Shloka 35
समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः
Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī
विचित्रार्थपदाख्यानमनेकसमयान्वितम् । प्रतिपन्नं नरै: प्राजैरवैराग्यमिव मोक्षिभि:,जैसे मोक्ष चाहनेवाले पुरुष पर-वैराग्यकी शरण ग्रहण करते हैं, वैसे ही प्रज्ञावान् मनुष्य अलौकिक अर्थ, विचित्र पद, अदभुत आख्यान और भाँति-भाँतिकी परस्पर विलक्षण मर्यादाओंसे युक्त इस महाभारतका आश्रय ग्रहण करते हैं
vicitrārthapadākhyānam anekasamayānvitam | pratipannaṁ naraiḥ prājair avairāgyam iva mokṣibhiḥ ||
This Mahābhārata—rich in wondrous meanings, striking expressions, and extraordinary narratives, and woven with many diverse conventions and occasions—is taken up and relied upon by discerning people, just as seekers of liberation take refuge in dispassion as their support on the path to mokṣa.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents the Mahābhārata as a comprehensive refuge for the wise: its many-layered narratives and varied norms guide ethical discernment, much as dispassion (vairāgya) supports a seeker aiming at liberation (mokṣa).
The speaker praises the Mahābhārata’s distinctive style and breadth—its wondrous meanings, unusual diction, and many kinds of accounts—and explains why discerning people take it up as an authoritative guide, paralleling how liberation-seekers rely on dispassion.