Text 1: Vyāsa said: Among the sages gathered for the long sacrifice, Śaunaka, eldest by age, of high parentage and superior in Vedic knowledge, praising Sūta who had just spoken, began speaking.

Text 2: Śaunaka said: O Sūta! O Sūta! Fortunate soul! Best of speakers! Please tell us the pure stories related to the Lord which the glorious Śuka spoke at the assembly of Parīkṣit.

Text 3: In which yuga, in what place, and for what reason did the sage Vyāsa write this work? Who inspired him to write this work?

Text 4: His son, a great yogī, seeing all things equally, fully realized in brahman, with mind concentrated on one goal, having dispelled ignorance, hid himself from the public and appeared to be a fool.

Text 5: The young women playing in the water, on seeing the clothed Vyāsa, pursuing his naked son who had left home, became bashful and put on their clothing. Vyāsa was astonished that they were not embarrassed when his naked son passed by. When Vyāsa asked them the reason, they replied, “You make distinctions of male and female and he does not. He has pure eyes.”

Text 6: After coming to the province of Kuru-jāṅgala, Śukadeva wandered in Hastināpura (the capital), like a madman, a mute or a fool. How did the people of the city recognize him?

Text 7: How did the conversation of Parīkṣit with Śukadeva arise, through which this Vaiṣṇava scripture appeared?

Text 8: The great devotee would wait in the houses of married couples only as long as it took to milk a cow, purifying the inhabitants by giving spiritual benefit.

Text 9: O Sūta! Parīkṣit is called the greatest of devotees. Please tell us about his astonishing birth and activities.

Text 10: Why did this king, the glory of the Pāṇḍavas, neglect the wealth of kings and fast to death on the bank of the Gaṅgā?

Text 11: Why did this brave young man, to whose feet enemies brought wealth and clearly bowed down for their own benefit, desire to give up such wealth, which is difficult to give up, along with his life airs?

Text 12: Persons who are surrendered to the Lord live for the auspiciousness of the world: extinguishing repeated birth and death and supplying material needs, and not for themselves. Why did Parīkṣit, becoming renounced, give up his body, which was meant as a shelter for others?

Text 13: Please explain to us whatever I have asked you on this subject. I think that you are most capable of explaining all subjects, except some portions of the Veda.

Text 14: Sūta said: Vyāsa was born in the womb of Satyavatī as a portion of the Lord when the third part of Dvāpara-yuga arrived in the passing of yugas.

Text 15: At one time, Vyāsa, performing ācamana with water from the Sarasvatī River, being purified, sat alone in an isolated spot while the sun rose.

Text 16-18: Vyāsa, who could see the past and the future, having pure vision, observed by his spiritual eye that the dharmas for the yugas had been destroyed on the earth, yuga after yuga, by the invisible force of time; that the bodies had decreased in ability; and that the people were devoid of faith, dominated by rajas and tamas, dull-witted, short-lived, and filled with misfortunes. He began to contemplate on what would be beneficial for all the varṇas and āśramas.

Text 19: Seeing the purifying power of Vedic rites performed by the four priests for the people at large who were not inclined for jñāna, yoga or bhakti, he divided the one Veda into four for continuation of sacrifice.

Text* 20: He divided the Veda into the Ṛg, Yajus, Sāma and Atharvā. Histories and Purāṇas are called the fifth Veda.

Text 21-22: For the Vedas, Paila became responsible for the Ṛg-veda, wise Jaimini chanted the Sama-veda, Vaiśampāyana became learned in the Yajur-veda, the sage Sumantu, inclined to incantations, became learned in the Atharva-veda and my father Romaharṣaṇa became learned in the histories and Purāṇas.

Text 23: Each of these sages divided up his Veda into many divisions and these Vedas then developed branches as they were passed on to disciples, grand-disciples and great-grand-disciples.

Text* 24: The Supreme Lord Vyāsa, merciful to the most fallen, thus divided the Vedas so that they could be understood by the foolish.

Text 25: The women, śudras and dvija-bandhus were not qualified to hear the Vedas. Thinking what would be the best for the foolish in terms of the best sādhana, Vyāsa by his mercy wrote the Mahābhārata.

Text 26-27: O brāhmaṇas! Though he had engaged himself in this way for the welfare of all beings, his heart was not satisfied with all of that. Being not completely satisfied in heart, sitting in a solitary spot on the bank of the Sarasvatī River, the knower of dharma began to contemplate. He then spoke as follows.

Text* 28: I have respected the Vedas, the gurus and fire with sincerity and strict vows, and observed the rules.

Text 29-30: Through the Mahābhārata, in which dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa for the women, śūdras, what to speak of the higher castes, is seen, I have clearly shown the meaning of the Vedas. But still, my soul situated in the body, though powerful with austerity and knowledge by nature, appears incomplete and inferior, even though endowed with power arising from studying the Vedas.

Text 31: Perhaps the path of bhakti pleasing to the most elevated devotees has not been sufficiently described. And the elevated devotees alone are dear to the Lord.

Text 32: As Vyāsa was lamenting, considering himself most vile, Nārada approached the hermitage, which was previously described.

Text 33: Understanding that Nārada, worshipped by the devatās, had suddenly arrived, Vyāsa worshipped him as if he were Brahmā.