Personal-identity foundations

Gotra, nakshatra, rashi, sutra

Every traditional sankalpa - the formal declaration before any Hindu ritual - names four things about you: the rishi-lineage of your father (gotra), the lunar mansion you were born under (nakshatra), the zodiac sign of the moon at your birth (rashi), and the ritual code your family follows (sutra). This page explains each one in plain English and, where you can, helps you find your own.

By Sevasannidhi LLPUpdated 19 May 2026

Gotras - the rishi lineages

A gotra(literally “cowshed” - the family enclosure) is the patrilineal descent from one of the seven (or eight) saptarshis - the great seers of the Vedic age. The classical seven are Bharadwaja, Vishvamitra, Jamadagni, Vasishtha, Kashyapa, Atri, and Gautama; Agastya is the eighth in many South Indian counts.

Why it matters today:the gotra is named in every sankalpa so the universe and the deity know “who is requesting” this offering. It also governs the marriage rule of sapinda: traditionally, two people of the same gotra are not allowed to marry, since they are considered descended from the same rishi and therefore siblings in spiritual lineage. This is the oldest documented exogamy rule in any culture.

Bharadwaja

Rishi · Bharadwaja

Descended from Rishi Bharadwaja, son of Brihaspati. One of the most populous gotras in India.

Many Brahmin and warrior families across India.

Vishvamitra

Rishi · Vishvamitra

Descended from Rishi Vishvamitra, the only kshatriya to attain Brahmarshi status. Composer of the Gayatri.

Found across South India and northern Hindi belt.

Jamadagni

Rishi · Jamadagni

Descended from Rishi Jamadagni, father of Parashurama (sixth avatar of Vishnu).

Common in Maharashtra and Karnataka Brahmin families.

Vasishtha

Rishi · Vasishtha

Descended from Brahmarshi Vasishtha, the family priest of the Suryavamsha (Rama's lineage).

Widely spread; many Smartas and Vaishnavas.

Kashyapa

Rishi · Kashyapa

Descended from Rishi Kashyapa, the cosmic ancestor of devas, asuras, nagas, and humans alike.

Geographically widest; found in nearly every region.

Atri

Rishi · Atri

Descended from Rishi Atri, husband of Anasuya, father of Dattatreya, Chandra, and Durvasa.

Common in Andhra and Tamil Brahmin lineages.

Gautama

Rishi · Gautama

Descended from Rishi Gautama, husband of Ahalya. Author of the Nyaya Sutras.

Found across many sub-castes; not to be confused with Gautama Buddha's gotra.

Agastya

Rishi · Agastya

Descended from Rishi Agastya, who carried Vedic knowledge to the south. The eighth gotra in some lists.

Common in Tamil and Kerala Brahmin families; sometimes counted separately from the seven.

How to find your gotra:ask the eldest male in your father's family. If the lineage has been disconnected, your family priest can recover it from traditional records or assign “Kashyapa” - the catch-all gotra used when the original is lost, since Kashyapa is held to be the cosmic ancestor of all.

Note: hundreds of sub-gotras (pravarachains) exist; the eight above are the parent lineages from which the rest descend. A typical pravara names three rishis - for example a Bharadwaja might recite “Angirasa, Barhaspatya, Bharadwaja”.

Nakshatras - the 27 lunar mansions

The moon takes 27.3 days to circle the earth and passes through 27 evenly spaced sectors of the sky. Each sector is a nakshatra - a lunar mansion - with a presiding deity, a symbol, a ruling planet (one of the navagraha, pictured), and characteristic qualities.

Why it matters today: the nakshatra under which the moon was located at your moment of birth is your janma nakshatra. It is named in every sankalpa, used to compute your name (the first syllable traditionally matches one of the four padas of the nakshatra), and consulted to choose auspicious dates for any new beginning - marriage, house entry, a journey, the start of a venture.

#	Nakshatra	Symbol	Deity	Ruling planet	Rashi	Quality
1	Ashwini	Horse's head	Ashwini Kumaras	Ketu	Mesha	Quick, healing, pioneering.
2	Bharani	Yoni	Yama	Venus	Mesha	Carrying, transformative.
3	Krittika	Razor / flame	Agni	Sun	Mesha/Vrishabha	Sharp, purifying, fiery.
4	Rohini	Cart / temple	Brahma / Prajapati	Moon	Vrishabha	Fertile, beautiful, growing.
5	Mrigashira	Deer's head	Soma	Mars	Vrishabha/Mithuna	Searching, gentle.
6	Ardra	Teardrop	Rudra	Rahu	Mithuna	Stormy, transformative, cleansing.
7	Punarvasu	Quiver of arrows	Aditi	Jupiter	Mithuna/Karka	Renewal, returning, generous.
8	Pushya	Cow's udder / lotus	Brihaspati	Saturn	Karka	Nourishing, most auspicious nakshatra.
9	Ashlesha	Coiled serpent	Naga	Mercury	Karka	Mysterious, intuitive, hypnotic.
10	Magha	Throne	Pitrs (ancestors)	Ketu	Simha	Royal, ancestral, traditional.
11	Purva Phalguni	Front legs of bed	Bhaga	Venus	Simha	Pleasure, leisure, romance.
12	Uttara Phalguni	Back legs of bed	Aryaman	Sun	Simha/Kanya	Friendly, contractual, helpful.
13	Hasta	Hand	Savitr (Sun)	Moon	Kanya	Skilful, dexterous, crafty.
14	Chitra	Pearl / bright jewel	Vishvakarma	Mars	Kanya/Tula	Brilliant, artistic, designing.
15	Swati	Sword / coral	Vayu	Rahu	Tula	Independent, restless, free.
16	Vishakha	Triumphal arch	Indra & Agni	Jupiter	Tula/Vrischika	Goal-oriented, branching, determined.
17	Anuradha	Lotus / staff	Mitra	Saturn	Vrischika	Devotional, friendly, organising.
18	Jyeshtha	Earring / umbrella	Indra	Mercury	Vrischika	Eldest, protective, authoritative.
19	Mula	Bunch of roots	Nirriti	Ketu	Dhanu	Investigative, going to the root.
20	Purva Ashadha	Elephant tusk / fan	Apas (waters)	Venus	Dhanu	Invincible, victorious, purifying.
21	Uttara Ashadha	Elephant tusk	Vishvedevas	Sun	Dhanu/Makara	Universal, achieving, righteous.
22	Shravana	Ear	Vishnu	Moon	Makara	Listening, learning, devotional.
23	Dhanishta	Drum / flute	Vasus	Mars	Makara/Kumbha	Wealthy, musical, generous.
24	Shatabhisha	Empty circle	Varuna	Rahu	Kumbha	Healing, mystical, secretive.
25	Purva Bhadrapada	Sword / front of bier	Aja Ekapada	Jupiter	Kumbha/Meena	Intense, transformative, ascetic.
26	Uttara Bhadrapada	Snake in water	Ahir Budhnya	Saturn	Meena	Deep, withdrawn, compassionate.
27	Revati	Fish / drum	Pushan	Mercury	Meena	Nurturing, completing, journeying.

Rashis - the 12 zodiac signs

The zodiac is divided into twelve rashis of 30° each. Indian astrology uses the sidereal zodiac (anchored to the actual stars), which is offset from the Western tropical zodiac by about 24°. So if you are an Aries in the Western system, you are likely a Pisces (Meena) in the Indian system - your rashi is determined by where the moon was, not the sun.

Why it matters today: your chandra-rashi (moon sign) is the principal indicator in Vedic astrology - used for daily readings, compatibility checking before marriage (guna milan), and selecting muhurtas. The lord of your rashi (graha) governs how favourable each year will feel based on the planet's transit.

Mesha

Aries · Ram

Element: Fire
Modality: Movable
Lord: Mars
Body part: Head

Energetic, pioneering, impatient.

Vrishabha

Taurus · Bull

Element: Earth
Modality: Fixed
Lord: Venus
Body part: Face & throat

Steady, patient, sensual.

Mithuna

Gemini · Twins

Element: Air
Modality: Dual
Lord: Mercury
Body part: Shoulders & arms

Curious, communicative, restless.

Karka

Cancer · Crab

Element: Water
Modality: Movable
Lord: Moon
Body part: Chest & heart

Nurturing, emotional, protective.

Simha

Leo · Lion

Element: Fire
Modality: Fixed
Lord: Sun
Body part: Stomach

Regal, generous, dramatic.

Kanya

Virgo · Virgin

Element: Earth
Modality: Dual
Lord: Mercury
Body part: Intestines

Analytical, precise, helpful.

Tula

Libra · Scales

Element: Air
Modality: Movable
Lord: Venus
Body part: Lower abdomen & kidneys

Balanced, diplomatic, indecisive.

Vrischika

Scorpio · Scorpion

Element: Water
Modality: Fixed
Lord: Mars
Body part: Pelvis

Intense, transformative, secretive.

Dhanu

Sagittarius · Archer

Element: Fire
Modality: Dual
Lord: Jupiter
Body part: Thighs & hips

Philosophical, expansive, frank.

Makara

#10

Capricorn · Sea-goat

Element: Earth
Modality: Movable
Lord: Saturn
Body part: Knees

Disciplined, ambitious, patient.

Kumbha

#11

Aquarius · Water-bearer

Element: Air
Modality: Fixed
Lord: Saturn
Body part: Calves & ankles

Eccentric, humanitarian, abstract.

Meena

#12

Pisces · Fishes

Element: Water
Modality: Dual
Lord: Jupiter
Body part: Feet

Compassionate, intuitive, dreamy.

Sutras - the dharma codes

The four Vedas - sutras descend from each

Each of the four Vedas (above) gave rise to its own family of sutras - each sutra a tight chain of prose aphorisms that specifies, syllable by syllable, how a ritual is performed. Your family follows one specific sutra, inherited by lineage.

The Kalpa Vedanga - the “limb” of the Vedas dealing with ritual procedure - is preserved as four genres of short aphoristic texts: Srauta Sutras (large public yajnas), Grihya Sutras (household rites), Dharma Sutras (law and conduct), and Shulba Sutras (geometry of fire altars). Together they specify, syllable by syllable, exactly how every traditional ritual is performed.

Why it matters today:different rishis composed different sutra collections, and each Brahmin family inherits the sutra of one specific rishi. Your sutra determines which mantras your priest uses at your wedding, which procedure is followed at your child's naming ceremony, and what version of the Sandhya Vandana you perform. If you ever wonder why the wedding at your cousin's house in Mumbai looked different from the one at your aunt's in Bangalore - different sutras.

Bodhayana (Baudhayana) Sutra

Krishna Yajurveda · Taittiriya Shakha

Components: Dharma Sutra · Grihya Sutra · Srauta Sutra · Shulba Sutra (geometry of altars)

Region / community: Smarta Brahmins of Andhra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra; many South Indian families

One of the oldest and most widely followed sutras in South India. The Bodhayana Grihya Sutra is the day-to-day reference for samskaras (life-cycle rituals) - namakarana, upanayana, vivaha, antyeshti - in countless Smarta and Vaidika households. The Bodhayana Shulba Sutra also contains some of the earliest known statements of the Pythagorean theorem in mathematical history.

Apastamba Sutra

Krishna Yajurveda · Taittiriya Shakha

Components: Dharma Sutra · Grihya Sutra · Srauta Sutra · Shulba Sutra

Region / community: Andhra, Tamil Nadu, parts of Karnataka

A close cousin of Bodhayana, slightly later in date and more systematic. The Apastamba Dharma Sutra is one of the most lawyer-like of the Dharma Sutras, organising rules into clear topics. Many South Indian Smartas and Sri Vaishnavas follow Apastamba.

Ashvalayana Sutra

Rigveda

Components: Grihya Sutra · Srauta Sutra

Region / community: North India, Bengal, parts of Maharashtra; Rigvedi Brahmins generally

The default for almost all Rigvedi Brahmin families. The Ashvalayana Grihya Sutra is the source for most of the standard Rigvedic samskara verses still recited at weddings and naming ceremonies.

Hiranyakeshi Sutra

Krishna Yajurveda · Taittiriya Shakha

Components: Grihya Sutra · Srauta Sutra · Dharma Sutra (shared with Apastamba)

Region / community: Maharashtra (Konkanastha and Deshastha Brahmins), parts of Karnataka

A subdivision of the larger Apastamba family. Maharashtrian Chitpavan and Deshastha Brahmin families typically identify as Hiranyakeshis when asked their sutra. Practical content is very close to Apastamba.

Sankhayana (Shankhayana) Sutra

Rigveda

Components: Grihya Sutra · Srauta Sutra · Aranyaka

Region / community: North India, parts of Bengal

A second Rigvedi sutra, less common than Ashvalayana but still in active use in some North Indian Brahmin families.

Drahyayana Sutra

Samaveda · Kauthuma branch

Components: Srauta Sutra primarily

Region / community: Tamil Nadu, Andhra; Samavedi Brahmins

For families whose lineage maintains Samaveda chanting. Comparatively rare; closely paired with Latyayana for the Kauthuma branch.

Latyayana Sutra

Samaveda · Kauthuma branch

Components: Srauta Sutra

Region / community: Tamil Nadu, Andhra

Companion Samavedic sutra to Drahyayana.

Kaushika Sutra

Atharvaveda

Components: Grihya Sutra (the only complete Atharvavedic Grihya Sutra)

Region / community: Limited; some Atharvavedi Brahmin families in Maharashtra and Gujarat

For families that maintain the Atharvaveda. Atharvavedi families are the rarest of the four Vedic streams in modern India.

performed your sacred-thread ceremony (upanayana) or your wedding. He will know - it's the first thing he asks. If genuinely lost, the family priest can determine it from the regional and Veda-shakha tradition of the lineage.

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