Shloka 24
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
ततोऊस्तं पर्वतश्रेष्ठमनुप्राप्ते दिवाकरे । सर्वस्य जगतो धात्री शर्वरी समपद्यत
tato ’staṃ parvataśreṣṭham anuprāpte divākare | sarvasya jagato dhātrī śarvarī samapadyata ||
Sañjaya said: Then, when the Sun reached the best of mountains at his setting, Night—like a mother who bears and shelters all the world—came to prevail everywhere, laying the whole creation to rest. In the ethical atmosphere of the Sauptika episode, this descent of night signals the cover under which grievous deeds will soon be attempted, showing how darkness can become an accomplice to adharma when restraint and vigilance fail.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames night as a universal shelter, but within the Sauptika Parva it also foreshadows how moral vigilance can lapse under darkness; the setting reminds readers that circumstances (like night) may enable wrongdoing, yet responsibility remains with the doer.
Sañjaya describes sunset: the Sun reaches the western mountain and night spreads over the world. This sets the scene for the nocturnal events that define the Sauptika episode.