राजोवाच । रहस्यं परमं चैव यत्पृष्टोऽहं द्विजोत्तमाः । युष्माभिः कीर्तयिष्यामि तथाप्यखिलमेव हि
rājovāca | rahasyaṃ paramaṃ caiva yatpṛṣṭo'haṃ dvijottamāḥ | yuṣmābhiḥ kīrtayiṣyāmi tathāpyakhilameva hi
Raja berkata: “Wahai yang utama di antara para dvija, kerana kamu bertanya kepadaku tentang rahsia yang tertinggi ini, aku akan memaklumkannya kepada kamu—sesungguhnya, akan aku ceritakan semuanya dengan lengkap.”
Rājā (the King)
Listener: dvijottamāḥ (brāhmaṇas)
Scene: A king, seated formally, addresses a group of brāhmaṇas; his right hand raised in a gesture of assurance as he promises to reveal a supreme secret.
Sacred knowledge about tīrthas is treated as a ‘supreme secret’ and should be transmitted fully and responsibly to worthy listeners.
This verse functions as a transition into the forthcoming tīrtha-rahasya; the specific site is clarified in the surrounding narrative of the Tīrthamāhātmya.
No specific rite is prescribed in this verse; it introduces an authoritative narration that will typically include snāna, dāna, and tīrtha-sevā in subsequent verses.