व्यास उवाच । शृणु त्वं पांडवश्रेष्ठ कथां पौराणिकीं शुभाम् । ईश्वरस्य चरित्रं हि नैव वेत्ति चराचरे
vyāsa uvāca | śṛṇu tvaṃ pāṃḍavaśreṣṭha kathāṃ paurāṇikīṃ śubhām | īśvarasya caritraṃ hi naiva vetti carācare
Vyāsa sprach: Höre, o Bester der Pāṇḍavas, diese glückverheißende purāṇische Erzählung. Wahrlich, die Taten des Herrn sind selbst unter allen beweglichen und unbeweglichen Wesen nicht vollständig bekannt.
Vyāsa
Listener: Pāṇḍavaśreṣṭha (likely Yudhiṣṭhira)
Scene: Vyāsa, seated in an āśrama setting, addresses a Pāṇḍava hero with a gesture of instruction; the atmosphere is contemplative, suggesting the vastness of divine deeds beyond the cosmos.
Approach sacred narratives with receptivity: Purāṇic kathā reveals dharma and devotion where intellect alone cannot reach.
The verse introduces a Dharmāraṇya-linked Purāṇic episode; the place’s greatness is conveyed through the sanctifying power of the kathā itself.
No explicit rite; the implied practice is śravaṇa (listening to sacred narration), a recognized devotional discipline.