Mahabharata — Svargarohana Parva, Shloka 83
वाचको भरतमश्रेष्ठ व्यक्ताक्षरपदस्वर: | भविष्यं श्रावयेद् विद्वान् भारतं भरतर्षभ
vācako bharataśreṣṭha vyaktākṣarapadasvaraḥ | bhaviṣyaṃ śrāvayed vidvān bhārataṃ bharatarṣabha ||
हे भरतश्रेष्ठ! कथावाचक विद्वान हो और प्रत्येक अक्षर, पद तथा स्वर को स्पष्ट करके भारत का श्रवण कराए; हे भरतवंश-शिरोमणि! वह भविष्यपर्व (हरिवंश-परंपरा के अनुसार) भी सुनाए।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the dharma of recitation: sacred narrative should be transmitted by a learned narrator with precise pronunciation—clear syllables, words, and accents—so that meaning and tradition are preserved without distortion.
Vaiśampāyana lays down a guideline about how the Bhārata should be publicly recited: the storyteller must be competent and articulate, and should recite the epic (and related ‘Bhaviṣya’ material) in a clear, disciplined manner.