Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 114
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
अग्निके तेजको लोहित कहते हैं, उस लोहितसे कनक उत्पन्न हुआ। उस कनकको मैत्र जानना चाहिये तथा अग्निके धूमसे वसुओंकी उत्पत्ति बतायी गयी है ।।
Vasiṣṭha uvāca: Agneḥ tejaḥ lohitaṃ kathayanti; tasmāl lohitāt kanakaṃ utpannam. Taṃ kanakaṃ maitraṃ jñātavyaṃ; agneḥ dhūmāt ca vasūnām utpattiḥ kathitā. Arciṣo yāś ca te rudrās tathā ādityā mahāprabhāḥ; uddiṣṭās te tathāṅgārā ye dhiṣṇyeṣu divi sthitāḥ.
Dijo Vasiṣṭha: Declaran que el resplandor rojo del Fuego se llama ‘lohita’; de ese lohita nace el oro. Ese oro ha de entenderse como perteneciente a Mitra (maitra); y del humo del Fuego se enseña el origen de los Vasus. Las llamas del Fuego son, en verdad, los once Rudras y los doce Ādityas de fulgor inmenso; y las diversas brasas señaladas en ese fuego sacrificial son los cúmulos luminosos que permanecen en el cielo como constelaciones.
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a symbolic cosmology: elements of the sacrificial fire correspond to divine orders and cosmic structures—Agni’s red radiance yields gold (linked with Mitra), smoke gives rise to the Vasus, flames manifest as Rudras and Ādityas, and embers become celestial lights. It frames ritual as a microcosm of the universe, reinforcing dharma through reverent understanding of yajña.
Vasiṣṭha is explaining how various deities and heavenly phenomena are ‘designated’ within Agni: the fire’s radiance, smoke, flames, and embers are mapped to gold/Mitra, the Vasus, the Rudras and Ādityas, and the starry constellations—linking sacrificial imagery to cosmic order.