Atithi-prāpti and the Brāhmaṇa’s Deliberation on Triadic Dharma (अतिथिप्राप्तिः धर्मत्रयविचारश्च)
एतं नः संशयं सौते छिन्धि गुहां सनातनम् | त्वया नारायणकथा: श्रुता वै धर्मसंहिता:
etān naḥ saṁśayaṁ saute chindhi guhāṁ sanātanīm | tvayā nārāyaṇa-kathāḥ śrutā vai dharma-saṁhitāḥ, sūta-nandana ||
Ó Sauti, dissipa esta nossa dúvida—uma perplexidade antiga e profunda, alojada no coração. Tu, ó filho do Sūta, ouviste de fato muitos relatos de Nārāyaṇa em harmonia com o dharma; portanto, resolve para nós esta incerteza oculta.
शौनक उवाच
A sincere seeker should bring hidden, long-standing doubts into the open and request clarification from a qualified transmitter of dharma; narratives of Nārāyaṇa are presented as ethically authoritative guides capable of resolving such uncertainty.
Śaunaka addresses Sauti and urges him to remove a persistent, inward doubt. He grounds his request in Sauti’s credibility, noting that Sauti has heard many dharma-consistent accounts about Nārāyaṇa and is therefore fit to answer.