History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c26.279

v2.c26.279

If a person does not know his own gotra and pravara he should take those of his ācārya (teacher of Veda), according to Āp.¹¹⁵⁷ Though he takes his teacher's gotra, it is only the teacher's daughter that is forbidden to him in marriage and not other girls of the same gotra as the ācārya's. Both Saṁ. K. and Saṁ. Pr. (p. 650) quote a verse that when one does not know one's gotra one should call oneself of Kāśyapa gotra. This is so when he does not know even his teacher's gotra. The Sm. C. (śrāddha section p. 481) says that this is so even when one does not know the gotra of one's maternal grand-father (i.e. he should offer piṇḍa with Kāśyapa gotra to his maternal grand-father).