ये च वीरासनारूढा ये च मंचकसंस्थिताः । शृण्वंति सत्कथां ते वै भवंत्यनृजुपादपाः
ye ca vīrāsanārūḍhā ye ca maṃcakasaṃsthitāḥ | śṛṇvaṃti satkathāṃ te vai bhavaṃtyanṛjupādapāḥ
Wer die heilige Erzählung in vīrāsana sitzend oder auf einer Pritsche sitzend/liegend hört, wird zu «krummfüßigen Bäumen», mit schiefem Stamm und ungleichen Ästen.
Unknown (context not supplied; likely a purāṇic narrator within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa)
Scene: A discourse setting: some listeners sit upright, while one sits in vīrāsana and another lounges on a cot; behind them appear stylized trees with bent trunks/branches, linking posture to karmic symbolism.
Sacred listening requires disciplined, respectful bodily conduct, not casual lounging.
No site is named; this is a general instruction for dharmic assemblies.
Avoid inappropriate postures or sitting on a bed/cot while hearing satkathā.