The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c22.s1.28

v1.c22.s1.28

The Bhṛgus occur but twenty-three times in all in the Rigveda, and despite the fact that they are marked with the Atharvans and Aṅgirases as Fathers, they show certain clear distinctions of character from the Aṅgirases. While the latter are essentially active in the business of the finding of the cows, or aid Indra at least by their songs in it, the task of the Bhṛgus is confined to the discovery of the fire, its lighting up, and its care. Moreover, in the Brāhmaṇa literature the father of Bhṛgu is Varuṇa,¹ while Aṅgiras is connected with Agni. They appear side by side with the Druhyus as apparently an historical people,² and possibly, when Bhṛgu appears with the Yatis in a friendly relation to Indra, real facts may be alluded to.³ On the other hand, they drive away a personage named Makha, of whom little or nothing else is known.⁴ From Mātariçvan, who shares with them the credit of establishing the fire, they differ, in that they do not fetch it down from the sky but diffuse the use on the earth.