They that hear it, read,
have sons and servants always obedient to them and doing their behests.
All sins that are committed by body, word, or mind, immediately leave them
that hear this history. They who hear, without the spirit of fault finding,
the story of the birth of the Bharata princes, can have no fear of
maladies, let alone the fear of the other world.
"For extending the fame of the high-souled Pandavas and of other
Kshatriyas versed in all branches of knowledge, high spirited, and already
known in the world for their achievements, Krishna-Dwaipayana, guided also
by the desire of doing good to the world, hath composed this work. It is
excellent, productive of fame, grants length of life, is sacred and
heavenly. He who, from desire of acquiring religious merit, causeth this
history to be heard by sacred Brahmanas, acquireth great merit and virtue
that is inexhaustible. He that reciteth the famous generation of the Kurus
becometh immediately purified and acquireth a large family himself, and
becometh respected in the world. That Brahmana who regularly studies this
sacred Bharata for the four months of the rainy season, is cleansed from
all his sins. He that has read the Bharata may be regarded as one
acquainted with the Vedas.
"This work presents an account of the gods and royal sages and sacred
regenerate Rishis, the sinless Kesava; the god of gods, Mahadeva and the
goddess Parvati; the birth of Kartikeya who sprang from union of Parvati
with Mahadeva and was reared by many mothers; the greatness of Brahmanas
and of kine.
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