Shloka 138
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
ब्रह्मा पितामह: पूर्व देवताभि: प्रसादित: । इमे नः संतरिष्यन्ति प्रजाभिर्जगती श्वरा:
brahmā pitāmahaḥ pūrvaṁ devatābhiḥ prasāditaḥ | ime naḥ santariṣyanti prajābhir jagatīśvarāḥ ||
Vasiṣṭha said: “In former times the Grandfather Brahmā was propitiated by the gods. They prayed, ‘Lord, be gracious so that these descendants of Bhṛgu and the like, while protecting the earth, may by means of their progeny deliver us from our distress. Let them all be Prajāpatis and great ascetics. By the favor of your grace, they will at this time rescue the whole world from peril.’”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic model of world-sustaining leadership: through divine grace, righteous lineages arise whose rulers and ascetics protect the earth and, by their progeny and disciplined conduct, help avert collective संकट (crisis). It links cosmic stability to tapas, responsible governance, and continuity of virtuous descendants.
Vasiṣṭha recounts an ancient episode: the gods approach Brahmā and propitiate him, requesting that certain great lineages (described in the gloss as descendants of Bhṛgu and others) be empowered to rule as world-protectors and to generate progeny who will help deliver the gods and the world from a looming danger.