Shloka 120
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
तदनन्तर लोकपितामह लोकगुरु ब्रह्माजीने कहा--“ये सब मेरी ही संतानें हैं; क्योंकि मेरे ही वीर्यकी आहुति दी गयी है; जिससे इनकी उत्पत्ति हुई है ।।
ahaṁ kartā hi satrasya hotā śukrasya caiva ha | yasya bījaṁ phalaṁ tasya śukra cet kāraṇaṁ matam ||
Vasiṣṭha berkata: “Akulah pelaksana sattrayajña ini, dan akulah pula hotṛ yang mempersembahkan oblation berupa benih (śukra). Buahnya milik dia yang benihnya. Jika dalam kelahiran mereka benih saja dianggap sebab penentu, maka pastilah mereka anak-anakku.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse argues a principle of causality and moral-ritual agency: if generative seed is treated as the primary cause of birth, then the one who provides/“offers” that seed is entitled to the resulting ‘fruit’ (offspring). It frames parenthood as linked to causal contribution and responsibility.
Vasiṣṭha presents a reasoned claim about parentage using sacrificial imagery: he identifies himself as the agent of the rite and the offerer of seed, then concludes that the offspring should be attributed to the seed-giver if seed is accepted as the determining cause.