The Great Epic of the Bhārata dynasty 13.6.4

13.6.4

tataḥ padmodbhavo rājandevadevaḥ pitāmahaḥ |
uvāca madhuraṃ vākyamarthavaddhetubhūṣitam || 4 ||

"Bhishma said, 'This ancient story of the conversation of Vasishtha and Brahma, O Yudhishthira, is an illustration in point. In olden times the adorable Vasishtha enquired of Brahma as to which among these two, viz., the Karma of a creature acquired in this life, or that acquired in previous lives (and called Destiny), is the more potent in shaping his life. Then, O king, the great god Brahma, who had sprung from the primeval lotus, answered him in these exquisite and well-reasoned words, full of meaning.'"