अध्याय ३५१ — उञ्छवृत्ति-व्रतसिद्धेः मानुषस्य परमगतिः
Sūrya–Nāga Dialogue on the Perfected Gleaner-Ascetic
मुनिवर अपान्तरतमा वेदोंके आचार्य बताये जाते हैं। यहाँ कुछ लोग उन महर्षिको प्राचीनगर्भ कहते हैं ।। उमापतिर्भूतपति: श्रीकण्ठो ब्रह्मण: सुतः । उक्तवानिदमव्यग्रो ज्ञानं पाशुपतं शिव:
munivara apāntaratamā vedoke ācārya batāye jāte haiṃ | yahāṃ kucha loga una maharṣiko prācīna-garbha kahate haiṃ || umāpatir bhūtapatiḥ śrīkaṇṭho brahmaṇaḥ sutaḥ | uktavān idam avyagro jñānaṃ pāśupataṃ śivaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Resi Apāntaratamā disebut dalam tradisi Veda sebagai guru yang unggul; malah ada yang di sini menamakan para maharṣi purba itu sebagai “Prācīna-garbha”. Śiva—tuan kepada Umā, penguasa segala makhluk, yang berleher biru, dan dalam kisah ini disebut sebagai putera Brahmā—dengan jiwa yang tenang tanpa gelora, mengajarkan pengetahuan Pāśupata.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights the authority of sacred knowledge through lineage: revered teachers and ancient seers preserve and transmit doctrine. It also underscores the ethical-spiritual ideal of avyagratā (undistracted steadiness) as the proper condition for imparting and receiving profound teachings such as the Pāśupata knowledge associated with Śiva.
Vaiśampāyana identifies Apāntaratamā as a Veda-linked ācārya and notes a traditional label for very ancient seers. He then introduces Śiva—described by several epithets—as the calm instructor who teaches the Pāśupata doctrine/knowledge, situating the teaching within a revered divine and r̥ṣi transmission.