Shloka 50
अध्याय ३५१ — उञ्छवृत्ति-व्रतसिद्धेः मानुषस्य परमगतिः
Sūrya–Nāga Dialogue on the Perfected Gleaner-Ascetic
तस्यान्वये चापि ततो महर्षि: पराशरो नाम महाप्रभाव: । पिता स ते वेदनिधिववरिष्ठो महातपा वै तपसो निवास:
tasya anvaye cāpi tato maharṣiḥ parāśaro nāma mahāprabhāvaḥ | pitā sa te vedanidhir vasiṣṭho mahātapā vai tapaso nivāsaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Y en ese mismo linaje, después, surgirá un gran vidente llamado Parāśara, dotado de inmenso poder espiritual. Él será tu padre: un tesoro inagotable del saber védico, el primero entre los ascetas, como si fuese la morada misma del tapas.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates the ethical ideal that true authority rests on tapas (disciplined self-restraint) and Vedic wisdom, presenting spiritual merit and learning—not mere birth or power—as the foundation of greatness within a lineage.
Vaiśampāyana identifies a future (or subsequent) figure in a revered lineage: the sage Parāśara, described as immensely powerful, a repository of Vedic knowledge, and an exemplar of austerity, and states that he will be the listener’s father.