ययाति–अष्टक–प्रतर्दन संवादः | Yayāti’s Dialogue with Aṣṭaka and Pratardana on Merit, Gifts, and Ethical Restraint
वैशम्पायन उवाच हन्त ते कथयिष्यामि ययातेरुत्तमां कथाम् | दिवि चेह च पुण्यार्था सर्वपापप्रणाशिनीम्,वैशम्पायनजी बोले--जनमेजय! ययातिकी उत्तम कथा इहलोक और स्वर्गलोकमें भी पुण्यदायक है। वह सब पापोंका नाश करनेवाली है, मैं तुमसे उसका वर्णन करता हूँ
vaiśampāyana uvāca: hanta te kathayiṣyāmi yayāter uttamāṃ kathām | divi ceha ca puṇyārthā sarvapāpapraṇāśinīm ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Wohlan — ich will dir die erhabene Geschichte Yayātis erzählen. Sie ist verdienstvoll in dieser Welt wie im Himmel und vernichtet alle Sünden. Ich werde sie dir schildern.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse frames sacred narrative as ethically transformative: hearing (and recounting) a dharmic story is said to generate merit in both worldly and heavenly spheres and to function as a purifier that removes sin.
In the Janamejaya–Vaiśampāyana dialogue, Vaiśampāyana announces that he will now narrate the celebrated account of King Yayāti, introducing it as a highly meritorious and sin-destroying episode.