Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c13.38

c13.38

Jīvanta, Garga, Madhu, Babhru, Kapi, Bodha (an Āṅgirasa), Vataṇḍa, Aśva, Śiva, Kaṇva. They also give us a glimpse of the system of social organization. It was made up of patriarchal families. Three forms of surnames are mentioned by Pāṇini as denoting the Gotra or family. The first was the patronymic by which the head of the united family, the patriarch, was known. Thus Garga or Gargāchārya was the recognized head of the united family of all the Gargas who may be more than a hundred. The second form of the surname was applied to his eldest son and heir who was called Gārgi, while the third form was applied to his grandsons, called Gārgyas. On the death of the patriarch his eldest son, Gārgi was to be called Garga, and his eldest grandson Gārgi, while the great-grandsons, who were called Gārgāyaṇas, were now to be called Gārgyas. It may be also noted that on the death of the patriarch, the other sons designated *youths* (*yuvan*) were subordinate to his authority. On the failure of a direct descendant in the line, the paterfamilias passed on to a collateral relation, but a position of superiority attached to the oldest surviving member, be he an uncle of the surviving representative of the Gotra or the elder brother of his grandfather. Pāṇini also notices the term *Kula* [iv, 1, 79 and 139], which is explained by the commentators to be the non-famous Gotras or families, e.g. Puṇika, Bhuṇika, Mukhara as instanced by *Kāśikā* and Gārgya, Vaida, and Āṅgas as instanced by Patañjali [gloss on ii, 4, 64].