Shloka 72
समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः
Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī
सारस्वतं ततः पर्व तीर्थवंशानुकीर्तनम् । अत ऊर्ध्व॑ सुबीभत्सं पर्व सौप्तिकमुच्यते,तदनन्तर सारस्वतपर्व है, जिसमें तीर्थों और वंशोंका वर्णन किया गया है। इसके बाद है अत्यन्त बीभत्स सौप्तिकपर्व
sārasvataṃ tataḥ parva tīrthavaṃśānukīrtanam | ata ūrdhvaṃ subībhatsaṃ parva sauptikam ucyate |
Vient ensuite le Parva Sārasvata, qui énumère les tīrtha (guéés sacrés) et les lignées. Après lui est dit le Parva Sauptika, d’une horreur extrême, car il raconte les atrocités de la nuit qui suit la guerre.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts two modes of remembrance: sacred geography and lineage (tīrtha and vaṃśa), which preserve cultural and moral continuity, and the ‘exceedingly dreadful’ Sauptika episode, which underscores the ethical warning that war’s cruelty does not end with victory but can culminate in further atrocity.
The speaker is outlining the epic’s structure: after the Sārasvata section—describing tīrthas and genealogies—the narrative proceeds to the Sauptika section, known for its horrific night events following the great war.