Texts 28-29
dhṛta-vratena hi mayā
chandāṁsi guravo ’gnayaḥ
mānitā nirvyalīkena
gṛhītaṁ cānuśāsanam
bhārata-vyapadeśena
hy āmnāyārthaś ca pradarśitaḥ
dṛśyate yatra dharmādi
strī-śūdrādibhir apy uta
dhṛta-vratena — under a strict disciplinary vow; hi — certainly; mayā — by me; chandāṁsi — the Vedic hymns; guravaḥ — the spiritual masters; agnayaḥ — the sacrificial fire; mānitāḥ — properly worshiped; nirvyalīkena — without pretense; gṛhītam ca — also accepted; anuśāsanam — traditional discipline; bhārata — the Mahābhārata; vyapadeśena — by compilation of; hi — certainly; āmnāya-arthaḥ — import of disciplic succession; ca — and; pradarśitaḥ — properly explained; dṛśyate — by what is necessary; yatra — where; dharma-ādiḥ — the path of religion; strī-śūdra-ādibhiḥ 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 Mahābhārata, 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 Mahābhārata for the understanding of the woman class, the laborer class and the unqualified members of brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya families. In this age, the Mahābhārata is more essential than the original Vedas.