Shloka 61
समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः
Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī
यानसन्धिस्तत: पर्व भगवद्यानमेव च । मातलीयमुपाख्यानं चरितं गालवस्य च,इसके पश्चात् यानसन्धि तथा भगवदयानपर्व है, इसीमें मातलिका उपाख्यान, गालव- चरित, सावित्र, वामदेव तथा वैन्य-उपाख्यान, जामदग्न्य और षोडशराजिक-उपाख्यान आते हैं
yānasaṃdhis tataḥ parva bhagavadyānam eva ca | mātalīyam upākhyānaṃ caritaṃ gālavasya ca ||
Then comes the section called Yānasaṃdhi, followed by the parvan known as Bhagavad-yāna. Within these are included the episode concerning Mātali and the account of Gālava’s deeds—along with other celebrated sub-narratives that elaborate dharma through exemplary lives and instructive precedents.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a structural guide: it signals that the epic teaches dharma not only through the main plot but also through embedded upākhyānas (illustrative tales). These subsidiary narratives present models of right conduct, the consequences of choices, and standards for rulers and seekers.
The speaker is enumerating the upcoming divisions of the Ādi Parva, naming the Yānasaṃdhi and Bhagavad-yāna sections and noting that within them appear the Mātali episode and the story of Gālava, among other sub-narratives.