Mahabharata · Chapter 1.62

kathitaṃ vai samāsena tvayā sarvaṃ dvijottama /
mahābhāratamākhyānaṃ kurūṇāṃ caritaṃ mahat //

kathāṃ tvanagha citrārthāṃ kathayasva tapodhana /
vistaraśravaṇe jātaṃ kautūhalamatīva me //

sa bhavānvistareṇemāṃ punarākhyātumarhati /
na hi tṛpyāmi pūrveṣāṃ śṛṇvānaścaritaṃ mahat //

na tatkāraṇamalpaṃ vai dharmajñā yatra pāṇḍavāḥ /
avadhyānsarvaśo jaghnuḥ praśasyante ca mānavaiḥ //

kimarthaṃ te naravyāghrāḥ śaktāḥ santo hyanāgasaḥ /
prayujyamānānsankleśānkṣāntavanto durātmanām //

kathaṃ nāgāyutaprāṇo bāhuśālī vṛkodaraḥ /
parikliśyannapi krodhaṃ dhṛtavānvai dvijottama //

kathaṃ sā draupadī kṛṣṇā kliśyamānā durātmabhiḥ /
śaktā satī dhārtarāṣṭrānnādahatkrodhacakṣuṣā //

kathaṃ vyasaninaṃ dyūte pārthau mādrīsutau tadā /
anvayuste naravyāghrā bādhyamānā durātmabhiḥ //

kathaṃ dharmabhṛtāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ suto dharmasya dharmavit /
anarhaḥ paramaṃ kleśaṃ soḍhavānsa yudhiṣṭhiraḥ //

kathaṃ ca bahulāḥ senāḥ pāṇḍavaḥ kṛṣṇasārathiḥ /
asyanneko'nayatsarvāḥ pitṛlokaṃ dhanañjayaḥ //

etadācakṣva me sarvaṃ yathāvṛttaṃ tapodhana /
yadyacca kṛtavantaste tatratatra mahārathāḥ //
vaiśampāyana uvāca /

kṣaṇaṃ kuru mahārāja vipulo'yamanukramaḥ /
puṇyākhyānasya vaktavyaḥ kṛṣṇadvaipāyaneritaḥ //

maharṣeḥ sarvalokeṣu pūjitasya mahātmanaḥ /
pravakṣyāmi mataṃ kṛtsnaṃ vyāsasyāmitatejasaḥ //

idaṃ śatasahasraṃ hi ślokānāṃ puṇyakarmaṇām /
satyavatyātmajeneha vyākhyātamamitaujasā //

upākhyānaiḥ saha jñeyaṃ śrāvyaṃ bhāratamuttamam /
sankṣepeṇa tu vakṣyāmi sarvametannarādhipa //

adhyāyānāṃ sahasre dve parvaṇāṃ śatameva ca / ślokānāṃ tu sahasrāṇi navatiśca daśaiva ca /
tato'ṣṭādaśabhiḥ parvaiḥ sangṛhītaṃ maharṣiṇā //

ya idaṃ śrāvayedvidvānye cedaṃ śṛṇuyurnarāḥ /
te brahmaṇaḥ sthānametya prāpnuyurdevatulyatām //

idaṃ hi vedaiḥ samitaṃ pavitramapi cottamam /
śrāvyāṇāmuttamaṃ cedaṃ purāṇamṛṣisaṃstutam //

asminnarthaśca kāmaśca nikhilenopadekṣyate /
itihāse mahāpuṇye buddhiśca parinaiṣṭhikī //

akṣudrāndānaśīlāṃśca satyaśīlānanāstikān /
kārṣṇaṃ vedamimaṃ vidvāñchrāvayitvā'rthamaśnute //

bhrūṇahatyākṛtaṃ cāpi pāpaṃ jahyādasaṃśayam /
itihāsamimaṃ śrutvā puruṣo'pi sudāruṇaḥ //

mucyate sarvapāpebhyo rāhuṇā candramā yathā /
jayo nāmetihāso'yaṃ śrotavyo vijigīṣuṇā //

mahīṃ vijayate rājā śatrūṃścāpi parājayet /
idaṃ puṃsavanaṃ śreṣṭhamidaṃ svastyayanaṃ mahat //

mahiṣīyuvarājābhyāṃ śrotavyaṃ bahuśastathā /
vīraṃ janayate putraṃ kanyāṃ vā rājyabhāginīm //

dharmaśāstramidaṃ puṇyamarthaśāstramidaṃ param /
mokṣaśāstramidaṃ proktaṃ vyāsenāmitabuddhinā //

dharme cārthe ca kāme ca mokṣe ca bharatarṣabha / yadihāsti tadanyatra yannehāsti na kutracit /
idaṃ hi brāhmaṇairloke ākhyātaṃ brāhmaṇeṣviha //

sampratyācakṣate cedaṃ tathā śroṣyanti cāpare /
putrāḥ śuśrūṣavaḥ santi preṣyāśca priyakāriṇaḥ //

bharatānāṃ mahajjanma śṛṇvatāmanasūyatām /
nāsti vyādhibhayaṃ teṣāṃ paralokabhayaṃ kutaḥ //

śarīreṇa kṛtaṃ pāpaṃ vācā ca manasaiva ca /
sarvaṃ santyajati kṣipraṃ ya idaṃ śṛṇuyānnaraḥ //

dhanyaṃ yaśasyamāyuṣyaṃ puṇyaṃ svargyaṃ tathaiva ca /
kṛṣṇadvaipāyanenedaṃ kṛtaṃ puṇyacikīrṣuṇā //

kīrtiṃ prathayatā loke pāṇḍavānāṃ mahātmanām /
anyeṣāṃ kṣatriyāṇāṃ ca bhūridraviṇatejasām //

sarvavidyāvadātānāṃ loke prathitakarmaṇām /
ya idaṃ mānavo loke puṇyārthe brāhmaṇāñchucīn //

śrāvayeta mahāpuṇyaṃ tasya dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ /
kurūṇāṃ prathitaṃ vaṃśaṃ kīrtayansatataṃ śuciḥ //

vaṃśamāpnoti vipulaṃ loke pūjyatamo bhavet /
yo'dhīte bhārataṃ pumyaṃ brāhmaṇo niyatavrataḥ //

caturo vārṣikānmāsānsarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate /
vijñeyaḥ sa ca vedānāṃ pārago bhārataṃ paṭhan //

devā rājarṣayo hyatra puṇyā brahmarṣayastathā /
kīrtyante dhūtapāpmānaḥ kīrtyate keśavastathā //

bhagavāṃścāpi deveśo yatra devī ca kīrtyate /
anekajanano yatra kārtikeyasya sambhavaḥ //

brāhmaṇānāṃ gavāṃ caiva māhātmyaṃ yatra kīrtyate /
sarvaśrutisamūho'yaṃ śrotavyo dharmabuddhibhiḥ //

ya idaṃ śrāvayedvidvānbrāhmaṇāniha parvasu /
dhūtapāpmā jitasvargo brahma gacchati śāśvatam //

śrāvayedbrāhmaṇāñśrāddhe yaścemaṃ pādamantataḥ /
akṣayyaṃ tasya tacchrāddhamupāvartetpitṝniha //

ahnā yadenaḥ kriyate indriyairmanasā'pi vā /
jñānādajñānato vāpi prakaroti naraśca yat //

tanmahābhāratākhyānaṃ śrutvaiva pravilīyate /
bharatānāṃ mahajjanma mahābhāratamucyate //

niruktamasya yo veda sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate /
bharatānāṃ mahajjanma mahābhāratamucyate //

mahato hyenaso martyānmocayedanukīrtitaḥ /
tribhirvarṣairmahābhāgaḥ kṛṣṇadvaipāyano'bravīt //

nityotthitaḥ śuciḥ śakto mahābhāratamāditaḥ /
taponiyamamāsthāya kṛtametanmaharṣiṇā //

tasmānniyamasaṃyuktaiḥ śrotavyaṃ brāhmaṇairidam /
kṛṣṇaproktāmimāṃ puṇyāṃ bhāratīmuttamāṃ kathām //

śrāvayiṣyanti ye viprā ye ca śroṣyanti mānavāḥ /
sarvathā vartamānā vai na te śocyāḥ kṛtākṛtaiḥ //

nareṇa dharmakāmena sarvaḥ śrotavya ityapi /
nikhilenetihāso'yaṃ tataḥ siddhimavāpnuyāt //

na tāṃ svargagatiṃ prāpya tuṣṭiṃ prāpnoti mānavaḥ /
yāṃ śrutvaivaṃ mahāpuṇyamitihāsamupāśnute //

śṛṇvañśrāddhaḥ puṇyaśīlaḥ śrāvayaṃścedamadbhutam /
naraḥ phalamavāpnoti rājasūyāśvamedhayoḥ //

yathā samudro bhagavānyathā merurmahāgiriḥ /
ubhau khyātau ratnanidhī tathā bhāratamucyate //

idaṃ hi vedaiḥ samitaṃ pavitramaṣi cottamam /
śrāvyaṃ śrutisukhaṃ caiva pāvanaṃ śīlavardhanam //

ya idaṃ bhārataṃ rājanvācakāya prayacchati /
tena sarvā mahī dattā bhavetsāgaramekhalā //

pārikṣita kathāṃ divyāṃ puṇyāya vijayāya ca /
kathyamānāṃ mayā kṛtsnāṃ śṛṇu harṣakarīmimām //

tribhirvarṣaiḥ sadotthāyī kṛṣṇadvaipāyano muniḥ /
mahābhāratamākhyānaṃ kṛtavānidamadbhutam //

śṛṇu kīrtayatastanma itihāsaṃ purātanam //