Shloka 130

समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः

Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī

Devanagari script

अध्यायानां शते द्वे तु संख्याते परमर्षिणा । सप्तविंशतिरथ्याया व्यासेनोत्तमतेजसा,परमर्षि एवं परम तेजस्वी महर्षि व्यासने इस पर्वमें दो सौ सत्ताईस (२२७) अध्यायोंकी रचना की है

Transliteration

adhyāyānāṁ śate dve tu saṅkhyāte paramarṣiṇā | saptaviṁśatir adhyāyā vyāsena uttama-tejasā ||

Translation

至上圣者计其章为二百，而光辉最盛之圣仙毗耶娑又增作二十七章。故此部合计二百二十七（227）章——以明其体例谨严、传承有据。

Word by Word

अध्यायानाम्of chapters

शतेin two hundreds / in two sets of a hundred

द्वेtwo

तुbut/indeed

संख्यातेwere counted/enumerated

परमर्षिणाby the supreme seer

सप्तविंशतिःtwenty-seven

अथ्यायाःof the chapter(s)

व्यासेनby Vyāsa

उत्तमतेजसाby the one of excellent splendor

Speaker

राम उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa (Mahārṣi Vedavyāsa)

Paramarṣi (supreme sage, unspecified)

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 underscores the importance of faithful preservation and authoritative transmission of sacred history: the Mahābhārata’s structure is not casual but carefully enumerated and attributed to revered sages, reinforcing trust in the tradition.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker reports a formal reckoning of the work’s divisions: the chapters are counted as two hundred, with twenty-seven more composed by the illustrious Vyāsa—yielding a stated total of 227 chapters for the relevant section.