Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 114
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
अग्निके तेजको लोहित कहते हैं, उस लोहितसे कनक उत्पन्न हुआ। उस कनकको मैत्र जानना चाहिये तथा अग्निके धूमसे वसुओंकी उत्पत्ति बतायी गयी है ।।
Vasiṣṭha uvāca: Agneḥ tejaḥ lohitaṃ kathayanti; tasmāl lohitāt kanakaṃ utpannam. Taṃ kanakaṃ maitraṃ jñātavyaṃ; agneḥ dhūmāt ca vasūnām utpattiḥ kathitā. Arciṣo yāś ca te rudrās tathā ādityā mahāprabhāḥ; uddiṣṭās te tathāṅgārā ye dhiṣṇyeṣu divi sthitāḥ.
婆悉吒说道：人们宣称，火之赤辉名为“洛希多”；由此洛希多而生黄金。此黄金当知为归于弥多罗（maitra）；而由火之烟，教说婆苏诸神之起源。火之焰舌，实为十一鲁陀罗与十二位极其光耀的阿底提耶；而那祭火中所指示的种种余烬，便是立于苍穹、化作星宿群落的光明聚簇。
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a symbolic cosmology: elements of the sacrificial fire correspond to divine orders and cosmic structures—Agni’s red radiance yields gold (linked with Mitra), smoke gives rise to the Vasus, flames manifest as Rudras and Ādityas, and embers become celestial lights. It frames ritual as a microcosm of the universe, reinforcing dharma through reverent understanding of yajña.
Vasiṣṭha is explaining how various deities and heavenly phenomena are ‘designated’ within Agni: the fire’s radiance, smoke, flames, and embers are mapped to gold/Mitra, the Vasus, the Rudras and Ādityas, and the starry constellations—linking sacrificial imagery to cosmic order.