Shloka 131

समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः

Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī

Devanagari script

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

Transliteration

aṣṭau ślokasahasrāṇi aṣṭau ślokaśatāni ca | ślokāś ca caturāśītir muninoktā mahātmanā ||

Translation

罗摩曰：“大圣宣示：此作有八千颂，又加八百，并更增八十四颂。”就其语境而言，此言如同传统的卷末计数，强调由毗耶娑所保存之《摩诃婆罗多》的浩瀚与权威传承。

Word by Word

अष्टौeight (pairs of)

श्लोकसहस्राणिthousands of verses

अष्टौeight (pairs of)

श्लोकशतानिhundreds of verses

चand

श्लोकाःverses

चतुरशीतिḥeighty-four

मुनिनाby the sage

उक्ताःspoken/uttered

महात्मनाby the great-souled one

Speaker

राम उवाच

Characters & Entities

Rāma

Muni (sage)

Mahātmā (the great-souled one)

Vyāsa (implied by the accompanying Hindi note)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.