Shloka 2

Devanagari script

सर्वाश्रमाभिगमन सर्वतीर्थावगाहनम्‌ | न तथा फलदं सौते नारायणकथा यथा,सूतकुमार! सम्पूर्ण ऋषि-आश्रमोंकी यात्रा करना और समस्त तीर्थोमें स्नान करना भी वैसा फलदायक नहीं है, जैसी कि भगवान्‌ नारायणकी कथा है

Transliteration

śaunaka uvāca | sarvāśramābhigamanaṁ sarvatīrthāvagāhanam | na tathā phaladaṁ saute nārāyaṇakathā yathā, sūtakumāra |

Translation

绍那迦（Śaunaka）说道：“噢，苏多之子（Sauta）啊，纵使遍访诸仙的林苑精舍，亦纵使在一切圣地渡口（tīrtha）沐浴净身，其所得之果也不及聆听并省思那罗延那（Nārāyaṇa）圣传之一分。主的故事在灵性功德上，远胜外在的朝圣。”

Word by Word

सर्वाश्रमाभिगमनम्the visiting of all āśramas

सर्वतीर्थावगाहनम्the bathing/immersion in all sacred fords (tīrthas)

नnot

तथाthus; in that way; so much

फलदम्fruit-giving; beneficial

सौतेO Sūta (charioteer-bard)

नारायणकथाthe कथा (sacred narrative) of Nārāyaṇa

यथाas; just as

सूतकुमारO son of the Sūta

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śaunaka

Sauta (Ugraśravas)

Nārāyaṇa

āśramas (ṛṣi-āśramas)

tīrthas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that devotion expressed through hearing and engaging with Nārāyaṇa’s sacred narrative yields greater spiritual fruit than external acts like touring all sages’ hermitages or bathing at every pilgrimage site; inner orientation and transformative listening are superior to mere ritual travel.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śaunaka addresses the Sūta narrator (Ugraśravas) and elevates the value of Nārāyaṇa-kathā, urging that the forthcoming discourse about the Lord is more efficacious than comprehensive pilgrimage and ritual bathing.