The word 'pallava' means in Sanskrit a sprout, and the dynasty with which we are concerned claims to be so called, because the progenitor, who is said have been the son of the Mahabharata hero Asvatthaman by a celestial nymph, was laid on a litter of sprouts soon after he was born. This is the derivation furnished by two inscriptions, where the name, instead of being applied to the tribe, is given to the first king. In the Mahabharata, as well as in the Puranas, the name is applied to the tribe and not to an individual.