Shloka 11
इतिहासमिमं श्रुत्वा यथावदनुपूर्वश: । संयतात्मा शुचिर्भूत्वा पारं गत्वा च भारते
itihāsam imaṁ śrutvā yathāvad anupūrvaśaḥ | saṁyatātmā śucir bhūtvā pāraṁ gatvā ca bhārate || mahādānāni deyāni ratnāni vividhāni ca |
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: „Wer diese Geschichte in rechter Reihenfolge und genau so, wie sie ist, gehört hat, den Geist gezügelt und innen wie außen gereinigt, und sie bis zu ihrem Abschluss geführt hat, o Bhārata—der soll dann große Gaben darbringen, darunter mancherlei Juwelen. Nach der Vollendung des Mahābhārata soll der Hörer nach seinem Vermögen die śrāddha-Riten für die vornehmsten gefallenen Helden vollziehen und den Brāhmaṇas in Hingabe reichlich spenden.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hearing the Mahābhārata is to be done with disciplined attention and inner/outer purity; upon completing it, one should translate that sacred encounter into ethical action—especially charity (mahādāna) and commemorative rites (śrāddha) for those who died—performed according to one’s means and with devotion.
Vaiśaṃpāyana concludes with prescriptive guidance: after listening to the epic in correct sequence and completing it, the listener is enjoined to remain self-controlled and pure, and then to give significant gifts (including precious items) and to perform śrāddha for the principal warriors who were slain.