उग्रश्रवाः सूतः नैमिषारण्ये — Sauti at Naimiṣāraṇya
Protocol of Epic Recitation
सौतिरवाच एवमस्तु गुरौ तस्मिन्नुपविष्टे महात्मनि । तेन पृष्ट: कथा: पुण्या वक्ष्यामि विविधाश्रया:,उग्रश्रवाजीने कहा--एवमस्तु (ऐसा ही होगा), गुरुदेव महात्मा शौनकजीके बैठ जानेपर उन्हींके पूछनेके अनुसार मैं नाना प्रकारकी पुण्यदायिनी कथाएँ कहूँगा
sautir uvāca evam astu gurau tasminn upaviṣṭe mahātmani | tena pṛṣṭaḥ kathāḥ puṇyā vakṣyāmi vividhāśrayāḥ ||
Ugraśravas, o Sūta, disse: “Assim seja. Quando aquele mestre de grande alma tomou assento e, conforme o que perguntou, eu narrarei muitas espécies de relatos sagrados, doadores de mérito, colhidos de diversas fontes.”
उत्तड़क उवाच
The verse highlights the dharmic ethic of respectful transmission: sacred knowledge is shared in response to a worthy inquiry, within the guru-centered setting, and such narratives are presented as puṇya—ethically uplifting and merit-producing.
Ugraśravas (Sauti) assents to the request and, after the revered teacher Śaunaka has taken his seat, promises to narrate a range of holy accounts, indicating the formal beginning of the storytelling session.