Shloka 2291
Jarītā–Śārṅgā-saṃvāda: Ākhu-haraṇa and the Approach of Agni (आखुहरणं अग्न्यागमनश्च)
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत आदिपव॑के अन्तर्गत खाण्डवदाहपर्वमें ब्राह्मणरूपी अग्निदेवके आगमनसे सम्बन्ध रखनेवाला दो सौ इक्कीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
Iti prakāraḥ Śrīmahābhārata-Ādiparvaṇi antar-gata Khāṇḍavadāha-parvaṇi brāhmaṇa-rūpiṇaḥ Agnidevasya āgamanena sambandhaṃ rakhanevālā dvi-śata eka-viṃśat-tamo ’dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ abhavat.
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata’s Ādi Parva, within the Khāṇḍava-burning section, the two-hundred-and-twenty-first chapter—connected with the arrival of Agni, who had come in the guise of a brāhmaṇa—comes to its close. The narration marks a formal transition, showing how divine purpose may enter human affairs through disguise and testing, and how momentous events are set within an orderly, accountable telling.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The closing note underscores a recurring epic ethic: divine aims may appear through ordinary social forms (such as a brāhmaṇa’s guise), prompting humans to respond with discernment and responsibility. It also models disciplined narration—events are framed, attributed, and concluded—encouraging accountability in how consequential actions are remembered and judged.
This is a colophon-like statement by Vaiśampāyana indicating that the chapter has ended. It specifies that the completed chapter belongs to the Ādi Parva, within the Khāṇḍavadāha (burning of Khāṇḍava) section, and that its content is connected to Agni’s arrival in the form of a brāhmaṇa.