Mahabharata · Chapter 1.4

romaharṣaṇaputra ugraśravāḥ sautiḥ paurāṇiko naimiśāraṇye śaunakasya kulapaterdvādaśavārṣike satre ṛṣīnabhyāgatānupatasthe //

paurāṇikaḥ purāṇe kṛtaśramaḥ sa kṛtāñjalistānuvāca / mayottaṅkasya caritamaśeṣamuktaṃ janamejayasya sārpasatre nimittāntaramidamapi /
kiṃ bhavantaḥ śrotumicchanti kimahaṃ bravāṇīti //
tamṛṣaya ūcuḥ /

paraṃ raumaharṣaṇe pravakṣyāmastvāṃ naḥ prativakṣyasi vacaḥ śuśrūṣatāṃ kathāyogaṃ naḥ kathāyoge //

tatra bhagavān kulapatistu śaunako'gniśaraṇamadhyāste / dīrghasatratvātsarvāḥ kathāḥ śrotuṃ kālosti //

yau'sau divyāḥ kathā veda devatāsurasaṃśritāḥ /
manuṣyoragagandharvakathā veda ca sarvaśaḥ //

sa cāpyasminmaśe saute vidvānkulapatirdivajaḥ /
dakṣo dhṛtavrato dhīmāñśāstre cāraṇyake guruḥ //

satyavādī śamaparastapasvī niyatavrataḥ /
sarveṣāmeva no mānyaḥ sa tāvatpratipālyatām //

tasminnadhyāsati gurāvāsanaṃ paramārcitam /
tato vakṣyasi yattvāṃ sa prakṣyati dvijasattamaḥ //
sautiruvāca /

evamastu gurau tasminnupaviṣṭe mahātmani /
tena pṛṣṭaḥ kathāḥ puṇyā vakṣyāmi vividhāśrayāḥ //

so'tha viprarṣabhaḥ sarvaṃ kṛtvā kāryaṃ yathāvidhi /
devānvāgbhiḥ pitṝnadbhistarpayitvā'jagāma ha //

yatra brahmarṣayaḥ siddhāḥ sukhāsīnā dhṛtavratāḥ /
yajñāyatanamāśritya sūtaputrapurasparāḥ //

ṛtvikṣvatha sadasyeṣu sa vai gṛhapatistadā /
upaviṣṭeṣūpaviṣṭaḥ śaunako'thābravīdidam //