अतस्त्वां परिपृच्छामि धर्मतीर्थाश्रयं कवे । बहूनि सन्ति तीर्थानि बहुशो मे श्रुतानि च
atastvāṃ paripṛcchāmi dharmatīrthāśrayaṃ kave | bahūni santi tīrthāni bahuśo me śrutāni ca
Por isso te pergunto, ó poeta, refúgio do Dharma e dos tīrthas. Muitos são os lugares sagrados, e de muitos tenho ouvido falar repetidas vezes.
Śaunaka
Listener: Śaunaka
Scene: Śaunaka leaning forward in inquiry, gesturing toward an imagined map of many sacred places; Sūta poised to begin a systematic account; surrounding sages attentive, suggesting the start of a pilgrimage-catalogue narrative.
Pilgrimage knowledge should be sought from dharmic authorities; inquiry is itself a dharma when done with reverence.
No single tīrtha yet; the verse introduces a broader inquiry into sacred geography that will culminate in Revā’s praise.
None explicit; it establishes the method—paripraśna (earnest questioning) as the gateway to tīrtha-dharma.