Shloka 131
समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः
Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī
अष्टौ श्लोकसहस्राणि अष्टौ श्लोकशतानि च । श्लोकाश्न चतुराशीतिर्मुनिनोक्ता महात्मना,महात्मा व्यास मुनिने इन दो सौ सत्ताईस (२२७) अध्यायोंमें आठ हजार आठ सौ चौरासी (८,८८४) श्लोक कहे हैं
aṣṭau ślokasahasrāṇi aṣṭau ślokaśatāni ca | ślokāś ca caturāśītir muninoktā mahātmanā ||
Sinabi ni Rāma: “Ipinahayag ng dakilang rishi na ang akdang ito’y may walong libong taludtod, dagdag na walong daan, at dagdag pang walumpu’t apat.” Sa konteksto, ito’y parang tradisyunal na kolofon na pagbibilang, na nagbibigay-diin sa lawak at sa awtoritatibong pagmamana ng Mahābhārata gaya ng iningatan ni Vyāsa.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the epic’s received authority and careful transmission by presenting a formal count of verses, a traditional way to mark completeness, authenticity, and the magnitude of the Mahābhārata as a sacred-historical text.
A speaker identified as Rāma cites a sage’s statement giving the number of verses in the work. It functions like a cataloging remark within the broader framing that introduces and situates the Mahābhārata’s composition and scope.