Shloka 56
आदी तु वाचकं चैव वस्त्रगन्धसमन्वितम् | विधिवद् भोजयेद् राजन् मधु पायसमुनत्तमम्,राजन्! आदिपर्वकी कथाके समय वाचकको नूतन वस्त्र पहनाकर चन्दन आदिसे उसकी पूजा करे और विधिपूर्वक उसे मीठी एवं उत्तम खीर भोजन कराये
ādau tu vācakaṃ caiva vastra-gandha-samanvitam | vidhivad bhojayet rājan madhu pāyasaṃ anuttamam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “At the outset, O king, the reciter should be duly honoured—adorned with fresh garments and fragrant unguents—and then, according to proper rite, he should be fed with sweet honey and excellent rice-pudding. Thus the narration is begun with reverence, gratitude, and disciplined hospitality.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches dharmic hospitality and reverence toward sacred narration: before beginning a recitation, one should honour the reciter with respectful offerings (clothing, fragrance) and proper food, emphasizing gratitude, purity of intention, and disciplined observance of rite.
Vaiśampāyana instructs the king on the proper preliminary conduct for a storytelling/recitation setting: first honour the vācaka (reciter) with garments and fragrance, then feed him sweet, excellent pāyasa with honey, establishing an auspicious and respectful start to the discourse.