Shloka 43
आस्तीक-उपाख्यान-प्रस्तावः | Introduction to the Āstīka Narrative
सर्वमेतदशेषेण शृणु मे वदतां वर । उग्रश्रवाजीने कहा-ब्रह्मन! आस्तीकका उपाख्यान बहुत बड़ा है। वक्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ! यह प्रसंग जैसे कहा जाता है, वह सब पूरा-पूरा सुनो
sarvam etad aśeṣeṇa śṛṇu me vadatāṃ vara | ugraśravā uvāca—brāhman! āstīkasya upākhyānaṃ bahu vistīrṇam | vaktṝṇāṃ śreṣṭha! ayaṃ prasaṅgaḥ yathā śrūyate tathā tat sarvaṃ samyak samyak śṛṇu ||
Śaunaka says: “O Ugraśravas, best among speakers, tell me everything without omission. O Brāhmaṇa, the tale of Āstīka is extensive. O foremost of narrators, recount this episode exactly as it is traditionally heard, so that I may hear it in full.”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic value of careful listening and faithful transmission: a worthy listener requests a complete account, and a worthy narrator is expected to relate the tradition accurately and without omission.
Śaunaka, leading the sages, urges Ugraśravas (Sauti) to narrate the extensive episode concerning Āstīka, asking him to recount it fully and in the manner it is traditionally known.