Shloka 178
इति श्रीमहाभारते द्रोणपर्वणि घटोत्कचवधपर्वणि रात्रियुद्धेबलायुधवधे5ष्टसप्तत्यधिकशततमो< ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate droṇaparvaṇi ghaṭotkacavadhaparvaṇi rātriyuddhe balāyudhavadhe aṣṭasaptatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
ইতি শ্ৰীমহাভাৰতৰ দ্ৰোণপৰ্বৰ ঘটোৎকচবধপৰ্বত ৰাত্ৰিযুদ্ধ আৰু বলাযুধবধ বৰ্ণনাকাৰী একশ আটাত্তৰতম অধ্যায় সমাপ্ত।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse does not teach through direct instruction; it frames the episode’s ethical atmosphere: the shift to night-fighting signals a weakening of conventional dharma in war, where fear, urgency, and extraordinary means begin to dominate over transparent, rule-bound combat.
The line functions as an editorial/narrative closure: it announces that, within the Droṇa Parva and the Ghaṭotkaca-slaying episode, the 178th chapter—centered on the night-battle and the killing of Balāyudha—has ended.