Shloka 26
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
आचख्यु: कवय: केचित् सम्प्रत्याचक्षते परे । आख््यास्यन्ति तथैवान्ये इतिहासमिमं भुवि,पृथ्वीपर इस इतिहासका अनेकों कवियोंने वर्णन किया है और इस समय भी बहुत-से वर्णन करते हैं। इसी प्रकार अन्य कवि आगे भी इसका वर्णन करते रहेंगे
ācakhyuḥ kavayaḥ kecit sampraty ācakṣate pare | ākhyāsyanti tathaivānye itihāsam imaṃ bhuvi ||
Some poets and sages have already recounted this great history; others are recounting it even now. In the same way, still other poets will continue to narrate this Itihāsa upon the earth in times to come.
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the continuity and living transmission of the Mahābhārata as Itihāsa: it has been told before, is told now, and will be told again—suggesting enduring relevance and cultural-ethical authority.
In the opening of the epic, the narrator frames the Mahābhārata as a widely known and repeatedly recounted sacred history, highlighting that many poets have narrated it in the past, many do so in the present, and others will do so in the future.