Shloka 12
उग्रश्रवाः सूतः नैमिषारण्ये — Sauti at Naimiṣāraṇya
Protocol of Epic Recitation
ऋतच्विक्ष्वथ सदस्येषु स वै गृहपतिस्तदा । उपविष्टेषूपविष्ट: शौनको<थाब्रवीदिदम्,ऋत्विजों और सदस्योंके बैठ जानेपर कुलपति शौनकजी भी वहाँ बैठे और इस प्रकार बोले
ṛtacvikṣv atha sadasyeṣu sa vai gṛhapatis tadā | upaviṣṭeṣūpaviṣṭaḥ śaunako 'thābravīd idam ||
Als die Opferpriester und die gelehrten Mitglieder der Versammlung Platz genommen hatten, setzte sich auch der Hausvater und vorsitzende Älteste, Śaunaka, unter sie und sprach wie folgt.
उत्तड़क उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical order of a sacred or learned gathering: proper seating, roles (priests, council members, presiding elder), and disciplined listening before speech. It models how authority is exercised through procedure and respect rather than force.
After the priests and assembly members sit, Śaunaka—the presiding householder/elder—also takes his seat and begins to address the gathering, marking the formal start of his statement within the ritual-council setting.