Lineages of Parāśara

Ṛṣi Vasiṣṭha and Agastya were born as the son of Mitra and Varauṇa. Vasiṣṭha received beautiful Arundhatī as his wife. Arundhatī gave birth to a son named Śakti. Śakti’s son was Parāśara. Lord Viṣṇu was born as the son of Parāśara. He was famous as Dvaipāyana.

Kāṇḍaśaya, Vāhanapa, Jaihmapa, Bhaumatāpana and Gopāli–these five sages were known as Goura Paraśara. Prapohaya, Vāhyamaya, Khāteya, Kautujāti and Haryasvi–these five sages known as Nīla Paraśara. Kārṣṇāyana, Kapimukha, Kākeyastha, Japati and Puṣkara–these sages were famous as Kṛṣṇa Parāśara. Śrāviṣṭhāyana, Bāleya, Svāyaṣṭa, Upaya and Iṣīkahasta–these five sages were known as Śveta Parāśara. Vātika, Bādari, Stamba, Krodhanāyaan and Kṣemi–these five sages were known as Śyāma Parāśara. Khalyāyana, Vārṣṇāyana, Taileya, Yūthapa and Tanti–these five sages were famous as the Dhūmra Parāśara. All the above sages were belonging to the Pravara of Parāśara, Śakti and Vasiṣṭha. They were prohibited to intermarry.^[1]