The great twelve-year Satra was underway, presided over by the venerable Kulapati Śaunaka. The air in the Naimiṣāraṇya forest was thick with piety. Huddled beneath the ancient trees were the Brahmarṣis—sages who had completed rigorous vows and observed the strictest forms of celibacy. Now, they were in a period of blessed reprieve, settled comfortably in their study and discussion. They were scholars of the forgotten ages, experts in the lore of the Purāṇas.
Into this sanctified circle, a lone traveler arrived.
It was Ugraśravā, the son of Lomaharṣaṇa, known throughout the land as Sauti, the master storyteller. Though he hailed from the Sūtalineage, his demeanor was one of profound humility, his back bowed not by age but by respect for the holiness of the place. He was an encyclopaedia of ancient narratives, his memory a boundless library.
He approached the assembled sages. With hands pressed together in a gesture of deep veneration (Kṛtāñjali), he greeted each one.
"I humbly salute you, O revered ones," Sauti spoke, his voice clear and deferential. "May I inquire if your penance (tapas) is progressing without impediment? Are your minds and bodies serene?"
The sages—models of grace and wisdom—welcomed him warmly. They motioned for him to take a designated seat, honoring the esteemed guest.
Sauti, ever mindful of propriety, waited until every ascetic was comfortably settled before he, too, accepted the cushion offered to him.
He was tired from his journey, and the silent peace of the gathering began to restore him. Noticing his repose, one of the foremost among the sages broke the silence to begin the conversation, setting the stage for the stories they longed to hear.
"Tell us, O son of Sūta, whose eyes are as serene as the lotus petal," the sage inquired gently. "Where have you come from? And where have you been passing your time so agreeably? I ask this of you, hoping you will grace us with your tale."
Thus pressed, Ugraśravā, the son of Lomaharṣaṇa, collected himself. His heart was already dedicated to the great history of the enlightened ones. With a mind full of devotion and a voice practiced in the art of narrative, he began to speak the truth—an account rich with the lives and deeds of gods, sages, and kings that had passed through his recent vision.