Haritsa Gotra

HARITSA GOTHRA

K. Raghavedra Rao, Mysore

During my Upanayana, I was taught my gothra is Harista and pra-va-ra is of three rishis i.e. Angeerasa, Ambarihsa and Yow-va-naa-shwa. During my working life I tried to find out the significance of these terms in puranic lore but, very few details are available from which no conclusions could be drawn. Also it is not clear in which period the Pravara rishis got group together and the reasons for the same. Also why the rishi's name got attached to the pravara triad.

What is the pronuciation of Harista? Is it Harista of Haritasa or Harita or Hareeta?

What does gothra mean? Is it genealogical or historical? The modern gene theory says genes get carried in a maximum of seven generations. Even in modern society, marriages are permitted in the same gotra if one is sure that there has been no inter-mingling during seven generations. This reduces gothra to a convinint peg to hand on.

What is pravara? What is Vedic, Upanishadic or Puranic significance of pravara or gotra?

Have any studies been made about the etymological or psychological significance of gothra and pravara names? Given below is a brief attempt towards this.

Angeerasa : according to Mahabharata, Angeerasa is the rishi who discovered agni or fire or heat or energy. Anga rasa of any living being is heat. When this is absent it indicates that the being is not alive. Thus Angeerasa is one having heat inside. He had a wife by name Shubha. Shubha means auspicious. The couple had a son by name Brihaspati, who stands for knowledge literally, Brihaspati is some one who tries to attain brihat or the Big.

Ambareesha: There are four or five Ambareeshas in the Purana. He was a king who had a daughter named Srimathi. Narada and Parvatha claimed her hand. Srimati rejects both of them after arguments and marries the Supreme. Sri means treasure mathi is wisdom. Ambara is sky or space and isha is its Lord.

Yow-va-naa-shwa : Yavana is foreign, specifically Arab and ashva is horse. Arab horses were used as a common metaphor in Vedas and Upanishads, for mind as horses were the then known fastest land animal. Jet planes had not been invented then. Thus Yauvanashva stands for mind which can go anywhere and return in a jiffy.

Haritsa: Haridvarna is green colour. Thus Haritsa is evergreen.

From what I have observed in family circles or sa-gotra people is their sharp mind or knowledge. Usually their mundane luck is very ordinary I have not seen any rich people or aristocrats belonging to this gothra, even though they are in high administrative positions or in trade, commerce, industry etc. by God's grace they eke out a respectable living. In fact in my younger days the gothra people were usually referred to as Haritsa gothravo, haraku dhothravo (Hatitsa gotra or torn dhoti) If intelligence is not channelised into positive routes, it will fly away in thousand different directions and dissipate itself.