Mahabharata — Svargarohana Parva, Shloka 18
पूर्ण श्रद्धाकें साथ क्रमश: कथा सुनते हुए उसे अन्ततक पूर्णरूपसे श्रवण करना चाहिये। यथाशक्ति श्रवणके लिये उद्यत रहकर मनको प्रसन्न रखे। हृदयमें हर्षसे उललसित हो मनमें संशय या तर्क-वितर्क न करे ।।
pūrṇaśraddhayā saha kramaśaḥ kathāṃ śṛṇvan tām antataḥ pūrṇarūpeṇa śravaṇaṃ kuryāt | yathāśakti śravaṇāya udyataḥ san manaḥ prasannaṃ rakṣet | hṛdaye harṣeṇa ullasitaḥ san manasi saṃśayaṃ vā tarka-vitarkaṃ na kuryāt || satyārjavavrato dāntaḥ śuciḥ śaucasamanvitaḥ | śraddadhāno jitakrodho yathā sidhyati tac chṛṇu ||
毗舍波耶那说道：当以圆满信心循序聆听此事，直至终章，悉皆听毕。随其所能，当专意听闻，使心常悦。胸怀为喜乐所举，不可沉溺疑惑，亦不可好为诤论。若听者誓守真实与直诚，能自制，清净而谨守洁净之行，具信心，能伏嗔怒——如此听者如何得成就，我今当说；汝当谛听。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the discipline of listening to sacred narrative: hear it fully and sequentially with faith, mental clarity, joy, and without skeptical quarrelling; cultivate truthfulness, straightforwardness, self-restraint, purity/cleanliness, faith, and mastery over anger to gain spiritual fruition (siddhi).
Vaiśampāyana pauses the storyline to instruct the audience on the proper inner attitude and ethical qualifications of a hearer, framing the act of listening itself as a dharmic practice that yields ‘siddhi’ when done rightly.