Shloka 39

समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः

Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī

Devanagari script

इतिहासोत्तमे यस्मिन्नर्पिता बुद्धिरुत्तमा । स्वरव्यज्जनयो: कृत्स्ना लोकवेदाश्रयेव वाक्‌,जैसे लौकिक और वैदिक सब प्रकारके ज्ञानको प्रकाशित करनेवाली सम्पूर्ण वाणी स्वरों एवं व्यंजनोंमें समायी रहती है, वैसे ही (लोक, परलोक एवं परमार्थसम्बन्धी) सम्पूर्ण उत्तम विद्या-बुद्धि इस श्रेष्ठ इतिहासमें भरी हुई है

Transliteration

itihāsottame yasminn arpitā buddhir uttamā | svaravyañjanayoḥ kṛtsnā lokavedāśrayā iva vāk |

Translation

ଏହି ଶ୍ରେଷ୍ଠ ଇତିହାସରେ ଉତ୍ତମ ବୁଦ୍ଧି ସ୍ଥାପିତ। ଯେପରି ଲୋକିକ ଓ ବୈଦିକ ଆଶ୍ରୟବାହୀ ସମଗ୍ର ବାଣୀ ସ୍ୱର ଓ ବ୍ୟଞ୍ଜନରେ ସମ୍ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ଭାବେ ନିହିତ ରହେ, ସେହିପରି ଇହଲୋକ, ପରଲୋକ ଓ ପରମ କଲ୍ୟାଣ ସମ୍ବନ୍ଧୀୟ ସମସ୍ତ ଉତ୍କୃଷ୍ଟ ବିଦ୍ୟା-ବୁଦ୍ଧି ଏହି ମହାଖ୍ୟାନରେ ସଂଗୃହୀତ।

Word by Word

• {'itihāsa-uttama': 'the best/supreme Itihāsa (sacred historical epic)', 'yasmin': 'in which', 'arpitā': 'placed, deposited, enshrined', 'buddhi': 'intelligence, discernment, understanding', 'uttamā': 'highest, excellent', 'svara': 'vowel

• tone', 'vyañjana': 'consonant

• that which manifests (a sound)', 'kṛtsnā': 'entire, complete', 'vāk': 'speech, utterance, language', 'loka': 'worldly, secular

• the world', 'veda-āśrayā': 'resting on/grounded in the Veda

Speaker

राम उवाच

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts the Mahābhārata’s comprehensive authority: it contains the fullest and highest wisdom—ethical, worldly, otherworldly, and spiritual—just as all speech is ultimately constituted by vowels and consonants.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker is praising the Itihāsa itself, presenting it as a complete repository of knowledge and guidance, and using a linguistic analogy (speech within vowels and consonants) to emphasize its all-encompassing scope.