Shloka 142
समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः
Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī
श्लोकाश्नैकादश ज्ञेया: पर्वण्यस्मिन् द्विजोत्तमा: । अतः पर तृतीयं तु ज्ञेयमारण्यकं महत्,श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणो! इस पर्वमें अध्यायोंकी संख्या अठहत्तर (७८) है और श्लोकोंकी संख्या दो हजार पाँच सौ ग्यारह (२,५११) बतायी गयी है। इसके पश्चात् महत्त्वपूर्ण वनपर्वका आरम्भ होता है
ślokāś ca ekādaśa jñeyāḥ parvaṇy asmin dvijottamāḥ | ataḥ paraṃ tṛtīyaṃ tu jñeyam āraṇyakaṃ mahat |
हे द्विजोत्तम! या पर्वात श्लोक-खंड (विभाग) अकरा आहेत असे जाणावे. यानंतर तिसरा महत्त्वाचा विभाग ‘आरण्यक’—म्हणजे महान वनवृत्तांत—असा समजावा।
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a structural marker: it instructs the listener to understand the internal division and verse-units of the current Parva and signals the transition to the next major narrative segment (the great forest-related section). The emphasis is on orderly transmission and comprehension of the epic’s organization.
A speaker addresses a Brahmin and summarizes how the present Parva is arranged, then indicates that after this comes the great Āraṇyaka/Forest portion—corresponding (in the accompanying note) to the commencement of the important Vana Parva.