इतिहासमिमं पूर्वं कथयामि तव प्रिये । यथावृत्तं महादेवि सोमवारव्रतं प्रति
itihāsamimaṃ pūrvaṃ kathayāmi tava priye | yathāvṛttaṃ mahādevi somavāravrataṃ prati
பிரியே, மகாதேவி! திங்கள்-விரதத்தைப் பற்றிய இந்தப் பழம்பெரும் வரலாற்றை நிகழ்ந்ததுபோலவே இப்போது உனக்குச் சொல்கிறேன்।
Unnamed narrator addressing Mahādevī/Priyā (immediately followed by “Īśvara uvāca”, indicating Śiva as the forthcoming speaker)
Tirtha: Somavāra-vrata (contextual within Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya)
Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
Scene: Śiva addresses Pārvatī intimately, beginning an ancient narrative about the Monday vow; a calm, anticipatory storytelling moment.
Vratas are grounded in sacred memory (itihāsa); hearing their origin with faith strengthens practice and understanding.
The broader frame is Prabhāsa Kṣetra māhātmya; this verse introduces a legend that supports the sacred authority of Śaiva observances in that landscape.
The Somavāravrata is introduced as the subject of the forthcoming narrative.