संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
वैशंपायनः उवाच गुरवे प्राङ् नमस्कृत्य द्विजान् सर्वान् अन्यान् विदुषः च संपूज्यvaiśaṃpāyanaḥ uvāca gurave prāṅ namaskṛtya dvijān sarvān anyān viduṣaḥ ca saṃpūjyaVaishampayana said: having first bowed to the teacher and honored all brahmins and other learned people
सर्वलोकेषु विश्रुतस्य अमिततेजसः व्यासस्य कृत्स्नं मतं प्रवक्ष्यामिsarvalokeṣu viśrutasya amitatejasaḥ vyāsasya kṛtsnaṃ mataṃ pravakṣyāmiof the sage renowned in all worlds, boundlessly radiant Vyasa, I shall relate [his] entire teaching
राजन् त्वं इमां भारतीं कथां श्रोतुं पात्रं गुरोः मतं वक्तुं मुदा माम् प्रोत्साहतिrājan tvaṃ imāṃ bhāratīṃ kathāṃ śrotuṃ pātraṃ guroḥ mataṃ vaktuṃ mudā mām protsāhatiO king, you are a worthy [vessel] to hear this tale of the Bharatas; the wish to speak the teacher's thought joyfully urges me on
शृणु राजन् यथा कुरुपाण्डवयोः राज्यार्थे द्यूतसंभूतः भेदः वनवासः च अभूत्śṛṇu rājan yathā kurupāṇḍavayoḥ rājyārthe dyūtasaṃbhūtaḥ bhedaḥ vanavāsaḥ ca abhūtlisten, O king, how strife arose between the Kurus and Pandavas over the kingdom, born of the game of dice, and [there was] exile to the forest
यथा पृथिवीक्षयकारकं युद्धम् अभवत् तत् ते प्रवक्ष्यामि भरतर्षभyathā pṛthivīkṣayakārakaṃ yuddham abhavat tat te pravakṣyāmi bharatarṣabhahow the war came about, [which became] the ruin of the earth — that I shall tell you, O bull [of the race] of Bharata
वैशंपायनvaiśaṃpāyanaoriginal form "vaiśaṃpāyana", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मनोबुद्धिसमाधिभिःmanobuddhisamādhibhiḥoriginal form "manobuddhisamādhibhiḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सर्वांस्sarvāṃsoriginal form "sarvāṃs", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तथान्यान्tathānyānoriginal form "tathānyān", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
विदुषोviduṣooriginal form "viduṣo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
जनान्janānoriginal form "janān", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
महर्षेःmaharṣeḥoriginal form "maharṣeḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
विश्रुतस्यास्यviśrutasyāsyaoriginal form "viśrutasyāsya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
धीमतःdhīmataḥoriginal form "dhīmataḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
व्यासस्यामिततेजसःvyāsasyāmitatejasaḥoriginal form "vyāsasyāmitatejasaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
राजंस्rājaṃsoriginal form "rājaṃs", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्राप्येमांprāpyemāṃoriginal form "prāpyemāṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कथाम्kathāmoriginal form "kathām", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
गुरोर्gurororiginal form "guror", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
परिस्पन्दोparispandooriginal form "parispando", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्रोत्साहतीवprotsāhatīvaoriginal form "protsāhatīva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कुरुपाण्डवयोर्kurupāṇḍavayororiginal form "kurupāṇḍavayor", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
द्यूतसंभूतोdyūtasaṃbhūtooriginal form "dyūtasaṃbhūto", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वनवासस्vanavāsasoriginal form "vanavāsas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तथैवtathaivaoriginal form "tathaiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चcaoriginal form "ca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चcaoriginal form "ca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पृथिवीक्षयकारकम्pṛthivīkṣayakārakamoriginal form "pṛthivīkṣayakārakam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽहं'haṃoriginal form "'haṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
संप्रवक्ष्यामिsaṃpravakṣyāmioriginal form "saṃpravakṣyāmi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पृच्छतेpṛcchateoriginal form "pṛcchate", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here Vaishampayana begins his narration with a bow to the teacher (Vyasa) and reverence for the assembly — the proper opening of every sacred telling. Here is a model of the narrator's humility: before speaking, he bows before the source of knowledge, confessing that he sets forth "not his own, but Vyasa's teaching." Significant is the word "worthy vessel" (patra): not everyone is able to hold the sacred tradition — the listener must be prepared by faith and attention; and the king, purified by prior events, has become such a vessel. Note the brief table of contents of the whole tragedy: strife over the kingdom, the game of dice, exile, war — "the ruin of the earth." Thus from the very outset the narrator does not conceal the sorrowful outcome: this is not a tale of glorious victory, but a reflection on how the greed and enmity of kinsmen lead to universal ruin. By this honest foretelling of the end, the scripture tunes the heart not toward the thrill of the struggle, but toward mourning and instruction.