dhá¹›ta-vratena hi mayÄ
chandÄá¹si guravo 'gnayaḥ
mÄnitÄ nirvyalÄ«kena
gá¹›hÄ«taá¹ cÄnuÅ›Äsanam
bhÄrata-vyapadeÅ›ena
hy ÄmnÄyÄrthaÅ› ca pradarÅ›itaḥ
dṛśyate yatra dharmÄdi
strÄ«-śūdrÄdibhir apy uta
dhá¹›ta-vratena - under a strict disciplinary vow; hi - certainly; mayÄ - by me; chandÄá¹si - the Vedic hymns; guravaḥ - the spiritual masters; agnayaḥ - the sacrificial fire; mÄnitÄḥ - properly worshiped; nirvyalÄ«kena - without pretense; gá¹›hÄ«tam ca - also accepted; anuÅ›Äsanam - traditional discipline; bhÄrata - the MahÄbhÄrata; vyapadeÅ›ena - by compilation of; hi - certainly; ÄmnÄya-arthaḥ - import of disciplic succession; ca - and; pradarÅ›itaḥ - properly explained; dṛśyate - by what is necessary; yatra - where; dharma-Ädiḥ - the path of religion; strÄ«-śūdra-Ädibhiḥ api - even by women, śūdras, etc.; uta - spoken.
I have, under strict disciplinary vows, unpretentiously worshiped the Vedas, the spiritual masters and the altar of sacrifice. I have also abided by the rulings and have shown the import of disciplic succession through the explanation of the MahÄbhÄrata, by which even women, śūdras and others [friends of the twice-born] can see the path of religion.
No one can understand the import of the Vedas without having undergone a strict disciplinary vow and disciplic succession. The Vedas, spiritual masters and sacrificial fire must be worshiped by the desiring candidate. All these intricacies of Vedic knowledge are systematically presented in the MahÄbhÄrata for the understanding of the woman class, the laborer class and the unqualified members of brÄhmaṇa, ká¹£atriya or vaiÅ›ya families. In this age, the MahÄbhÄrata is more essential than the original Vedas.
