Shloka 10
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
समीपे पार्थिवेन्द्रस्य सम्यक् पारिक्षितस्य च । कृष्णद्वैपायनप्रोक्ता: सुपुण्या विविधा: कथा:,उग्रश्रवाजीने कहा--महर्षियो! चक्रवर्ती सम्राट् महात्मा राजर्षि परीक्षित्-नन्दन जनमेजयके सर्पयज्ञमें उन्हींके पास वैशम्पायनने श्रीकृष्णद्वैपायन व्यासजीके द्वारा निर्मित परम पुण्यमयी चित्र-विचित्र अर्थसे युक्त महाभारतकी जो विविध कथाएँ विधिपूर्वक कही हैं, उन्हें सुनकर मैं आ रहा हूँ
samīpe pārthivendrasya samyak pārīkṣitasya ca | kṛṣṇadvaipāyanaproktaḥ supuṇyā vividhāḥ kathāḥ ||
Near the sovereign lord of the earth—King Parīkṣit’s descendant Janamejaya—were recited, in due order, many supremely meritorious narratives of the Mahābhārata, as composed and taught by Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa. Having heard those varied accounts, rich in meaning and moral import, I have come (to relate them).
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the sanctity and ethical weight of the Mahābhārata as a properly transmitted tradition: a righteous king hears, in due order, the many ‘highly meritorious’ narratives taught by Vyāsa. It highlights that dharma is learned through attentive listening to well-preserved instruction.
The epic’s frame is being set: at Janamejaya’s snake-sacrifice, the Mahābhārata—composed by Vyāsa and recited by Vaiśaṃpāyana—is told in the king’s presence. Ugraśravas (Sauti) indicates he has heard those accounts and is now arriving to recount them to the sages.