SánscritoIASTSignificado
एतत् अखिलं भारतं पर्व-संग्रहात् आख्यातम्etat akhilaṃ bhārataṃ parva-saṃgrahāt ākhyātamthus, in brief, the whole Bharata has been told through the survey of the parvans
अष्टादश अक्षौहिण्यः युयुत्सया समाजग्मुःaṣṭādaśa akṣauhiṇyaḥ yuyutsayā samājagmuḥeighteen akshauhinis met, eager for battle
तत् महत् दारुणं युद्धम् अष्टादश अहानि अभवत्tat mahat dāruṇaṃ yuddham aṣṭādaśa ahāni abhavatthat great, terrible battle lasted eighteen days
यः चतुरः वेदान् स-अङ्ग-उपनिषदान् विद्यात्yaḥ caturaḥ vedān sa-aṅga-upaniṣadān vidyātone who knows the four Vedas with their angas and Upanishads
न च इदम् आख्यानं विद्यात् न सः विचक्षणः स्यात्na ca idam ākhyānaṃ vidyāt na saḥ vicakṣaṇaḥ syātbut does not know this tale — he is not wise
इदम् उपाख्यानं श्रुत्वा अन्यत् श्राव्यं न रोचतेidam upākhyānaṃ śrutvā anyat śrāvyaṃ na rocatehaving heard this tale, a person finds no delight in any other
पुंस्कोकिल-रुतं श्रुत्वा रूक्षा ध्वाङ्क्षस्य वाक् इवpuṃskokila-rutaṃ śrutvā rūkṣā dhvāṅkṣasya vāk ivaas after the cuckoo's song the crow's harsh cry [is unpleasant]
इतिहास-उत्तमात् अस्मात् जायन्ते कवि-बुद्धयःitihāsa-uttamāt asmāt jāyante kavi-buddhayaḥfrom this best of narratives are born the conceptions of poets
पञ्चभ्यः भूतेभ्यः लोक-संविधयः त्रयः इवpañcabhyaḥ bhūtebhyaḥ loka-saṃvidhayaḥ trayaḥ ivaas the three worlds [arise] from the five elements
अस्य विषये पुराणं वर्तते प्रजाः चतुर्विधाः इवasya viṣaye purāṇaṃ vartate prajāḥ caturvidhāḥ ivawithin its domain rests the ancient lore (purana), as the four kinds of beings [rest] in space
क्रिया-गुणानां सर्वेषाम् इदम् आख्यानम् आश्रयःkriyā-guṇānāṃ sarveṣām idam ākhyānam āśrayaḥthis tale is the foundation of all actions and qualities
इन्द्रियाणां मनः-क्रियाः इवindriyāṇāṃ manaḥ-kriyāḥ ivaas the activity of the mind is [the foundation] of the senses
अष्टादशैवम्aṣṭādaśaivamunderlying form «aṣṭādaśaivam», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
एतानिetāniunderlying form «etāni», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
पर्वाण्य्parvāṇyunderlying form «parvāṇy», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
उक्तान्य्uktānyunderlying form «uktāny», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
अशेषतःaśeṣataḥunderlying form «aśeṣataḥ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
खिलेषुkhileṣuunderlying form «khileṣu», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
हरिवंशश्harivaṃśaśunderlying form «harivaṃśaś», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
भविष्यच्bhaviṣyacunderlying form «bhaviṣyac», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
चcaunderlying form «ca», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
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एतद्etadunderlying form «etad», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
अखिलम्akhilamunderlying form «akhilam», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
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पर्वसंग्रहात्parvasaṃgrahātunderlying form «parvasaṃgrahāt», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
समाजग्मुर्samājagmurunderlying form «samājagmur», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
अक्षौहिण्योakṣauhiṇyounderlying form «akṣauhiṇyo», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
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महद्mahadunderlying form «mahad», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
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योyounderlying form «yo», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
विद्याच्vidyācunderlying form «vidyāc», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
चतुरोcaturounderlying form «caturo», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
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द्विजःdvijaḥunderlying form «dvijaḥ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
चाख्यानम्cākhyānamunderlying form «cākhyānam», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
इदंidaṃunderlying form «idaṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
विद्यान्vidyānunderlying form «vidyān», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
नैवnaivaunderlying form «naiva», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
सsaunderlying form «sa», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
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पञ्चभ्यpañcabhyaunderlying form «pañcabhya», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
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अन्तरिक्षस्यantarikṣasyaunderlying form «antarikṣasya», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
विषयेviṣayeunderlying form «viṣaye», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
प्रजाprajāunderlying form «prajā», added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
Here Suta proclaims the glory of the Mahabharata itself as the highest of scriptures (itihasa). Knowledge of the Vedas without knowledge of the history of the Lord and His devotees is called incomplete — for dry ritual and philosophy without the narration of the Lord's deeds do not satisfy the heart. The Mahabharata, filled with the pastimes of Krishna and examples of dharma, captivates the soul so that everything worldly becomes flat, "like a crow's cry after a cuckoo's song." This is the very working of shravana — hearing about the Lord: having once tasted it, the soul loses its taste for the lower. The epic is called the foundation of all knowledge and creativity, for in it are dharma, artha, kama, and moksha, but above all — devotion to Krishna, for whose sake everything else acquires meaning. This is why tradition sets this itihasa as the "fifth Veda," revealing to the simple heart what is hidden within the Vedas.