Shloka 24
सो<यं मां समनुप्राप्त: प्रत्यक्ष भवतां हि यः । पृथिवीं पालयित्वाहमेतां निष्ठामुपागत:
so ’yaṁ māṁ samanuprāptaḥ pratyakṣaṁ bhavatāṁ hi yaḥ | pṛthivīṁ pālayitvāham etāṁ niṣṭhām upāgataḥ ||
சஞ்சயன் கூறினான்— நீங்கள் கண்கூடாகப் பார்க்கும் அந்த அழிவின் நேரம் இப்போது எனக்கும் வந்து சேர்ந்தது. ஒருகாலத்தில் நான் இந்தப் பூமியை ஆளி காத்தேன்; இன்று இந்த இறுதி நிலையிலே வீழ்ந்தேன்.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the impermanence of worldly power: even one who once protected and ruled the earth can swiftly be reduced to a helpless end-state. It invites ethical reflection on humility, detachment, and the limits of sovereignty amid the devastation of war.
Sañjaya speaks of a visible, present calamity—an approaching ruin that has now reached him too. He contrasts his former status as a protector-ruler of the earth with his current fallen condition, highlighting the catastrophic reversal brought about by the war.