāṇini having prescribed elaborate rules for the formation of *gotra* names, *e.g.* Garga, father; Gārgi, son; Gārgya grandson; Gārgyāyaṇa great-grandson.