Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 139
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
सर्वे प्रजानां पतय: सर्वे चातितपस्विन: । त्वत्प्रसादादिमं लोक॑ तारयिष्यन्ति साम्प्रतम्
sarve prajānāṁ patayaḥ sarve cātitapāsvinaḥ | tvatprasādād imaṁ lokaṁ tārayiṣyanti sāmpratam ||
Vasiṣṭha said: “All of them will be lords and protectors of creatures, and all will be exceedingly austere. By your gracious favor, they will, at this very time, deliver this world—rescuing it from peril.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate authority is framed as protective stewardship: true leaders are those who combine governance (being ‘patayaḥ’ of the people) with inner discipline (intense tapas), and their capacity to ‘save the world’ is ultimately grounded in divine grace (tvatprasāda).
Vasiṣṭha describes a group destined to become rulers/progenitors and powerful ascetics; through the favor of a higher power, they will act as deliverers of the world in a time of danger, restoring stability and safeguarding beings.