ऋषय ऊचुः । कि नामानो द्विजास्ते च वाराणस्याः समागताः । एकादशप्रकारोऽसौ येषां रुद्रः प्रभक्तितः । तत्संज्ञाश्च समाचक्ष्व विस्तरेण महामुने
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | ki nāmāno dvijāste ca vārāṇasyāḥ samāgatāḥ | ekādaśaprakāro'sau yeṣāṃ rudraḥ prabhaktitaḥ | tatsaṃjñāśca samācakṣva vistareṇa mahāmune
Os sábios disseram: “Quais são os nomes daqueles dvija, os ‘duas-vezes-nascidos’, que se reuniram em Vārāṇasī—aqueles cuja ligação com Rudra é de onze modos? Ó grande muni, declara-nos suas designações em detalhe.”
Ṛṣis (Sages)
Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
Type: kshetra
Listener: (addressed) mahāmuni / Sūta (implied next speaker)
Scene: A circle of sages seated in an assembly, questioning the narrator about dvijas gathered at Kāśī; in the background, a suggestion of ghats and a distant temple spire.
Sacred knowledge is sought through humble inquiry—asking for precise names and meanings connected to Rudra and holy Vārāṇasī.
Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) is explicitly mentioned as the gathering place tied to Rudra’s elevenfold manifestation.
No direct prescription; it introduces a doctrinal and onomastic inquiry that sets up subsequent instructions.