Shloka 1
Virāṭanagara-nivāsa-nirṇaya
Decision to Reside in Virāṭa’s City
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nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya naraṁ caiva narottamam | devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ tato jayam udīrayet ||
Après s’être incliné devant Nārāyaṇa —le Seigneur demeurant au-dedans—, devant Nara, le plus éminent des hommes (Arjuna), devant la déesse Sarasvatī et devant Vyāsa, on doit alors réciter « Jaya » (le Mahābhārata).
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Before engaging with the Mahābhārata, one should begin with reverence—saluting the divine (Nārāyaṇa), the heroic ideal embodied in Nara/Arjuna, the power of inspired speech (Sarasvatī), and the seer-editor (Vyāsa)—so that the recitation proceeds under auspicious and truthful guidance.
This is the customary maṅgala-śloka (opening benediction) that introduces the Virāṭa Parva’s first chapter; it frames the forthcoming account by invoking the principal divine, heroic, and authorial forces associated with the epic’s transmission.