families was thrown out by the Bombay High Court. The court called the idea of Brahmin families descending from an unbroken line of common ancestors as indicated by the names of their respective gotras "impossible to accept." The court consulted relevant Hindu texts and stressed the need for Hindu society and law to keep up with the times, emphasizing that notions of good social behavior and the general ideology of the Hindu society had changed. The court also said that the material in the Hindu texts is so vast and full of contradictions that it is a near-impossible task to reduce it to order and coherence. See also Aliyasantana Hindu genealogy registers at Haridwar Pravaras Bharadvaja List of gotras References Further reading Ruegg, D. Seyfort (1976). 'The Meanings of the Term "Gotra" and the Textual History of the "Ratnagotravibhāga"'. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies'', University of London, Vol. 39, No. 2 (1976), pp. 341–363 External links Brahmin Sages and Branches (Gotras and Subcastes) Marriage Ceremonies Caste system in India Family in India Caste system in Nepal