Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 129

Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa

Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results

Devanagari script

शुक्रो वरेण्यश्न विभु: सवनश्चेति सप्त ते । भार्गवा वारुणा: सर्वे येषां वंशे भवानपि

Transliteration

śukro vareṇyaś ca vibhuḥ savanaś ceti sapta te | bhārgavā vāruṇāḥ sarve yeṣāṁ vaṁśe bhavān api ||

Translation

ਵਸਿਸ਼ਠ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—ਸ਼ੁਕ੍ਰ, ਵਰੇਣ੍ਯ, ਵਿਭੂ ਅਤੇ ਸਵਨ—ਇਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਸਮੇਤ ਕੁੱਲ ਸੱਤ। ਇਹ ਸਭ ਭਾਰਗਵ ਹਨ ਅਤੇ ਪਰੰਪਰਾ ਅਨੁਸਾਰ ‘ਵਾਰੁਣ’ ਕਹੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਹਨ; ਅਤੇ ਉਸੇ ਵੰਸ਼ ਵਿੱਚ ਤੂੰ ਵੀ ਜਨਮਿਆ ਹੈਂ।

Word by Word

• {'śukraḥ': 'Śukra

• a renowned Bhārgava sage (also associated with preceptorship and wisdom)', 'vareṇyaḥ': 'Vareṇya

• a proper name here (also means “excellent, choice-worthy” in general usage)', 'vibhuḥ': 'Vibhu

• a proper name here (also means “mighty, all-pervading”)', 'savanaḥ': 'Savana

• a proper name here (also connected with “pressing/rite” in Vedic usage)', 'iti': 'thus

• marking the close of a list/quotation', 'sapta': 'seven', 'te': 'they/these (referring to the seven persons named)', 'bhārgavāḥ': 'descendants of Bhṛgu

• members of the Bhṛgu lineage', 'vāruṇāḥ': 'called Vāruṇa

• associated with Varuṇa (a lineage-epithet/traditional designation)', 'sarve': 'all', 'yeṣām': 'of whom

• whose', 'vaṁśe': 'in the lineage/dynasty', 'bhavān': 'you (honorific)', 'api': 'also, even'}

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Śukra
• Vareṇya
• Vibhu
• Savana
• Bhārgavas (Bhṛgu lineage)
• Vāruṇas (lineage epithet connected with Varuṇa)
• Bhṛgu
• Varuṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the moral weight of belonging to a revered lineage of sages: tradition confers not only honor but also responsibility to uphold learning, restraint, and dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vasiṣṭha is identifying a set of seven Bhārgava figures and stating that Bhārgavas are known as Vāruṇas; he then links the listener directly to that same ancestral line.