Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 137
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
जग्राहांगिरसं देव: शिखी तस्माद्भधुताशन: । तस्मादांगिरसा ज्ञेया: सर्व एव तदन्वया:
jagrāhāṅgirasaṃ devaḥ śikhī tasmād badhutāśanaḥ | tasmād āṅgirasā jñeyāḥ sarva eva tad-anvayāḥ ||
Vasiṣṭha nói: “Vị thần rực sáng, đấng đội mào lửa (Agni), đã nhận Aṅgiras làm con; vì thế, tất cả những ai sinh trong dòng Aṅgiras phải được hiểu là thuộc về dòng của Agni, và cũng nên được biết đến bằng danh xưng gắn với Varuṇa.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Lineage is presented as a sacred transmission: descendants inherit not only ancestry but also a divine affiliation and the duties/identity that come with it (here, Aṅgiras’s line being understood as connected with Agni, and also associated with Varuṇa by designation).
Vasiṣṭha explains a genealogical-theological point: Agni is said to have accepted Aṅgiras as a son; consequently, Aṅgiras’s descendants are characterized as belonging to Agni’s line and are also described with a Varuṇa-linked name, establishing how certain clans are traditionally classified.