Arya Vaishya - Etymology

Etymology

Thurston and Rangachari list the following versions by which the name Komati was derived:

• From the term Go-mati, meaning “possessor of cows”
• From Go-mati, meaning "Cow-minded"
• From Go-mati, meaning, "Sprung from a Cow"
• From Go-mati or Go-mutti, meaning "Cow-Gored"

Alternatively, the Komatis are said to have lived in large numbers along the Godavari river, which is also known as Gomati or Gomti. The Sanskrit Gomati was rendered into Telugu as Komati.

The book Religion in Andhra: a survey of religious developments in Andhra from early times up to 1325 AD, page 175 mentions that the merchant classes preferred Jainism for gaining social status and respectability, and the erstwhile Banias became Gomati or followers of the Gomata cult in medieval times. The story of Vasavi, the caste goddess of the Vaisyas narrated in the Vaisya Purana is said to have definite Jain overtones.

According to B.S.L.Hanumantha Rao, there is an alternative etymology for the word Komti, as the "derivation of the word from gomata, the great Jaina saint, which implies that they were followers of Gomata cult or were originally Jains".

Dwarakanath Gupta says that "the tradesmen from Gouda desa took to Jainism and adopted the Gomata cult. The word Gomata became distorted to Gomatlu, then Komtulu. The word Gomati is used in Malayalam and Tamil. The Jain Vaishyas gave up Jainism and embraced Vedic religion during its revival".