The Story of Bhrigu and Shukra
One continuous story about father and son together: Bhrigu, a sage doing austerities on Mount Mandara, and his son Shukra, whose meditating mind wanders through an entire imagined lifetime; Kala (Time/Death) appears and explains the illusion to Bhrigu; narrated by Vasishtha to Rama as an example of how the mind builds the world.
While the sage Bhrigu performs deep austerities on Mount Mandara, his son Shukra sits beside him in meditation. Absorbed in thought, Shukra's mind wanders: he sees an Apsara in the sky, becomes enraptured, and in his mind rises to Indra's heaven, is welcomed by Indra, and unites with the celestial woman. He spends ages enjoying heavenly pleasures with her, then falls to earth when his merit runs out, and is reborn again and again through many lives and bodies -- a Brahmin, a king, a Vidyadhara, and various lowly creatures -- driven by lingering desire.
Eventually his wandering mind settles as an ascetic on the bank of the river Samanga, and his body there dies while Bhrigu is still absorbed in meditation and does not notice. When Bhrigu emerges from his trance he finds only his son's skeleton and, enraged, prepares to curse Time. Kala appears, explains that the body is nothing but mind, and shows Bhrigu his son's whole hidden history through the eye of yogic insight.
Bhrigu and Kala then travel together and find Shukra, now settled in meditation as an ascetic. Father and son recognize each other, and Bhrigu revives Shukra's old body with mantras so he can resume his former identity. Reunited, Shukra returns to his position as guru of the Asuras, while Bhrigu resumes his own place, both established in the world as liberated sages.
अतप्यत तपो घोरं कस्मिंश्चिद्भगवान्भृगुः। तमुपास्ते स्म तेजस्वी बालः पुत्रो महामतिः ॥ ९ ॥
There, at one time, the lord Bhrigu practiced fierce austerities. A radiant, wise young boy, his son, waited on him.
वहीं, एक समय, भगवान भृगु कठोर तप कर रहे थे। एक तेजस्वी और बुद्धिमान बालक, उनका पुत्र, उनकी सेवा करता था।
तन्मनस्तव पुत्रस्य समाधौ त्वयि संस्थिते । स्वमनोरथमार्गेण दूराद्दूरतरं गतम् ॥ ५१ ॥
While you sat deep in meditation, your son's mind went, following its own wandering wishes, farther and farther away.
जब तुम गहरी समाधि में बैठे थे, तब तुम्हारे बेटे का मन अपनी ही कल्पनाओं के पीछे भटकते हुए दूर से दूर चला गया।
अथासुरगुरुत्वं स शुक्रः कालेन लब्धवान् । भृगुरप्यात्मनो योग्ये पदेऽतिष्ठदनामये ॥ २५ ॥
In time, Shukra became the teacher of the demon kings, and Bhrigu too stayed on in his own rightful place, free from trouble.
समय के साथ शुक्र दानवों के राजाओं के गुरु बन गए, और भृगु भी अपने ही उचित स्थान पर बिना किसी कष्ट के टिके रहे।
Read it in full
The story runs through chapters 5–16 of Book 4. Each chapter has the Sanskrit in Devanagari and IAST beside a plain English and Hindi translation of every verse. The number under each chapter is its verse count.