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 ||
ビーシュマは言った。「これら数々の行いと徳ゆえに、世の神々と仙人たちはアグニを『ヒラニヤレータ』（黄金の種子をもつ者）と呼ぶ。その時、大地の女神もまた、アグニより生じた黄金の精髄（ヴァス）を身内に宿したがゆえに、『ヴァスーマティー』（富を有する者）として名高くなった。やがて、火の分より生まれた大いなる光輝の胎—ガンガーの子ガーンゲーヤ—は、神聖なる葦の森シャラヴァナに至り、そこで成長して、見る者に驚嘆をもたらした。」
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.