The Great Epic of the Bhārata dynasty 1.56.15

1.56.15

idaṃ hi vedaiḥ samitaṃ pavitramapi cottamam |
śrāvyāṇāmuttamaṃ cedaṃ purāṇamṛṣisaṃstutam || 15 ||

"Vaisampayana said, 'O monarch, appoint thou a time for hearing it. This history told by Krishna-Dwaipayana is very extensive. This is but the beginning. I shall recite it. I shall repeat the whole of the composition in full, of the illustrious and great Rishi Vyasa of immeasurable mental power, and worshipped in all the worlds. This Bharata consists of a hundred thousand sacred slokas composed by the son of Satyavati, of immeasurable mental power. He that reads it to others, and they that hear it read, attain to the world of Brahman and become equal to the very gods. This Bharata is equal unto the Vedas, is holy and excellent; is the worthiest of all to be listened to, and is a Purana worshipped by the Rishis.