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 ||
婆悉吒（Vasiṣṭha）说道：“愿这些出自般若波底（Prajāpati）系谱的大圣仙，性情温和，恒常站在诸天一边，并得由苦行（tapas）与至高的梵行（brahmacarya，严守清净与节制之行）所生之力。”
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.