Shloka 50
आस्तीक-वरप्रदानम् (Āstīka’s Boon and the Interruption of the Sarpa-satra)
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत आदिपरववके अन्तर्गत आस्तीकपवरमें जनमेजय और सन्त्रियोंका संवादविषयक पचासवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraḥ śrīmahābhārata-ādiparvaṇi antar-gata āstīka-parvaṇi janamejaya-sūta-yoḥ saṃvāda-viṣayakaḥ pañcāśattamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ
Thus ends the fiftieth chapter of the Āstīka section within the Ādi Parva of the Śrī Mahābhārata, dealing with the dialogue between King Janamejaya and the Sūta narrator. The colophon marks a pause in the epic’s transmission and underscores the Mahābhārata’s ethical method: dharma is explored through questioning, listening, and reflective narration rather than mere assertion.
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The closing formula highlights the Mahābhārata’s pedagogical ethic: dharma is approached through sustained dialogue between questioner and narrator, where moral understanding arises from attentive listening, inquiry, and the careful framing of stories.
This is a colophon concluding a chapter: it states that the fiftieth chapter, centered on the conversation between King Janamejaya and the Sūta narrator within the Āstīka Parva of the Ādi Parva, has been completed.