सूत उवाच । पाराशर्यमुने व्यास कुमारः कुंभजन्मने । यदावदत्कथामेतां तदा क्व द्रुपदात्मजा
sūta uvāca | pārāśaryamune vyāsa kumāraḥ kuṃbhajanmane | yadāvadatkathāmetāṃ tadā kva drupadātmajā
Sūta berkata: Ketika Vyāsa, putera Parāśara, menuturkan kisah ini kepada Kumāra Skanda, putera resi yang lahir dari tempayan (Agastya), pada waktu itu di manakah puteri Drupada, Draupadī?
Sūta
Listener: Implied sage-assembly (Śaunaka and others, per purāṇic convention)
Scene: Sūta in a forest-assembly setting poses a precise question about narrative time: while Vyāsa spoke to Skanda, where was Draupadī? The scene emphasizes layered storytellers and attentive sages.
Purāṇic teaching is transmitted through layered dialogue; reverent inquiry preserves accuracy and continuity of sacred history.
The verse sets the narrative frame within Kāśīkhaṇḍa; the immediate context leads into Draupadāditya associated with Kāśī.
None; this is a narrative question establishing context.