Shloka 23
Adhyāya 6: Śibira-dvāra-sthita Bhūta-varṇana and Aśvatthāmā’s Śaraṇāgati to Mahādeva
इत्येवं गुरुभि: पूर्वमुपदिष्टं नृणां सदा । सो>हमुत्क्रम्य पन्थानं शास्त्रदिष्टं सनातनम्
ity evaṃ gurubhiḥ pūrvam upadiṣṭaṃ nṛṇāṃ sadā | so 'ham utkramya panthānaṃ śāstradiṣṭaṃ sanātanam ||
ਸੰਜਯ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ— ਇਸ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਪੁਰਾਤਨ ਸਮਿਆਂ ਤੋਂ ਗੁਰੂਜਨ ਸਦਾ ਮਨੁੱਖਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਉਪਦੇਸ਼ ਦਿੰਦੇ ਆਏ ਹਨ। ਪਰ ਮੈਂ ਸ਼ਾਸਤਰਾਂ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਦੱਸੇ ਉਸ ਸਨਾਤਨ ਮਾਰਗ ਨੂੰ ਲੰਘ ਗਿਆ ਹਾਂ।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts the perennial, scripture-guided path taught by elders with the speaker’s admission of having deviated from it—highlighting accountability, the authority of śāstra, and the ethical weight of transgression.
Sañjaya, narrating events, frames a confession-like reflection: what was traditionally taught by gurus as the proper, eternal course has been violated by “I,” signaling a moral breach in the unfolding aftermath of war.