Shloka 106
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
अंगारसंश्रयाच्चैव कविरित्यपरो5भवत् । सह ज्वालाभिरुत्पन्नो भृगुस्तस्माद् भगु: स्मृत:
aṅgārasaṁśrayāccai va kavir ity aparo 'bhavat | saha jvālābhir utpanno bhṛgus tasmād bhaguḥ smṛtaḥ ||
Vasiṣṭha sprach: „Aus der Abhängigkeit von den glühenden Kohlen entstand ein weiteres Wesen, das man ‘Kavi’ nannte. Bhṛgu wurde zusammen mit den Flammen geboren; darum gedenkt man seiner unter dem Namen ‘Bhagu/Bhṛgu’.“
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses etymology to link a being’s name with its origin and characteristic association (embers, small flame, flames). It implies that identity and designation are not arbitrary but reflect source, nature, and function—an idea often used in dharma literature to ground meaning in intrinsic qualities.
Vasiṣṭha explains the emergence and naming of figures associated with fire: one connected with embers is called Kavi, and Bhṛgu is said to have arisen together with flames, hence his remembered name (Bhagu/Bhṛgu). The surrounding prose tradition also connects related names (e.g., Aṅgiras) to embers.