मन्दर-समुद्रमन्थन-वर्णनम् / Description of the Churning of the Ocean with Mount Mandara
सौतिरुवाच आयुष्मन्निदमाख्यानमास्तीकं॑ कथयामि ते । यथाश्रुतं कथयत: सकाशाद् वै पितुर्मया,उग्रश्रवाजीने कहा--आयुष्मन्! मैंने अपने कथावाचक पिताजीके मुखसे यह आस्तीककी कथा, जिस रूपमें सुनी है, उसी प्रकार आपसे कहता हूँ
sautir uvāca āyuṣmann idam ākhyānam āstīkaṃ kathayāmi te | yathāśrutaṃ kathayataḥ sakāśād vai pitur mayā ||
Sauti disse: “Ó tu de longa vida, vou narrar-te esta história de Āstīka. Contá-la-ei exatamente como a ouvi dos próprios lábios de meu pai, enquanto ele a narrava.”
शौनक उवाच
The verse emphasizes faithful transmission of sacred history: the narrator commits to recounting the Āstīka episode exactly as received from his father, highlighting reliability, humility, and respect for tradition.
Sauti (Ugraśravas) begins the Āstīka-upākhyāna, telling his listeners that he will narrate the story as he heard it from his father while his father was delivering the account.