In which one of the following Vedas does the term 'Gotra' appear for the first time as representing a clan?
Atharvaveda
In the Rigveda, the word 'Gotra' occurs but in its literal sense of a cow-pen or cattle enclosure, not as a term for lineage or clan.
The Samaveda is largely a liturgical collection of chants derived from Rigvedic verses and does not introduce the clan sense of the word, and the Yajurveda is chiefly concerned with sacrificial formulae.
It is in the Atharvaveda that 'Gotra' is first used in the extended sense of a group of people descended from a common ancestor, marking the shift towards its later meaning as a clan or lineage identifier.
Hence, the answer is the Atharvaveda.
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Important Questions from Vedic Age
Which of the following statement is true about the Vedic culture ?
_______ was considered to be most valuable possession in the Early Vedic Period.
Which of the following statements about the Punch - marked coins is incorrect?
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Consider the following statements about Gana, Sanghas, and Mahajanpadas
1. In a gana or a sangha, there were not one, but many rulers
2. Both the Buddha and Mahavira belonged to Mahajanpadas
3. Between the sixth and the fourth centuries BCE, Magadha (in present-day Bihar) became the most powerful mahajanapada
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
