Shloka 114
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
अग्निके तेजको लोहित कहते हैं, उस लोहितसे कनक उत्पन्न हुआ। उस कनकको मैत्र जानना चाहिये तथा अग्निके धूमसे वसुओंकी उत्पत्ति बतायी गयी है ।।
Vasiṣṭha uvāca: Agneḥ tejaḥ lohitaṃ kathayanti; tasmāl lohitāt kanakaṃ utpannam. Taṃ kanakaṃ maitraṃ jñātavyaṃ; agneḥ dhūmāt ca vasūnām utpattiḥ kathitā. Arciṣo yāś ca te rudrās tathā ādityā mahāprabhāḥ; uddiṣṭās te tathāṅgārā ye dhiṣṇyeṣu divi sthitāḥ.
Vasiṣṭha sprach: Man erklärt, dass der rote Glanz des Feuers ‘lohita’ heißt; aus diesem Lohita wird Gold geboren. Dieses Gold ist als Mitra zugehörig (maitra) zu verstehen; und aus dem Rauch des Feuers lehrt man den Ursprung der Vasus. Die Flammen des Feuers sind wahrlich die elf Rudras und die zwölf überaus strahlenden Ādityas; und die verschiedenen, in jenem Opferfeuer bezeichneten Glutstücke sind die leuchtenden Ansammlungen, die am Himmel als Sternbilder stehen.
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a symbolic cosmology: elements of the sacrificial fire correspond to divine orders and cosmic structures—Agni’s red radiance yields gold (linked with Mitra), smoke gives rise to the Vasus, flames manifest as Rudras and Ādityas, and embers become celestial lights. It frames ritual as a microcosm of the universe, reinforcing dharma through reverent understanding of yajña.
Vasiṣṭha is explaining how various deities and heavenly phenomena are ‘designated’ within Agni: the fire’s radiance, smoke, flames, and embers are mapped to gold/Mitra, the Vasus, the Rudras and Ādityas, and the starry constellations—linking sacrificial imagery to cosmic order.