Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 126
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
आग्नेयस्त्वंगिरा: श्रीमान् कविर्राह्मो महायशा: । भार्गवांगिरसौ लोके लोकसंतानलक्षणौ
āgneyas tv aṅgirāḥ śrīmān kavir brāhmo mahāyaśāḥ | bhārgavāṅgirasau loke lokasantānalakṣaṇau ||
Vasiṣṭha said: “Aṅgiras, radiant and illustrious, became known as Āgneya; and the great-famed seer became renowned as Brāhma. Bhṛgu and Aṅgiras—these two are described in the world as the defining sources of the world’s lineages, expanding creation through their progeny.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic idea that cosmic order and social continuity are sustained through ṛṣis and their lineages: Bhṛgu and Aṅgiras are presented as archetypal progenitors whose descendants extend creation and preserve sacred knowledge.
Vasiṣṭha is describing how eminent sages came to be known by specific epithets (Āgneya for Aṅgiras and Brāhma for a famed kavi) and then identifies Bhṛgu and Aṅgiras as foundational lineage-bearers responsible for the expansion of beings in the world.