Shloka 4
मन्दर-समुद्रमन्थन-वर्णनम् / Description of the Churning of the Ocean with Mount Mandara
सौतिरुवाच आयुष्मन्निदमाख्यानमास्तीकं॑ कथयामि ते । यथाश्रुतं कथयत: सकाशाद् वै पितुर्मया,उग्रश्रवाजीने कहा--आयुष्मन्! मैंने अपने कथावाचक पिताजीके मुखसे यह आस्तीककी कथा, जिस रूपमें सुनी है, उसी प्रकार आपसे कहता हूँ
sautir uvāca āyuṣmann idam ākhyānam āstīkaṃ kathayāmi te | yathāśrutaṃ kathayataḥ sakāśād vai pitur mayā ||
苏提说道：“长寿者啊，我将为你讲述阿斯提迦（Āstīka）的这段故事。我会依照我从父亲亲口所闻之辞，原原本本地叙说——正如他当时讲述一般。”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes faithful transmission of sacred history: the narrator commits to recounting the Āstīka episode exactly as received from his father, highlighting reliability, humility, and respect for tradition.
Sauti (Ugraśravas) begins the Āstīka-upākhyāna, telling his listeners that he will narrate the story as he heard it from his father while his father was delivering the account.