व्यास उवाच । श्रूयतां राजशार्दूल पुण्यमाख्यानमुत्तमम् । स्तूयमानो । जगन्नाथ इदं वचनमब्रवीत्
vyāsa uvāca | śrūyatāṃ rājaśārdūla puṇyamākhyānamuttamam | stūyamāno | jagannātha idaṃ vacanamabravīt
Vyāsa dit : « Ô tigre parmi les rois, écoute ce récit suprêmement excellent et méritoire. Tandis qu’on le louait, Jagannātha prononça ces paroles. »
Vyāsa
Listener: A king (rājaśārdūla)
Scene: Vyāsa as narrator addressing a royal listener seated respectfully; behind them, a quiet āśrama setting; the transition to Jagannātha’s speech is anticipated.
Śravaṇa (devout listening) to sacred narratives is itself meritorious and prepares the listener for dharmic instruction.
No specific tīrtha is named in this opening verse; it frames a holy discourse by Jagannātha.
Hearing (śravaṇa) the purāṇic account is implicitly prescribed as a dharmic practice yielding puṇya.