Shloka 12

Jājali–Tulādhāra-saṃvāda: Yajña, Vṛtti, and Ātma-tīrtha (जाजलि-तुलाधार-संवादः)

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच राजन्‌ शृणु समाख्यानमद्येदं बहुविस्तरम्‌ । यथावृत्तं श्रुतं चैव मयेदं वसुधाधिप,नारदजी बोले--राजन्‌! आज यह अत्यन्त विस्तृत आख्यान सुनो। पृथ्वीनाथ! मैंने इसे जैसा सुना है, वह यथावत्‌ वृत्तान्त तुम्हें सुना रहा हूँ

Transliteration

nārada uvāca rājann śṛṇu samākhyānam adyedam bahuvistaram | yathāvṛttaṃ śrutaṃ caiva mayedaṃ vasudhādhipa ||

Translation

Narada said: “O King, listen today to this highly detailed account. O lord of the earth, I shall relate it to you exactly as it occurred and as I have heard it.”

Word by Word

• {'rājan (rājan)': 'O king

• a royal addressee (vocative)', 'śṛṇu': 'listen

• hear (imperative)', 'samākhyāna': 'narrative, account, detailed story', 'adya': 'today

• now', 'idam': 'this', 'bahu-vistara': 'very extensive

• elaborately detailed', 'yathā-vṛtta': 'as it happened

• according to what occurred', 'śruta': 'heard

• received by hearing/tradition', 'ca eva': 'and indeed

• emphatic connective', 'mayā': 'by me', 'vasudhā-adhipa': 'lord of the earth

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Rājā (the King, addressee)
• Vasudhādhipa (lord of the earth, epithet of the king)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse establishes ethical narration: a teacher-speaker (Nārada) commits to conveying an account faithfully—both as it truly occurred (yathāvṛttam) and as it has been received through reliable hearing/tradition (śrutam). It foregrounds truthfulness and responsible transmission as prerequisites for dharma-instruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada addresses a king and announces that he will now tell a long, detailed story. He frames the forthcoming discourse as an accurate report, presented exactly as he has heard it and as it happened.