Shloka 85

Āśramadharma and the Marks of the Muni

Yayāti–Aṣṭaka Saṃvāda

Devanagari script

इति श्रीमहाभारते आदिपर्वणि सम्भवपर्वणि ययात्युपाख्याने पूर्वयायातसमाप्तौ पज्चाशीतितमो<ध्याय:

Transliteration

iti śrīmahābhārate ādiparvaṇi sambhavaparvaṇi yayātyupākhyāne pūrvayayātasamāptau pañcāśītitamo 'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Ādi Parva and its Sambhava section, in the episode concerning King Yayāti, the earlier portion of the Yayāti narrative comes to an end; here concludes the eighty-fifth chapter.

Word by Word

• इति: thus; end-quote marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• श्रीमहाभारते: in the Śrī-Mahābhārata
• श्रीमहाभारते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमहाभारत
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• आदिपर्वणि: in the Ādi-parvan
• आदिपर्वणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदिपर्वन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• सम्भवपर्वणि: in the Sambhava-parvan
• सम्भवपर्वणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम्भवपर्वन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• ययात्युपाख्याने: in the tale (upākhyāna) of Yayāti
• ययात्युपाख्याने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ययाति-उपाख्यान
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• पूर्वयायातसमाप्तौ: at the completion of the earlier Yayāti (episode/section)
• पूर्वयायातसमाप्तौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व-ययात-समाप्ति
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• पञ्चाशीतितमः: eighty-fifth
• पञ्चाशीतितमः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चाशीतितम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अध्यायः: chapter
• अध्यायः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्याय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mahābhārata
• Ādi Parva
• Sambhava Parva
• Yayāti

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

This verse is a colophon rather than a doctrinal statement: it teaches how the Mahābhārata is organized into nested units (parva → sub-parva/section → upākhyāna → adhyāya). Such markers encourage readers to treat each completed narrative unit as a coherent lesson—often ethical or political—before moving on.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator signals a formal chapter ending: within the Yayāti episode, the ‘earlier portion’ has concluded, and the text closes the eighty-fifth chapter. It functions as a transition point before the story continues in the next chapter.