Shloka 80
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
इन्हीं समस्त कर्मों और गुणोंके कारण देवता तथा ऋषि संसारमें अग्निको हिरण्यरेताके नामसे पुकारते हैं। उस समय अग्निजनित हिरण्य (वसु) धारण करनेके कारण पृथ्वीदेवी वसुमती नामसे विख्यात हुईं ।।
etaiḥ samastaiḥ karmabhiḥ guṇaiś ca devā ṛṣayaś ca loke agniṃ hiraṇyaretā iti nāmnā pravadanti | tadā agnijātaṃ hiraṇyaṃ (vasu) dhārayitvā pṛthivīdevī vasumatī iti vikhyātābhavat || sa tu garbho mahātejā gāṅgeyaḥ pāvakodbhavaḥ | divyaṃ śaravaṇṇaṃ prāpya vavṛdhe ’dbhuta-darśanaḥ ||
Dijo Bhishma: «Por todas esas obras y virtudes, los dioses y los rishis del mundo llaman a Agni con el nombre de Hiraṇyaretā, “aquel cuya semilla es de oro”. En aquel tiempo, como la diosa Tierra llevaba en su seno la esencia dorada (Vasu) nacida de Agni, se hizo célebre como Vasumatī, “la poseedora de riquezas”. Y aquel embrión de gran fulgor—Gāṅgeya, nacido del Fuego—llegó al bosque divino de los juncos (Śaravaṇa) y allí creció, mostrándose maravilloso a la vista.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage links names and epithets to moral-spiritual qualities: Agni is praised as ‘Hiraṇyaretā’ due to his potent, auspicious creative power, and Earth is called ‘Vasumatī’ because she bears and sustains wealth/essence. It underscores a dharmic worldview where cosmic functions (purification, fertility, sustenance) are honored through meaningful names.
Bhīṣma explains why Agni is called Hiraṇyaretā and how Earth gained the epithet Vasumatī by bearing Agni-born golden essence (Vasu). He then describes a radiant embryo—Gāṅgeya, born from Agni—reaching the divine reed-forest Śaravaṇa and growing there with a wondrous appearance.