In Jainism, gotra generally means family line, clan, or lineage.

It is used in two ways:

1. Ordinary use:

It refers to a person’s birth family or clan identity.

1. Jain karmic meaning:

Gotra karma is one of the 8 main karmas in Jain philosophy. It affects a being’s status, family background, honor, and social position in future birth.

In simple words, gotra means lineage or clan, and in Jain karma theory it is the karma related to high or low social status.