Shloka 36
समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः
Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī
आत्मेव वेदितव्येषु प्रियेष्विव हि जीवितम् । इतिहास: प्रधानार्थ: श्रेष्ठ: सर्वागमेष्वयम्,जैसे जाननेयोग्य पदार्थो्में आत्मा, प्रिय पदार्थोमें अपना जीवन सर्वश्रेष्ठ है, वैसे ही सम्पूर्ण शास्त्रोंमें परब्रह्म परमात्माकी प्राप्तिरूप प्रयोजनको पूर्ण करनेवाला यह इतिहास श्रेष्ठ है
ātmeva veditavyeṣu priyeṣv iva hi jīvitam | itihāsaḥ pradhānārthaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ sarvāgameṣv ayam |
正如在一切应知之物中，真我（Ātman）最为首要；在一切所爱之物中，自身生命最为珍贵；同样，这部以至高宗旨为核心的圣史（Itihāsa），在诸般圣教之中最为卓越，因为它引人圆满最高目的：证悟至上梵——至上我（Paramātman）。
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a hierarchy of values: among knowable truths, the highest is knowledge of the Self; among cherished things, the dearest is one’s own life. By analogy, among all authoritative teachings, this Itihāsa is declared foremost because its central purpose is to guide one toward the highest human end—realization of Brahman/Paramātman—while conveying dharma through narrative.
In the early framing of the Mahābhārata’s discourse on its own significance, the speaker praises the epic as more than a story: it is presented as an authoritative, purpose-driven teaching. The statement functions as a commendation of the Itihāsa genre, claiming that this narrative tradition uniquely completes the highest aim by embedding ethical and spiritual instruction within history-like storytelling.