Shloka 2
Deva–Asura–Gandharva–Nāga Vaṃśa-kathana
Genealogies and Partial Descents
वक्ष्यामि चैव भूयस्त्वां यथावत् सूतनन्दन । या: कथा व्याससम्पन्नास्ताश्व भूयो विचक्ष्व मे,सूतपुत्र! अब मैं पुन: आपसे यह कहना चाहता हूँ कि भगवान् व्यासने जो कथाएँ कही हैं, उनका मुझसे यथावत् वर्णन कीजिये
vakṣyāmi caiva bhūyas tvāṃ yathāvat sūtanandana | yāḥ kathā vyāsasampannās tāś ca bhūyo vicakṣva me ||
I shall speak to you again, O son of the Sūta. Please recount to me once more, in proper order and without omission, those narratives that were composed and delivered by Vyāsa—so that their meaning and moral import may be clearly grasped.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes faithful transmission of sacred history: the listener requests an accurate, orderly retelling of Vyāsa’s authoritative narratives, highlighting the ethical duty of the narrator to preserve meaning and sequence.
Śaunaka, leading the sages, addresses Sūtanandana (Sauti) and asks him to recount again—properly and in order—the stories associated with Vyāsa, continuing the frame-dialogue that structures the Mahābhārata’s narration.