Another name for वसिष्ठ . अगस्त्य also is known by this name. Because they were born as the sons of मित्र and वरुण they got this name. How they came to be reborn as the sons of मित्रावरुण is told in देवी भागवत .

There was once a celebrated emperor named निमि in the इक्ष्वाकु line of Kings. निमि was the twelfth son of इक्ष्वाकु . The अग्रहार found near the आश्रम of गौतम महर्षि , called जयन्तपुर was constructed by निमि . Once निमि decided to perform a big याग and after taking the consent of his father made preparations for the same. He invited such great sages as भृगु, अङ्गिरस्, वामदेव, पुलस्त्य, पुलह अन्द् ऋचीक . He then went to their family preceptor वसिष्ठ and requested him to be the chief priest. But वसिष्ठ had already promised इन्द्र to conduct a याग for him and so advised निमि to postpone his याग to a later date. But निमि was unwilling to postpone his याग and so he performed it with गौतम महर्षि as the chief priest. It took five hundred years for निमि to complete the याग . After five hundred years वसिष्ठ after completing the याग of इन्द्र came to see निमि and found that he had already conducted the याग without him. वसिष्ठ was angry and he cursed निमि saying that निमि would become bodiless. But powerful निमि cursed वसिष्ठ also and separated his soul from his body.

Griefstricken, वसिष्ठ went to ब्रह्मा and complained to him. ब्रह्मा said, "Oh son, you go and merge with the brilliance of मित्रावरुणस् and stay there. After some time you will be able to be born without being in a womb; you will then have a memory of the past and you will be very learned and will be worshipped by all".

वसिष्ठ was pleased to hear that and he circumambulated ब्रह्मा and prostrated before him and then went to the आश्रम of मित्रावरुणस् . He then abandoned his body there and merged with the brilliance of मित्रावरुणस् . One day उर्वशी with her companions came to the आश्रम of मित्रावरुणस् and attracted by her charm they spent a night with her. Their semen at one time fell into a jar nearby and from it were born two people, अगस्त्य and वसिष्ठ , (Skandha 6, Devī Bhāgavata) .