Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत अनुशासनपर्वके अन्तर्गत दानधर्मपर्वमें दुर्बल और पाण्डुवर्णके राक्षमका आख्यानविषयक एक सौ चौबीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraḥ śrīmahābhārate anuśāsanaparvake antargata dānadharmaparvame durbala-pāṇḍuvarṇake rākṣasasya ākhyāna-viṣayaka ekaśata-caturviṃśatitamodhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ
Thus ends the one hundred and twenty-fourth chapter of the Anuśāsana Parva of the sacred Mahābhārata, within the section on the dharma of giving (Dāna-dharma), concerning the tale of the weak, pale-complexioned rākṣasa. This closing colophon marks the completion of that chapter’s account, set forth to underscore ethical instruction through story.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
As a colophon, the line itself does not state a new doctrine; it signals that the chapter belongs to the Dāna-dharma instruction, where ethical teaching is conveyed through narrative—implying that giving/charity and right conduct are the guiding concerns of the section.
This is the chapter-ending notice: it declares that the chapter dealing with an episode about a weak, pale-complexioned rākṣasa has concluded within the Anuśāsana Parva’s Dāna-dharma portion.