श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । साधु साधु महाभाग यत्पृष्टोऽहं त्वयाधुना । शृणुष्वैकमना भूत्वा कावेरीफलमुत्तमम्
śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | sādhu sādhu mahābhāga yatpṛṣṭo'haṃ tvayādhunā | śṛṇuṣvaikamanā bhūtvā kāverīphalamuttamam
ஸ்ரீ மார்கண்டேயர் கூறினார்—நன்று, நன்று, ஓ மகாபாகனே! நீ இப்போது என்னிடம் கேட்டது மிகச் சிறந்தது. ஒருமுக மனத்துடன் காவேரி அருளும் உத்தம பலனை கேள்.
Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Kāverī (Kāverī-phala)
Type: river
Listener: The inquiring devotee (unnamed here)
Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya, radiant and composed, praises the questioner and begins the discourse; the listener sits with focused attention, hands folded, near a riverbank hermitage setting.
Right inquiry and focused listening (ekāgratā) are themselves dharmic disciplines that prepare one to receive tīrtha-māhātmya and its guidance.
Kāverī is announced as the giver of ‘supreme fruits,’ introducing her māhātmya.
A preparatory discipline is prescribed: listen attentively and single-mindedly to the teaching.