Shloka 37
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 5 — Karmaphala-Nirdeśa and Phalāśruti (कर्मफलनिर्देशः फलश्रुतिश्च)
ब्रह्मन्! सत्यवादी मुनि व्यासजीके द्वारा निर्मित यह पुण्यमय इतिहास परम पवित्र एवं बहुत उत्तम है ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca | brahman! satyavādī muni-vyāsajī-kṛta eṣa puṇyamaya itihāsaḥ parama-pavitraḥ ca atyanta-uttamaḥ || sarvajñena vidhijñena dharmajñānavatā satā | atīndriyeṇa śucinā tapasā bhāvitātmanā || sāṅkhya-yoga-viduṣā ca bahu-śāstra-viśāradena munivareṇa vyāsena divya-dṛṣṭyā vilokya mahātmā-pāṇḍavānām anyeṣāṃ ca bahu-dhana-sampannānāṃ mahā-tejasvināṃ rājñāṃ kīrti-prasāraṇāya ayam itihāsaḥ racitaḥ |
毗舍波耶那说道：“婆罗门啊！此一福德之史（Itihāsa），由真实语的圣仙毗耶娑所作，至为清净，极其殊胜。作者全知，通晓祭仪与正当法度，安住于达摩之智，为真善之士——其慧见超越诸根，身心清净，内在由苦行之力而炼净。毗耶娑为诸仙之最，精通数论（Sāṅkhya）与瑜伽（Yoga），又博览多种圣典（śāstra）；他以天眼观照诸事，撰成此史，为使大心的般度五子（Pāṇḍava）以及其他富饶而威光赫奕的强盛君王之名声，广布于世。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the Mahābhārata as a sanctifying moral history authored by a truth-committed, disciplined, and learned sage. Ethical authority is grounded in dharma-knowledge, purity, and tapas, suggesting that right understanding and right conduct arise from inner refinement and scriptural discernment.
Vaiśampāyana praises Vyāsa and explains why the epic was composed: Vyāsa, endowed with divine vision and mastery of many disciplines, created this itihāsa to preserve and spread the renown of the Pāṇḍavas and other powerful kings, presenting their deeds within a dharmic framework.