Shloka 69
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
पुराणां चैव दिव्यानां कल्पानां युद्धकौशलम् । वाक्यजातिविशेषाक्ष लोकयात्राक्रमक्ष यः,दिव्य नगर एवं दुर्गोके निर्माणका कौशल तथा युद्धकी निपुणताका भी वर्णन है। भिन्न- भिन्न भाषाओं और जातियोंकी जो विशेषताएँ हैं, लोकव्यवहारकी सिद्धिके लिये जो कुछ आवश्यक है तथा और भी जितने लोकोपयोगी पदार्थ हो सकते हैं, उन सबका इसमें प्रतिपादन किया गया है; परंतु मुझे इस बातकी चिन्ता है कि पृथ्वीमें इस ग्रन्थको लिख सके ऐसा कोई नहीं है”
purāṇāṃ caiva divyānāṃ kalpānāṃ yuddha-kauśalam | vākyajāti-viśeṣākṣa loka-yātrā-krama-kṣa yaḥ |
It sets forth the lore of ancient and divine traditions, the ordered cycles (kalpas), and the arts of warfare. It also explains the distinctive features of various forms of speech and peoples, and whatever is necessary for the successful conduct of worldly life—indeed, all other things that may be of practical use to human society. Yet I am troubled by this: on earth there seems to be no one capable of writing down this vast work.
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the Mahābhārata’s encyclopedic scope—covering sacred tradition, cosmic time, warfare, language and social diversity, and practical norms for worldly life—while highlighting the ethical responsibility of accurate transmission: such a vast dharma-bearing work requires a capable scribe.
In the opening of the Ādi Parva, the composer reflects on the breadth of the work he has conceived and expresses anxiety that no one on earth may be able to write it down, setting the stage for the search for a suitable scribe.