तस्मिन्नपि महाघोरे यथेयं वा मृता सती । परितुष्टैर्विभक्ता च शृणुध्वं तां कथामिमाम्
tasminnapi mahāghore yatheyaṃ vā mṛtā satī | parituṣṭairvibhaktā ca śṛṇudhvaṃ tāṃ kathāmimām
Même en ce temps d’une horreur extrême, cette réalité sacrée semblait comme morte. Pourtant, partagée par ceux qui étaient pleinement comblés, les accomplis, elle demeura ; écoutez donc ce récit même.
Mārkaṇḍeya
Listener: Sabhā audience
Scene: A symbolic scene: a sacred flame nearly extinguished during cosmic darkness, then protected and divided/shared by serene siddhas; the narrator invites the audience to listen.
Even amid cosmic catastrophe, dharma and sacred order are preserved through realized beings; listening to their kathā reconnects one to that continuity.
The verse remains general, but within Revā Khaṇḍa it points toward the Narmadā-region’s enduring sanctity across kalpa-changes.
The directive is to listen (śṛṇudhvaṃ) to the narrative—an emphasized Purāṇic practice.