ईश्वर उवाच । शृणु देवि प्रवक्ष्यामि यदि पृच्छसि मां शुभे । आस्तिकाः श्रद्दधानाश्च भवंतीति मतिर्मम
īśvara uvāca | śṛṇu devi pravakṣyāmi yadi pṛcchasi māṃ śubhe | āstikāḥ śraddadhānāśca bhavaṃtīti matirmama
Īśvara bersabda: Dengarlah, wahai Dewi; wahai yang mulia, karena engkau bertanya kepadaku, akan Kujelaskan. Menurut pemahamanku, engkau beriman dan penuh śraddhā (kepercayaan suci).
Śiva (Īśvara)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pārvatī (Devī)
Scene: Śiva begins his discourse: seated like a guru, right hand in teaching gesture (vyākhyāna-mudrā), Pārvatī attentive; the atmosphere is auspicious and calm, as if a sacred lecture begins near the tīrtha.
Śraddhā (trust) and āstikya (faith in dharma) are presented as inner qualifications for receiving sacred tīrtha teachings.
Prabhāsakṣetra forms the narrative setting; the Lord’s explanation will connect events to specific tīrthas therein.
No ritual is prescribed; the verse establishes the pedagogical and devotional context for the māhātmya.