Mahabharata — Svargarohana Parva, Shloka 57
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 5 — Karmaphala-Nirdeśa and Phalāśruti (कर्मफलनिर्देशः फलश्रुतिश्च)
इतिहासमिमं पुण्यं महार्थ वेदसम्मितम् । व्यासोक्तं श्रूयते येन कृत्वा ब्राह्मणमग्रत:
itihāsam imaṁ puṇyaṁ mahārtha-veda-sammitam | vyāsoktaṁ śrūyate yena kṛtvā brāhmaṇam agrataḥ ||
毗舍波耶那说：凡聆听此清净史诗——义理深奥，其权威可比吠陀——由毗耶娑所作所宣，并先以婆罗门居首（即敬奉婆罗门，于其前听闻）者，今世得一切所愿之乐与上妙名声，终至最高圆满。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that reverent listening to the Mahābhārata—treated as a sacred, Veda-like source of dharma—yields both worldly well-being (desired enjoyments and good fame) and the highest spiritual attainment, especially when done with proper respect for Brahmins and ritual propriety.
At the close of the epic (Svargārohaṇa context), Vaiśampāyana delivers a phalaśruti: a concluding assurance about the merit and transformative power of hearing this Vyāsa-composed sacred history, emphasizing its authority and the proper manner of reception.