Shloka 18
पूर्ण श्रद्धाकें साथ क्रमश: कथा सुनते हुए उसे अन्ततक पूर्णरूपसे श्रवण करना चाहिये। यथाशक्ति श्रवणके लिये उद्यत रहकर मनको प्रसन्न रखे। हृदयमें हर्षसे उललसित हो मनमें संशय या तर्क-वितर्क न करे ।।
pūrṇaśraddhayā saha kramaśaḥ kathāṃ śṛṇvan tām antataḥ pūrṇarūpeṇa śravaṇaṃ kuryāt | yathāśakti śravaṇāya udyataḥ san manaḥ prasannaṃ rakṣet | hṛdaye harṣeṇa ullasitaḥ san manasi saṃśayaṃ vā tarka-vitarkaṃ na kuryāt || satyārjavavrato dāntaḥ śuciḥ śaucasamanvitaḥ | śraddadhāno jitakrodho yathā sidhyati tac chṛṇu ||
वैशम्पायन उवाच—पूर्णश्रद्धया क्रमशः कथां शृणुयात्, अन्तपर्यन्तं सम्यक् श्रावयेत्। यथाशक्ति श्रवणे उद्यतः स्यात्, मनः प्रसन्नं धारयेत्; हृदयेन हृष्टः सन् संशयं तर्कवितर्कं वा न कुर्यात्॥ सत्यार्जवरतो दान्तः शुचिः शौचसमन्वितः। श्रद्धधानो जितक्रोधो यथा सिध्यति तच्छृणु॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the discipline of listening to sacred narrative: hear it fully and sequentially with faith, mental clarity, joy, and without skeptical quarrelling; cultivate truthfulness, straightforwardness, self-restraint, purity/cleanliness, faith, and mastery over anger to gain spiritual fruition (siddhi).
Vaiśampāyana pauses the storyline to instruct the audience on the proper inner attitude and ethical qualifications of a hearer, framing the act of listening itself as a dharmic practice that yields ‘siddhi’ when done rightly.