Shloka 131
समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः
Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī
अष्टौ श्लोकसहस्राणि अष्टौ श्लोकशतानि च । श्लोकाश्न चतुराशीतिर्मुनिनोक्ता महात्मना,महात्मा व्यास मुनिने इन दो सौ सत्ताईस (२२७) अध्यायोंमें आठ हजार आठ सौ चौरासी (८,८८४) श्लोक कहे हैं
aṣṭau ślokasahasrāṇi aṣṭau ślokaśatāni ca | ślokāś ca caturāśītir muninoktā mahātmanā ||
महात्मा मुनी व्यासांनी या दोनशे सत्तावीस (२२७) अध्यायांत आठ हजार, आठशे, आणि त्यावर आणखी चौर्याऐंशी—असे एकूण आठ हजार आठशे चौर्याऐंशी (८,८८४) श्लोक सांगितले आहेत।
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the epic’s received authority and careful transmission by presenting a formal count of verses, a traditional way to mark completeness, authenticity, and the magnitude of the Mahābhārata as a sacred-historical text.
A speaker identified as Rāma cites a sage’s statement giving the number of verses in the work. It functions like a cataloging remark within the broader framing that introduces and situates the Mahābhārata’s composition and scope.