Shloka 168

मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169

Devanagari script

इति श्रीमहाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि आपद्धर्मपर्वणि कृतघ्नोपाख्याने अष्टषष्ट्यधिकशततमो< ध्याय:,इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ाभारत शान्तिपर्वके अन्तर्गत आपद्धर्मपर्वमें कृतघध्नका उपाख्यानविषयक एक सौ अड़सठवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ

Transliteration

iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi āpaddharmaparvaṇi kṛtaghnopākhyāne aṣṭaṣaṣṭyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ |

Translation

So endet hier im Śrī Mahābhārata, innerhalb der Śānti Parva—genauer im Abschnitt über das Dharma in Zeiten der Not (Āpaddharma Parva)—das Kapitel, das als „Episode des Undankbaren“ bekannt ist, als 168. Kapitel. Diese Rahmensetzung markiert den Abschluss und betont die ethische Warnung vor Undankbarkeit, besonders wenn moralische Entscheidungen unter Bedrängnis auf die Probe gestellt werden.

Word by Word

इतिthus; end-quote marker

श्रीमहाभारतेin the holy Mahabharata

शान्तिपर्वणिin the Shanti Parva

आपद्धर्मपर्वणिin the Apaddharma section

कृतघ्नोपाख्यानेin the episode (upakhyana) of the ungrateful one

अष्टषष्ट्यधिकशततमःthe 168th

अध्यायःchapter

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śrī Mahābhārata

Śānti Parva

Āpaddharma Parva

Kṛtaghna-upākhyāna

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

This closing colophon frames the preceding instruction as an ethical exemplum: ingratitude (kṛtaghnatā) is a serious moral failing, and Āpaddharma discussions test how one preserves dharma even under pressure—especially by honoring benefactors and not betraying received good.

What is happening in the narrative?

The verse is a formal end-of-chapter marker stating that the 168th chapter—centered on the ‘Kṛtaghna’ (Ungrateful) episode—has concluded within the Śānti Parva’s Āpaddharma section, in the larger Bhīṣma-to-Yudhiṣṭhira instruction cycle.