History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v2.c28.s1.80

v2.c28.s1.80

But an important śloka in the Mahābhārata takes us still further back and states that there originally were four gotras only मूलगोत्राणि चत्वारि समुत्पन्नानि भारत । अङ्गिराः कश्यपश्चैव वसिष्ठो भृुरेवच ॥ (शां. अ. २९६). These ancient four gotras 1 Angiras 2 Kaśyapa 3 Vasiṣṭha and 4 Bhṛgu are supported by the Pravarādhāyas also in the several Sūtras which always begin with the Bhṛgu Pravara. (It is hence that the Bhagavad-gītā has the line महर्षीणां भृगुरहम्. He is indeed the first of the great or Pravara Rishis). Now this shows that when the first or solar race Indo-Aryan invaders came to India there were four family stocks viz., 1 Bhṛgu, 2 Angiras, 3 Vasiṣṭha and 4 Kaśyapa. These were the patriarchs so to say 1.e. the mind-born son of the creator. And they were progenitor of all the three Aryan classes (which were not castes yet) Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaiśyas. They in fact were not Brahmin Rishis but Aryan the later 8 stocks we have to add Atri, Viśvāmitra and Agastya. It is clear that the Atri stock represents the second horde of Aryan invaders viz., the lunar race Aryans, as the moon is looked upon as a son of Atri and the lunar race Aryans have generally the Atri gotra. Agastya is entirely a new addition but it also took place in Vedic times, for Agastya is a Vedic Rishi while Viśvāmitra an Indo-Aryan Kshatriya became a Brahmin and a Pravara Rishi by his austerities, also in Vedic days when caste was still of the nature of class and families could give up their hereditary avocation and take up another, especially the priestly intellectual one. Viśvāmitra's, therefore, was a Solar race Kshatriya stock which became priests by his intelligence and his high religious merit. Thus the old history of gotra as preserved in the Mahābhārata shows that the ancient Rishis can well be the progenitors of Brahmins and Kshatriyas.