Shloka 208

पञ्चवर्णोत्पत्तिः — The Origin of the Five-Colored Fiery Being and Ritual-Disruptor Lineages

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत वनपर्वके अन्तर्गत मार्कण्डेयसमास्यापर्वमें पतिव्रतोपाख्यानके प्रसंगमें ब्राह्मणव्याधसंवादाविषयक दो सौ आठवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ

Transliteration

Iti prakāraṁ Śrīmahābhārate Vanaparvaṇi antargate Mārkaṇḍeyasamāsyāparvaṇi pativratopākhyāna-prasaṅge brāhmaṇa-vyādha-saṁvāda-viṣayaka dviśata-aṣṭamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ.

Translation

So endet das zweihundertachte Kapitel des Mahābhārata im Vana Parva, innerhalb des Abschnitts Markandeya-samāsya, im Zusammenhang mit der Erzählung von der treuen Ehefrau (Pativratā-upākhyāna), insbesondere betreffend den Dialog zwischen dem Brahmanen und dem Jäger. Dieses Kolophon bezeichnet den Abschluss dieser belehrenden Episode und betont, dass Dharma durch gelebtes Handeln erkannt wird, nicht durch bloßen sozialen Rang.

Word by Word

इतिthus; end-quote marker

प्रकारम्manner; way

श्रीauspiciousness; honorific 'Śrī'

महाभारतम्the Mahābhārata

वनपर्वकेin the Vana-parvan (Forest Book)

अन्तर्गतincluded; contained within

मार्कण्डेयसमास्यापर्वमेंin the Mārkaṇḍeya-samāsya section/parvan

पतिव्रतोपाख्यानकेof the tale (upākhyāna) of the devoted wife (pativratā)

प्रसङ्गेin the context; on the occasion

ब्राह्मणव्याधसंवादाविषयकconcerning the dialogue between the brāhmaṇa and the hunter

द्विtwo

शतhundred

अष्टeight

अध्यायःchapter

पूर्णःcompleted; finished

अभवत्was; became

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Mahābhārata

Vana Parva

Pativratopākhyāna

Brāhmaṇa

Vyādha

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The colophon closes a didactic unit where dharma is highlighted as practical, embodied righteousness: moral authority can arise from sincere duty and right conduct, not merely from birth, profession, or outward rank.

What is happening in the narrative?

This is a concluding colophon stating that the chapter dealing with the Brahmin–hunter dialogue, occurring within the Pativratā-upākhyāna in the Markandeya-related section of the Vana Parva, has been completed.