Shloka 24

Devanagari script

ततोऊस्तं पर्वतश्रेष्ठमनुप्राप्ते दिवाकरे । सर्वस्य जगतो धात्री शर्वरी समपद्यत,तदनन्तर सूर्यदेवके पर्वतश्रेष्ठ अस्ताचलपर पहुँच जानेपर धायकी भाँति सम्पूर्ण जगत्‌को अपनी गोदमें विश्राम देनेवाली रात्रिदेवीका सर्वत्र आधिपत्य हो गया

Transliteration

tato ’staṃ parvataśreṣṭham anuprāpte divākare | sarvasya jagato dhātrī śarvarī samapadyata ||

Translation

ତାପରେ ଦିବାକର ସୂର୍ଯ୍ୟ ଯେତେବେଳେ ପର୍ବତଶ୍ରେଷ୍ଠ ଅସ୍ତାଚଳକୁ ପ୍ରାପ୍ତ ହେଲେ, ସମଗ୍ର ଜଗତର ଧାତ୍ରୀ ସଦୃଶ ରାତ୍ରି ସର୍ବତ୍ର ବ୍ୟାପିଗଲା ଏବଂ ସମସ୍ତଙ୍କୁ ନିଜ କୋଳରେ ବିଶ୍ରାମ ଦେଲା।

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

उपास्तंhaving reached the setting (i.e., set)

पर्वतश्रेष्ठम्the best of mountains

अनुप्राप्तेwhen (he) had reached

दिवाकरेwhen the sun (day-maker) had (so) reached

सर्वस्यof all

जगतःof the world

धात्रीthe sustainer/nurse (mother)

शर्वरीnight

समपद्यतcame about, set in, prevailed

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Divākara (Sun)

Śarvarī (Night)

Parvataśreṣṭha (the foremost mountain; sunset mountain)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames night as a universal shelter, but within the Sauptika Parva it also foreshadows how moral vigilance can lapse under darkness; the setting reminds readers that circumstances (like night) may enable wrongdoing, yet responsibility remains with the doer.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes sunset: the Sun reaches the western mountain and night spreads over the world. This sets the scene for the nocturnal events that define the Sauptika episode.