Atithi-prāpti and the Brāhmaṇa’s Deliberation on Triadic Dharma (अतिथिप्राप्तिः धर्मत्रयविचारश्च)
एतं नः संशयं सौते छिन्धि गुहां सनातनम् | त्वया नारायणकथा: श्रुता वै धर्मसंहिता:,सूतनन्दन! यह गूढ़ संदेह हमारे मनमें सदा उठता रहता है, आप इसका निवारण कीजिये; क्योंकि आपने भगवान् नारायणकी बहुत-सी धर्मसंगत कथाएँ सुन रखी हैं
etān naḥ saṁśayaṁ saute chindhi guhāṁ sanātanīm | tvayā nārāyaṇa-kathāḥ śrutā vai dharma-saṁhitāḥ, sūta-nandana ||
Oh Sauti, disipa esta duda nuestra: una perplejidad antigua y profunda, alojada en el corazón. Tú, oh hijo del Sūta, has escuchado en verdad muchos relatos de Nārāyaṇa acordes con el dharma; por ello, resuelve para nosotros esta incertidumbre oculta.
शौनक उवाच
A sincere seeker should bring hidden, long-standing doubts into the open and request clarification from a qualified transmitter of dharma; narratives of Nārāyaṇa are presented as ethically authoritative guides capable of resolving such uncertainty.
Śaunaka addresses Sauti and urges him to remove a persistent, inward doubt. He grounds his request in Sauti’s credibility, noting that Sauti has heard many dharma-consistent accounts about Nārāyaṇa and is therefore fit to answer.