Adhyāya 168: Arjuna’s counters to māyā-rains and the onset of darkness
Nivātakavaca engagement
इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि निवातकवचयुद्धपर्वणि गन्धमादनवासे युधिष्ठटिरार्जुनसंवादे सप्तषष्ट्यधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi nivātakavacayuddhaparvaṇi gandhamādanavāse yudhiṣṭhirārjunasaṃvāde saptaṣaṣṭyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
এইভাবে শ্রীমহাভারতের বনপর্বে—নিবাতকবচ-যুদ্ধপর্বের অন্তর্গত—গন্ধমাদনে পাণ্ডবদের বাসকালে, যুধিষ্ঠির ও অর্জুনের সংলাপে, একশো সাতষট্টিতম অধ্যায় সমাপ্ত।
अजुन उवाच
This line is not a teaching verse but a colophon: it situates the chapter within the Mahābhārata’s larger architecture (parva, sub-parva, setting, and interlocutors), reminding readers that ethical reflection and narrative action are framed through carefully organized dialogues and contexts.
The text is marking the end of a chapter set during the Pāṇḍavas’ stay at Gandhamādana, within the portion connected to the Nivātakavacas episode, and presented as part of a dialogue between Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna.