वाचको भरतमश्रेष्ठ व्यक्ताक्षरपदस्वर: | भविष्यं श्रावयेद् विद्वान् भारतं भरतर्षभ
vācako bharataśreṣṭha vyaktākṣarapadasvaraḥ | bhaviṣyaṃ śrāvayed vidvān bhārataṃ bharatarṣabha ||
Wahai yang terbaik di antara keturunan Bharata, seorang pelantun hendaklah seorang yang berilmu, melafalkan tiap suku kata, kata, dan aksen dengan jelas. Dengan demikian ia membuat Bhārata didengarkan—wahai banteng di antara Bharata—dan ia pun melantunkan bagian Bhaviṣya (menurut tradisi Harivaṃśa).
वैशम्पायन उवाच
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.