SanskritIASTMeaning
अनाश्रित्य एतत् आख्यानं कथा भुवि न विद्यतेanāśritya etat ākhyānaṃ kathā bhuvi na vidyatewithout resting on this tale, no [other] narrative exists on earth
आहारम् अनपाश्रित्य शरीरस्य धारणम् इवāhāram anapāśritya śarīrasya dhāraṇam ivajust as there is no sustaining the body without food
इदं सर्वैः कवि-वरैः आख्यानम् उपजीव्यतेidaṃ sarvaiḥ kavi-varaiḥ ākhyānam upajīvyateby this tale live all the best of poets
उदय-प्रेप्सुभिः भृत्यैः अभिजातः ईश्वरः इवudaya-prepsubhiḥ bhṛtyaiḥ abhijātaḥ īśvaraḥ ivaas servants seeking advancement [live] by a noble lord
द्वैपायन-ओष्ठ-पुट-निःसृतम् अप्रमेयंdvaipāyana-oṣṭha-puṭa-niḥsṛtam aprameyaṃissued from the lips of Dvaipayana (Vyasa), immeasurable
पुण्यं पवित्रम् पाप-हरं शिवं चpuṇyaṃ pavitram pāpa-haraṃ śivaṃ caholy, purifying, taking away sin, and auspicious
यः भारतं समधिगच्छति वाच्यमानंyaḥ bhārataṃ samadhigacchati vācyamānaṃone who attends to the [Maha]bharata as it is recited
किं तस्य पुष्कर-जलैः अभिषेचनेनkiṃ tasya puṣkara-jalaiḥ abhiṣecanenawhat need has he of sprinkling with the waters of [holy] Pushkara?
आख्यानं तत् इदम् अनुत्तमं महा-अर्थम्ākhyānaṃ tat idam anuttamaṃ mahā-arthamthis tale, unsurpassed and rich in meaning
विन्यस्तं महत् इह पर्व-संग्रहेणvinyastaṃ mahat iha parva-saṃgraheṇaset forth here, in the survey of the parvans (Parva-samgraha)
श्रुत्वा आदौ नृणां सुख-अवगाहम् भवतिśrutvā ādau nṛṇāṃ sukha-avagāham bhavatihaving heard it at the outset, people find ease of immersion
विस्तीर्णं लवण-जलं प्लवेन यथाvistīrṇaṃ lavaṇa-jalaṃ plavena yathāas [one crosses] the vast salt sea by boat
क्रियागुणानांkriyāguṇānāṃunderlying form «kriyāguṇānāṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
सर्वेषाम्sarveṣāmunderlying form «sarveṣām», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
आश्रयःāśrayaḥunderlying form «āśrayaḥ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
इन्द्रियाणांindriyāṇāṃunderlying form «indriyāṇāṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
समस्तानांsamastānāṃunderlying form «samastānāṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
चित्राcitrāunderlying form «citrā», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
मनःक्रियाःmanaḥkriyāḥunderlying form «manaḥkriyāḥ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
अनाश्रित्यैतद्anāśrityaitadunderlying form «anāśrityaitad», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
शरीरस्येवśarīrasyevaunderlying form «śarīrasyeva», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
कविवरैर्kavivarairunderlying form «kavivarair», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
आख्यानम्ākhyānamunderlying form «ākhyānam», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
उदयप्रेप्सुभिर्udayaprepsubhirunderlying form «udayaprepsubhir», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
भृत्यैर्bhṛtyairunderlying form «bhṛtyair», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
अभिजातabhijātaunderlying form «abhijāta», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
इवेश्वरःiveśvaraḥunderlying form «iveśvaraḥ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
द्वैपायनौष्ठपुटनिःसृतम्dvaipāyanauṣṭhapuṭaniḥsṛtamunderlying form «dvaipāyanauṣṭhapuṭaniḥsṛtam», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
अथathaunderlying form «atha», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
पापहरंpāpaharaṃunderlying form «pāpaharaṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
योyounderlying form «yo», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
पुष्करजलैर्puṣkarajalairunderlying form «puṣkarajalair», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
तद्tadunderlying form «tad», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
इदम्idamunderlying form «idam», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
महार्थंmahārthaṃunderlying form «mahārthaṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
महद्mahadunderlying form «mahad», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
पर्वसंग्रहेणparvasaṃgraheṇaunderlying form «parvasaṃgraheṇa», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
श्रुत्वादौśrutvādauunderlying form «śrutvādau», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
सुखावगाहंsukhāvagāhaṃunderlying form «sukhāvagāhaṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
लवणजलंlavaṇajalaṃunderlying form «lavaṇajalaṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
The concluding verses of the second chapter proclaim the supreme glory of the Mahabharata: the very hearing of it purifies beyond any pilgrimage or bathing in sacred waters. Herein lies the essence of the spiritual path: shravana, hearing about the Lord, is the highest purification, for the word that issued from the lips of Vyasa (an incarnation of the Lord, who gave the world the Vedas and the Bhagavatam) carries within it the Lord Himself. "What need has one of the waters of Pushkara, who attends to the Bharata?" — for an external tirtha washes the body, while the Lord's word washes the soul. The Parva-samgraha closes with a beautiful image: this brief survey of all the parvans is a boat on which the listener will safely cross the boundless ocean of the great epic. Thus the compiler invites one to enter this sacred narrative, promising that sailing across the "ocean of the Vedas" will bring the soul to the Lord Krishna Himself, for whose sake the whole epic was composed.