Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 125
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
पितामहस्त्वपत्यं वै कविं जग्राह तत्त्ववित् | तदा स वारुण: ख्यातो भृगुः प्रसव कर्मवित्
pitāmahastv apatyaṃ vai kaviṃ jagrāha tattvavit | tadā sa vāruṇaḥ khyāto bhṛguḥ prasava-karmavit ||
Vasiṣṭha said: The Grandsire, a knower of truth, accepted Kavi as his own offspring. From that time, Bhṛgu—skilled in the duties and processes of generation—became renowned by the name Vāruṇa.
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames progeny and lineage as a dharmic responsibility: true knowledge (tattva) and the correct understanding of generation and continuity (prasava-karma) sustain the ordered expansion of creation and tradition.
Vasiṣṭha recounts a cosmogonic/lineage episode: the Grandsire (Brahmā) accepts Kavi as an offspring, and Bhṛgu becomes known by the epithet Vāruṇa, highlighting how sages are identified through lineage and functional roles in creation.