Shloka 1
सुवर्णष्ठीविनोपाख्यानम्
The Account of Suvarṇaṣṭhīvin
नशा (0) आस सऔ आसन एकत्रिशो< ध्याय: सुवर्णष्ठीवीके जन्म, मृत्यु और पुनर्जीवनका वृत्तान्त वैशम्पायन उवाच ततो राजा पाण्डुसुतो नारदं प्रत्यभाषत । भगवज्छोतुमिच्छामि सुवर्णष्लीविसम्भवम्
Vaiśampāyana uvāca | tato rājā pāṇḍusuto nāradaṃ pratyabhāṣata | bhagavan śrotum icchāmi suvarṇaṣṭhīvisambhavam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then the king, the son of Pāṇḍu, addressed Nārada and said, “Revered sir, I wish to hear the account of the origin of Suvarṇaṣṭhīvin.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dharmic learning as humble inquiry: after turmoil, the righteous king seeks wisdom by requesting a sacred account. Ethical understanding is pursued through listening (śravaṇa) to instructive narratives that illuminate life’s cycles—birth, death, and renewal.
Vaiśampāyana reports that Yudhiṣṭhira addresses the sage Nārada and asks to hear the story of Suvarṇaṣṭhīvin’s origin, introducing a new instructive episode within the Śānti Parva.