I am a Roman Catholic from Europe and recently did the Vedic Wisdom Course at the Ashram. It is a really beautiful course. However, we do not have the concept of Gotras (unbroken line of paternal descent) in Christianity. During the initiation of the Gayatri Mantra they gave us a Gotra. Through some people I came to understand that only the Hindus have Gotras and Nakshatras (Birth star or constellation). What should I follow now? Please guide.
Nakshatra refers to the star in which the Moon was present on the day and time you were born. There are 27 stars and the Moon moves through each of these stars. Each star has four divisions. You must have studied this in the Vedic Wisdom series. According to your birth date and time, your star can be determined. It is not difficult at all.
You should speak to the Vaidic Dharma Samsthana Desk (VDS Desk) and consult the Jyotish department there. They will tell you the star under which you were born. And wherever you are studying, that is your Gotra. Gotra means the college or the group in which you are studying. If your whole family has graduated from Stanford or Harvard or New York University, then you take the name of that institution wherever you go, right? In a similar manner, the Gotras were formed in the Vedic tradition. By mentioning a Gotra, one could convey that he studied under so-and-so Rishi in so-and-so Gurukul, and then the whole family gets connected to that school or tradition.
When you are doing your Sadhana, then you belong to this Gotra. Your DNA definitely reflects the things that you do here. It has nothing to do with the religion you follow, and does not interfere with it at all. Religion is a very different thing. The Gotra can depict the impact of your Sadhana on your DNA. So people who do the Sudarshan Kriya, Pranayama and meditation – when they visit an Ayurveda doctor for a Nadi Pariksha (check-up), the doctor can immediately tell and will ask you whether you are doing these practices. So your pulse will tell that you belong to this system of practices. It gets ingrained in our DNA and that is what is broadly called as Gotra from the ancient times.