Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 97
Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)
महाभागे! धर्मज्ञे! सबसे पहले धर्मवेत्ता साधुपुरुष फेनप ऋषियोंका जो धर्म है, उसीका मुझसे वर्णन सुनो ।।
mahābhāge dharmajñe sarvaprathamaṁ dharmavettā sādhupuruṣāḥ phenapaṛṣīṇāṁ yo dharmaḥ, tasya me varṇanaṁ śṛṇu. ujjhanti satataṁ ye te brāhmyaṁ phenotkaraṁ śubham amṛtaṁ brahmaṇā pītam adhvare prasṛtaṁ divi pūrvakāle; tasya phenaṁ yoḍaśaḥ saṅgṛhya satataṁ pibanti, te phenapāḥ.
大自在天（摩醯首罗）说道：“噢，尊贵的夫人，噢，通达法（Dharma）者——先听我说那被称为‘Phenapas（饮沫仙）’的正行仙人所遵循的生活法则。远古之时，在一次祭祀（yajña）中，梵天（Brahmā）饮下吉祥的甘露，此甘露遍布诸天；因其为梵天所饮，故名‘Brāhmya（梵甘露）’。那些苦行者恒常一点一点收集此甘露之泡沫，仅以饮其泡沫维生，专志苦行者，便称为Phenapas。”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A model of extreme restraint is presented: the Phenapa sages sustain themselves on the barest, purified remnant (foam) of a sacred nectar, illustrating dharma as disciplined self-limitation and unwavering commitment to tapas rather than indulgence.
Maheshvara addresses a noble interlocutor and begins describing the dharma of a particular class of ascetics (Phenapas), explaining the origin of the ‘Brāhmya’ nectar associated with Brahmā’s sacrifice and how these sages live by collecting and drinking only its foam.