Shloka 4

Devanagari script

सौतिरुवाच आयुष्मन्निदमाख्यानमास्तीकं॑ कथयामि ते । यथाश्रुतं कथयत: सकाशाद्‌ वै पितुर्मया,उग्रश्रवाजीने कहा--आयुष्मन्‌! मैंने अपने कथावाचक पिताजीके मुखसे यह आस्तीककी कथा, जिस रूपमें सुनी है, उसी प्रकार आपसे कहता हूँ

Transliteration

sautir uvāca āyuṣmann idam ākhyānam āstīkaṃ kathayāmi te | yathāśrutaṃ kathayataḥ sakāśād vai pitur mayā ||

Translation

Sauti said: “O long-lived one, I shall recount to you this narrative of Āstīka. I will tell it exactly as I heard it from my father’s own lips, as he was narrating it.”

Word by Word

• सूतिः: the Sauti (Ugraśravas, son of a sūta)
• सूतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular

• आयुष्मन्: O long-lived one / O venerable sir
• आयुष्मन्: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुष्मत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आख्यानम्: narrative, story
• आख्यानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आख्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आस्तीकम्: about Āstīka / Āstīka (as topic)
• आस्तीकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आस्तीक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कथयामि: I narrate / I will tell
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु)
• Form: Present (Laṭ), 1st, Singular

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: —, Dative, Singular

• यथा: as, in the manner that
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)

• श्रुतम्: heard (by me)
• श्रुतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रुत (कृदन्त; √श्रु)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कथयतः: of (him) narrating / of the narrator
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथयत् (कृदन्त; √कथय्)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• सकाशात्: from the presence of / from (someone)
• सकाशात्: Apadana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकाश (प्रातिपदिक; अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग)

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)

• पितुः: of (my) father
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: —, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sauti (Ugraśravas)
• Āstīka
• Sauti's father (Lomaharṣaṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes faithful transmission of sacred history: the narrator commits to recounting the Āstīka episode exactly as received from his father, highlighting reliability, humility, and respect for tradition.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sauti (Ugraśravas) begins the Āstīka-upākhyāna, telling his listeners that he will narrate the story as he heard it from his father while his father was delivering the account.