Āṅgirasa the Boy Paṇḍita

Āṅgirasa, “descendant of Aṅgiras”

Āṅgirasa was a boy, but a paṇḍita. The Brahma Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa tells that he once taught vidyā to elders of his father’s age, and addressed those elders, who were children in knowledge, as “Children!” At this they grew angry and reported the matter to the devatās.

The devatās said that what the boy Āṅgirasa had said was right. “He who is ignorant is a boy. He who gives mantra (the guru) is a father. The ignorant are called boys. The one who teaches vidyā is called father. So too the giver of the Jaya is called grandfather.” The Jaya, the mantras and the Vedas, they said, have one body, made into three parts.

Greatness does not come by years, by old age, by friendship or by kinship. This order of dharma the ṛshis set in place. It is anūcāna and is great for us.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 4

Sources

• Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 4