सर्गबन्धो महाकाव्यमुच्यते तस्य लक्षणम् ।
आशीर्नमस्क्रिया वस्तुनिर्देशो वापि तन्मुखम् ॥
sargabandho mahākāvyam ucyate tasya lakṣaṇam |
āśīr namaskriyā vastu-nirdeśo vāpi tan-mukham ||
(Kāvyādarśa: 1.14)
“That [composition] which is constructed in sections is called a mahākāvya [‘epic poem’]. Its characteristic is that its opening is a blessing (āśīḥ), an offering of obeisance (namaskriyā), or [may also include] a specification of [its] subject-matter.”