Shloka 81
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
अष्टौ श्लोकसहस्राणि अष्टौ श्लोकशतानि च । अहं वेि शुको वेत्ति संजयो वेत्ति वान वा,इस ग्रन्थमें ८८०० (आठ हजार आठ सौ) श्लोक ऐसे हैं, जिनका अर्थ मैं समझता हूँ, शुकदेव समझते हैं और संजय समझते हैं या नहीं, इसमें संदेह है
aṣṭau ślokasahasrāṇi aṣṭau ślokaśatāni ca | ahaṁ veda śuko veda saṁjayo veda vā na vā ||
There are eight thousand verses, and eight hundred more besides, whose meaning I understand; Śuka understands them as well. As for Saṁjaya—whether he understands them or not—remains uncertain.
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that genuine understanding of a vast sacred narrative is not uniform: some grasp its deeper meaning, while for others comprehension is uncertain. It points to the idea that insight depends on inner preparedness and interpretive authority, not merely on recitation or proximity to the text.
The speaker is describing a specific portion of the Mahābhārata’s verses whose meaning is known to him and to the sage Śuka, while expressing doubt about whether Saṁjaya also fully understands them—highlighting differing levels of access to the text’s inner sense.