Shloka 3
वैशम्पायन उवाच शृणु राजन् विधिमिमं फलं यच्चापि भारतात् | श्रुताद् भवति राजेन्द्र यत् त्वं मामनुपृच्छसि
vaiśampāyana uvāca: śṛṇu rājan vidhim imaṁ phalaṁ yac cāpi bhāratāt | śrutād bhavati rājendra yat tvaṁ mām anupṛcchasi ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Dengarlah, wahai Raja. Aku akan menerangkan tata cara yang benar untuk mendengar Mahābhārata, serta buah yang lahir daripada pendengaran itu—sebagaimana engkau, wahai yang terbaik antara raja-raja, telah bertanya kepadaku.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the Mahābhārata as a text whose hearing (śravaṇa) should follow a proper vidhi (prescribed method) and yields a definite phala (spiritual/ethical benefit). It emphasizes respectful inquiry and disciplined reception of tradition.
Vaiśampāyana responds to the king’s question by announcing that he will now describe both the procedure for listening to the Mahābhārata and the results obtained from hearing it.