Sauti Waits for Shaunaka

Verse 1 (1.4.1)

पौराणिकः पुराणे कृतश्रमः स कृताञ्जलिस्तानुवाच । मयोत्तङ्कस्य चरितमशेषमुक्तं जनमेजयस्य सार्पसत्रे निमित्तान्तरमिदमपि । किं भवन्तः श्रोतुमिच्छन्ति किमहं ब्रवाणीति ॥

paurāṇikaḥ purāṇe kṛtaśramaḥ sa kṛtāñjalistānuvāca | mayottaṅkasya caritamaśeṣamuktaṃ janamejayasya sārpasatre nimittāntaramidamapi | kiṃ bhavantaḥ śrotumicchanti kimahaṃ bravāṇīti

The bard, well versed in the Puranas, folded his hands and said to them: "I have told in full the story of Uttanka, which is one more cause of Janamejaya's serpent sacrifice. What do you wish to hear now? What shall I tell you?"

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki quote marks (` and ') and a doubled danda. The middle line (मयोत्तङ्कस्य … इदमपि) is not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension). Wikisource numbers the first line 1 and the rest 2; they form one sentence and are kept together here, as in the critical edition's 1.4.2.

Verse 2 (1.4.2)

परं रौमहर्षणे प्रवक्ष्यामस्त्वां नः प्रतिवक्ष्यसि वचः शुश्रूषतां कथायोगं नः कथायोगे ॥

paraṃ raumaharṣaṇe pravakṣyāmastvāṃ naḥ prativakṣyasi vacaḥ śuśrūṣatāṃ kathāyogaṃ naḥ kathāyoge

"Son of Romaharshana, we shall put to you what matters most, and you will answer us, who long to hear, with your tales when the time for tales has come.

Verse 3 (1.4.3)

तत्र भगवान् कुलपतिस्तु शौनकोऽग्निशरणमध्यास्ते । दीर्घसत्रत्वात्सर्वाः कथाः श्रोतुं कालोऽस्ति ॥

tatra bhagavān kulapatistu śaunako'gniśaraṇamadhyāste | dīrghasatratvātsarvāḥ kathāḥ śrotuṃ kālo'sti

But the revered Shaunaka, head of our community, is now seated in the sanctuary of the sacred fire. Since this sacrifice will run for a long time, there is time enough to hear every story.

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki quote marks (` and ') and a doubled danda. Corrected कालोस्ति → कालोऽस्ति (misprint in Wikisource; missing avagraha in kālo 'sti). The second line (दीर्घसत्रत्वात् … कालोऽस्ति) is not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension).

Verse 4 (1.4.4)

योऽसौ दिव्याः कथा वेद देवतासुरसंश्रिताः । मनुष्योरगगन्धर्वकथा वेद च सर्वशः ॥

yo'sau divyāḥ kathā veda devatāsurasaṃśritāḥ | manuṣyoragagandharvakathā veda ca sarvaśaḥ

He knows the divine stories that concern the gods and the asuras, and he knows in full the stories of men, serpents and gandharvas.

Note on the text: Corrected यौऽसौ → योऽसौ (misprint in Wikisource; the pronoun is yo 'sau, as in the critical edition).

Verse 5 (1.4.5)

स चाप्यस्मिन्मखे सौते विद्वान्कुलपतिर्द्विजः । दक्षो धृतव्रतो धीमाञ्शास्त्रे चारण्यके गुरुः ॥

sa cāpyasminmakhe saute vidvānkulapatirdvijaḥ | dakṣo dhṛtavrato dhīmāñśāstre cāraṇyake guruḥ

And in this sacrifice, Sauti, that learned brahmin is our chief. He is capable, firm in his vows and wise, a teacher of the scriptures and of the Aranyakas.

Note on the text: Corrected मशे → मखे (misprint in Wikisource; makhe, "in this sacrifice", as in the critical edition) and कुलपतिर्दिवजः → कुलपतिर्द्विजः (misprint in Wikisource; broken conjunct in dvijaḥ).

Verse 6 (1.4.6)

सत्यवादी शमपरस्तपस्वी नियतव्रतः । सर्वेषामेव नो मान्यः स तावत्प्रतिपाल्यताम् ॥

satyavādī śamaparastapasvī niyatavrataḥ | sarveṣāmeva no mānyaḥ sa tāvatpratipālyatām

He is truthful, devoted to calm, an ascetic steadfast in his vows, and honoured by every one of us. So let us wait for him a while.

Verse 7 (1.4.7)

तस्मिन्नध्यासति गुरावासनं परमार्चितम् । ततो वक्ष्यसि यत्त्वां स प्रक्ष्यति द्विजसत्तमः ॥

tasminnadhyāsati gurāvāsanaṃ paramārcitam | tato vakṣyasi yattvāṃ sa prakṣyati dvijasattamaḥ

When our teacher has taken his seat, the seat of highest honour, you will answer whatever that best of brahmins asks you."

Verse 8 (1.4.8)

एवमस्तु गुरौ तस्मिन्नुपविष्टे महात्मनि । तेन पृष्टः कथाः पुण्या वक्ष्यामि विविधाश्रयाः ॥

evamastu gurau tasminnupaviṣṭe mahātmani | tena pṛṣṭaḥ kathāḥ puṇyā vakṣyāmi vividhāśrayāḥ

"So be it. When the noble teacher has taken his seat and questions me, I shall tell holy stories on many subjects."

Verse 9 (1.4.9)

सोऽथ विप्रर्षभः सर्वं कृत्वा कार्यं यथाविधि । देवान्वाग्भिः पितॄनद्भिस्तर्पयित्वाऽऽजगाम ह ॥

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

Then that bull among brahmins, having completed all his duties according to rule and satisfied the gods with prayers and the ancestors with offerings of water, came

Verse 10 (1.4.10)

यत्र ब्रह्मर्षयः सिद्धाः सुखासीना धृतव्रताः । यज्ञायतनमाश्रित्य सूतपुत्रपुरःसराः ॥

yatra brahmarṣayaḥ siddhāḥ sukhāsīnā dhṛtavratāḥ | yajñāyatanamāśritya sūtaputrapuraḥsarāḥ

to where the perfected brahmin sages, firm in their vows, sat at ease at the place of sacrifice, with the bard's son before them.

Note on the text: Corrected सूतपुत्रपुरस्पराः → सूतपुत्रपुरःसराः (misprint in Wikisource; puraḥsarāḥ, "with … at their head", as in the critical edition).

Verse 11 (1.4.11)

ऋत्विक्ष्वथ सदस्येषु स वै गृहपतिस्तदा । उपविष्टेषूपविष्टः शौनकोऽथाब्रवीदिदम् ॥

ṛtvikṣvatha sadasyeṣu sa vai gṛhapatistadā | upaviṣṭeṣūpaviṣṭaḥ śaunako'thābravīdidam

When the priests and the members of the assembly had taken their seats, Shaunaka, the master of the sacrifice, sat down as well and then said this.