Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 39
भद्रां दिशं महाभागा उल्मुचु: प्रमुचुस्तथा । मुमुचुश्न महाभागः स्वस्त्यात्रेयश्व॒ वीर्यवान्
bhadrāṃ diśaṃ mahābhāgā ulmucaḥ pramucus tathā | mumucuś ca mahābhāgaḥ svastyātreyaś ca vīryavān, atreḥ putraś ca dharmātmā tathā sārasvataḥ prabhuḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “In the auspicious quarter dwell these highly blessed sages—Ulmuca, Pramuca, and Mumucu; the valiant Svastyātreya; the righteous son of Atri; and the eminent lordly Sārasvata.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reinforces a dharmic worldview in which space is sanctified by the presence of ṛṣis; remembering their names and lineages functions as moral-cultural orientation, linking right conduct (dharma) with revered exemplars.
Bhīṣma is listing sages associated with an auspicious quarter (a directional catalogue). This is part of a broader didactic mapping of sacred persons to regions, emphasizing the guardianship and sanctifying influence of ascetics.