Shloka 34
पात्रलक्षण-परिक्षा (Pātra-Lakṣaṇa Parīkṣā) — Criteria for a Worthy Recipient
इति श्रीमहाभारते अनुशासनपर्वणि दानधर्मपर्वणि पृथ्वीवासुदेवसंवादे चतुस्त्रिंशो 5ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate anuśāsanaparvaṇi dānadharmaparvaṇi pṛthvī-vāsudeva-saṃvāde catuḥstriṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Anuśāsana Parva—specifically in the section on the dharma of giving—ends the thirty-fourth chapter, presented as the dialogue between the Earth (Pṛthvī) and Vāsudeva. This colophon marks the close of the teaching context in which ethical principles of charity are framed through a sacred conversation.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line functions as a colophon rather than a doctrinal verse: it frames the ethical instruction as belonging to the dāna-dharma (the duty and right practice of giving) and situates it within a sacred dialogue, underscoring that charity is treated as a formal, scripturally grounded component of dharma.
The text is closing a chapter: it announces that, within the Anuśāsana Parva’s section on charity, the chapter connected with the conversation between Pṛthvī (Earth) and Vāsudeva has concluded.