Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 141
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
देवपक्षचरा: सौम्या: प्राजापत्या महर्षय: । आप्नवन्ति तपश्चैव ब्रह्मचर्य परं तथा
devapakṣacarāḥ saumyāḥ prājāpatyā maharṣayaḥ | āpnavanti tapaś caiva brahmacarya-paraṃ tathā ||
Wika ni Vasiṣṭha: “Nawa’y maging maamo ang mga dakilang rishi na ito, na isinilang sa angkan ng mga Prajāpati; nawa’y lagi silang pumanig sa mga diyos; at nawa’y makamtan nila ang lakas na nagmumula sa pag-aayuno at pagninilay (tapas) at sa pinakamataas na paninindigan sa brahmacarya—ang disiplinadong pamumuhay na malinis at mapagpigil.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises and enjoins a dharmic ideal for sages: gentleness (saumya-bhāva), alignment with divine order (standing with the devas), and inner power gained through tapas (austerity) and brahmacarya (disciplined restraint). Ethical authority is shown as arising from self-control rather than force.
Vasiṣṭha is speaking a benedictive or prescriptive statement about a group of great seers of Prajāpati lineage—describing how they should be in character and what spiritual strengths they should attain: devotion to the gods’ side, austerity, and exemplary brahmacarya.