GOTHRA SAGES 6

1.Introduction 

There are 49 established Hindu gotras. All members of a particular gotra are believed to possess certain common characteristics by way of nature or profession. 

The term gotra was used in its present sense for the first time in the Brahmanas. It was systematised by about the 4th century BC to accommodate changed social rules and laws and by the time of the Sutras, it was a well-established system. 

The following gothra sages have already been covered in this series

2. Index 

Gothra sages1 a. GouthamaGothra b. Gargagothra c. Agasthiagothra d. Bhargava gothra e. Bharadwajagothra f. AtriGothra 

Gothra sages2 and 3 Harithagothra. b. viswamithragothrac.Vasisthagothrad.VadulaGothra e. UpamanyuGothraf.shounakagothra g. sankrithigothra. 

Gothra sages 4A Moudgalyagothra B SandilyaGothra c. Salakhyanagothra  dRaivatagothrae.Koundinyagothra f. Manday

Gothra sages5 a.DhanwantariGothrab.

Jamadagnigothrac.Kanvagothra d.. KātyāyanaGothra 

Gothra sages 6-The following gothra sages are discussed in this write up named Gothra sages 6 

a.  Kasyapagothra b.Vamadevagothra c.PulasthiaGothra d.Pulahagothra 

3.KASYAPA GOTHRA 

Kasyapagothra is a very very familiar Gothra. Not much known details are only covered here. 

Kashyapaa  Vedic sage to whom some hymns of Rigveda are attributed. All authorities agree in assigning to him a large part in the work of creation. 

Kashyapa was the son of Mareechi. Daksha Prajapati married his thirteen daughters with sage Kashyapa. The names of those daughters were Aditi, Diti, Danu, Kala, Danayu, Sinhika, Krodha, Pradha, Vishwa, Vinata, Kapila, Manu and Kadru, 

All these women gave birth to so many children that the whole creation was filled up with their progenies and offsprings. 

Aditi was the mother of all the Devatas and the twelve Aaditya (suns). Diti gave birth to the 'Daitya' (demons), Danu was the mother of the 'Danavas' (demons), 'Kala' and 'Danayu' also gave birth to the Danavas (demons) 'Sinhika' gave birth to lions and tigers, 'Krodha' was the mother of the demons who had great anger, 'Vinata' gave birth to 'Garuda', 'Arun' etc. Kadru was the mother of snakes and cobras and 'Manu' was the mother of all human beings 

Hence, it becomes quite clear that all the species which exist in this world originate from the same ancestor and hence all of us are like brothers and sisters. We are the offspring of Maharsh iKashyapa and so are the trees, the animals, the birds etc. 

Out of these 13 women, Aditi was the senior most loving wife of the sage Kashyapa. She was  mother of all the deities including 'Indra'. Even Lord Vishnu incarnated as Vamana in this family. 

According to the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, and the Puranas, he was father of Vivaswat, the father of Manu, the progenitor of mankind, the above is confirmed. 

 The Satapatha Brahmana gives a different and not very intelligible account of his origin thus:–– "Having assumed the form of a tortoise, Prajapati created offspring. That which he created he made (akarot); hence the word kurma (tortoise). 

Kasyapa means tortoise; hence men say, 'All creatures are descendants of Kasyapa.' This tortoise is the same as Aditya." 

The Atharvaveda says, "The self-born Kasyapa sprang from Time," and Time is often identical with Vishnu. 

The Mahabharata and later authorities agree in representing that Kasyapa married Aditi and twelve other daughters of Daksha. Upon Aditi he begot the Adityas, headed by Indra, and also Vivaswat, and "to Vivaswat was born the wise and mighty Manu." 

By his other twelve wives, he had a numerous and very diversified offspring: demons, nagas, reptiles, birds, and all kinds of living things. He was thus the father of all, and as such is sometimes called Prajapati. 

He was one of the seven great Rishis, and he appeared as the priest of Parasurama and Ramachandra. 

So  marrying the daughters of Daksha sage Kashyapa happened to be the co- brother of Lord Siva who married Sati another daughter of Daksha, and also of Moon godwho married 27 daughters of Daksha from Aswathi  to Revathi. 

4Vamadeva Gothra 

Once, during thirtieth kalpa named Rakta, Lord Brahma was meditating on Parameshthi Shiva. Suddenly a divine child appeared before him who was of red complexion and who had put on red apparels. He was none other than Lord Vaamdev. Lord Brahma immediately realized the divinity of that child and was convinced that he was the embodiment of Almighty God. 

Lord Brahma eulogized Vaamdev who was pleased by his devotions. Four divine entities-Virija, Vivahu, Vishoka and Vishwabhavana manifested from the body of Vaamdev. All of them had great resemblance to Lord Vaamdev. Vaamdev preached them on the finer points of religiousness so that mankind could be benefited by this knowledge. 

5. c Pulasthia and d Pulaha Gothrams 

Note- I have combined these two sages because many  data received  pertains both 

C1 Nainital and Pulasthia- Pulaha 

Nainital is referred to in the 'ManasKhand' of                                 the 'SkandaPurana' as the Tri-Rishi-Sarovar, the lake of the three sages, Atri, Pulastya and                                 Pulaha who were reputed to have arrived here on  a penitential pilgrimage and, finding no water   to quench their thirst dug a hole and siphoned  water into it from Mansarovar the sacred lake in  Tibet. 

C2. King Bharata  and Pulaha 

The life of King Bharata depicted in Purana highlights the truth that attachment can distract even a man of renunciation. Born in the lineage of mighty emperors, Bharata ruled the kingdom he inherited with a sense of duty and devotion. 

He was not only a just king loved by his subjects but was also spiritually inclined, as his father Rshabhadeva was a manifestation of the Lord Himself. Bharata performed many sacrifices and his devotion to God grew day by day. He retired to the hermitage of Sage Pulaha on the bank of the Gandak river (Salagramakshetra in Nepal) after dividing the kingdom between his sons, to devote his life to worshipping God. 

As he sat meditating one day, he was disturbed to see a pregnant deer in distress chased by a lion and it succumbed to the exhaustion of premature delivery. Moved at the sight of the helpless young one without its mother he took it to his hermitage and lavished his care on it to the extent that he became intensely attached to it. Such a man of detachment who had gained total control of his senses and mind after renouncing a kingdom voluntarily, now doted on a deer whose welfare and pranks occupied his entire attention that he was reborn as a deer in his next birth. 

C3 Pulasthia and Mangalyasthavam 

Mangalyasthavam' is a prayer addressed to several avatharas of Lord Vishnu, occurring in the forty third chapter of the Vishnu Dharmotharam Ithihasam. It is a conversation between Sage Pulasthya and his disciple sage Dhaulabhya. 

On being asked by Dhaulabhya, about the most suitable prayer to drive away bad dreams and for being able to complete all jobs in a proper fashion, sage Pulasthya tells him that only a prayer to Lord Vishnu would help him achieve that, and he also teaches the prayer to him. That prayer is "Mangalyasthavam". 

The prayer is for increasing 'mangalyam' (Mamasthumangalyavivrudhaye)by seeking Lord Vishnu's blessings,to protect oneself from all evils and sins The result is that any work started with a prayer for Mangalya- vriddhi, (as in Mangalyasthavam) is completed without any problems. 

The Phala-sruthi of this sthothra says that on reciting this at the beginning of any action, the sins that hinder that action are removed. The action can be fulfilled without hindrances and one will also be blessed with all types of wealth. 

Sreemadbhagavattham has got lot of ref to Pulasthia and Pulaha  Ashram in Hardwar SB 5.7.8 SB 5.7.11 SB 5.8.30 SB 10.79.10 

Sage Pulasthya has described how to start vedic rituals as follows:-   Take   bath,   do   sandhyavandanam,   and   collect  enough   water   to sprinkle   over   the   homa   articles   and  the   house.   Sprinkle   the   water   over   the   homa   articles   and   the   house,  do achamana   and   start   the   vedic   rituals. 

In the lineage from Satrupa –Prasuti –Preeti got married to Pulasthia and her sister Kshama got married to Pulaha. 

Kshama-wife of Sage Pulaha had many offspring among whom Kardam & Sahishnu were prominent. 

Preeti, wife of Sage Pulastya had two sons named Dattarnavr and Dahvahu. She also had a daughter named Dwashdwati. Kratu's wife-Sannati had six thousand offspring who became famous as Baalkhilyas.