Shloka 9

उग्रश्रवाः सूतः नैमिषारण्ये — Sauti at Naimiṣāraṇya

Protocol of Epic Recitation

Devanagari script

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

Transliteration

sautir uvāca evam astu gurau tasminn upaviṣṭe mahātmani | tena pṛṣṭaḥ kathāḥ puṇyā vakṣyāmi vividhāśrayāḥ ||

Translation

Уграшравас, сута, сказал: «Да будет так. Когда тот великий духом учитель занял своё место и согласно тому, о чём он спросил, я поведаю многие священные, дарующие заслугу повествования, почерпнутые из разных источников».

Word by Word

• सूतिः: the Sūta (Ugraśravas)
• सूतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular

• एवम्: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• अस्तु: let it be
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (Loṭ), 3rd, Singular

• गुरौ: when/while the teacher (guru) [is present]
• गुरौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• तस्मिन्: in/when that (one)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• उपविष्टे: when (he) had sat down / being seated
• उपविष्टे: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-विश् (धातु) → उपविष्ट (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Locative, Singular

• महात्मनि: in/when the great-souled one (was seated)
• महात्मनि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• तेन: by him / by that (person)
• तेन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• पृष्टः: having been asked
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु) → पृष्ट (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कथाः: stories, narratives
• कथाः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• पुण्याः: holy, meritorious
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• वक्ष्यामि: I shall tell
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), 1st, Singular

• विविध: various
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• आश्रयाः: having bases/themes; resting on (various topics)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

उत्तड़क उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Ugraśravas (Sauti)
• Śaunaka (guru, implied by context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.