यद्वृत्तं काशिराजस्य भार्याया द्विजसत्तमाः । यच्च प्रोक्तं पुरा लक्ष्म्या विष्णवे परिपृष्टया
yadvṛttaṃ kāśirājasya bhāryāyā dvijasattamāḥ | yacca proktaṃ purā lakṣmyā viṣṇave paripṛṣṭayā
Ô vous, les plus excellents des deux-fois-nés, je dirai ce qui advint au sujet de l’épouse du roi de Kāśī, et ce que Lakṣmī déclara jadis à Viṣṇu lorsqu’il l’interrogea.
Narrator (introducing Lakṣmī’s speech)
Tirtha: Kāśī-Gaṅgā-tīra (contextual frame; specific Nāgara tīrtha likely introduced later in the chapter)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis (dvija-sattamāḥ)
Scene: A sage-like narrator addresses assembled brāhmaṇas; the scene shifts to a divine court where Lakṣmī recounts an ancient episode to Viṣṇu, establishing the authority of the forthcoming tīrtha story.
Purāṇic tīrtha teachings are often transmitted through exemplary stories linking kingship, devotion, and divine instruction.
Kāśī is referenced as the royal setting; the narrative supports the tīrtha-mahātmya being taught.
No direct prescription here; it introduces a dialogue-based legend that contextualizes worship practices.