Gotra heredity

Source: TW

Ārșeya heritage

What is central to the Brāhmaņya identity at least is the inheritance of Ārșeya heritage through kinship in a broad sense (going beyond shared blood). And this understanding of Brāhmaņyam in terms of Ārșeya patrilineal inheritance goes all the way back to at least the Samhitās of the Atharvaveda.

Adoption

The existence of Kevalāńgirasas, Kevalabhārgavas & Dvyāmuṣyāyanas among Brāhmaņas already shows that Varņa/Gotra/Pravara is not biological. But it is still hereditary in the sense that it is an identity inherited patrilineally by virtue of ‘descent’ through kinship.

For example, someone belonging to a Kevalāńgirasa gotra is a descendant of some Kșatriyas who became Āńgirasas through the grace of the Āńgirasa sages of that time. They are not biological descendants of the original Ańgiras (as is the case with Bharadvāja or Gautama) but inherit their identity from him as they have been absorbed/adopted into his lineage. There is still an idea of kinship in the sense that they see Ańgiras as a primordial father figure of sorts.

Later biological descent

To clarify, while the ultimate origins of some of these gotras may not be “biological” as far as the primordial Rși is concerned, the way the Gotra identities have been passed down since the initial adoption event is the normal way: through biological linkage over scores of generations.

Agastya

Brāhmaņyam also goes beyond narrow ethnic or genetic boundaries if one considers that the Veda (Jaiminīyabrāhmaņa) itself expressly states a certain Rși as being outside the Kurupañcala fold—predictably, Agastya.(5)

But Agastya became a Rși & his contributions to the Vedic canon & Śrauta ritual leave no doubt about it.

In fact, other sages who could not beget satisfactory progeny for their lineages then took Agastya or Agastya’s son, making the descendants of Agastyas adopt them as their primordial ancestor: Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu.