Shloka 72
भीमसेन-दुर्योधन-समागमः
Bhīmasena–Duryodhana Engagement at Sunset
इति श्रीमहाभारते भीष्मपर्वणि भीष्मवधपर्वणि पञ्चमदिवसयुद्धे द्विसप्ततितमो<5ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate bhīṣmaparvaṇi bhīṣmavadhaparvaṇi pañcamadivasayuddhe dvisaptatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Bhīṣma Parva—specifically in the section concerning Bhīṣma’s fall—this concludes the seventy-second chapter, describing the battle of the fifth day. The colophon marks a transition in the narrative, emphasizing the solemn movement of the war toward the fated downfall of the grandsire Bhīṣma, a pivotal moral and strategic turning point in the Kurukṣetra conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
This verse is a colophon rather than a doctrinal statement; its ‘teaching’ lies in how the epic frames events: the war is narrated with careful structural markers, and the mention of Bhīṣma’s impending downfall highlights the ethical gravity of the conflict—victory is intertwined with the fall of venerable figures and the heavy cost of adharma-driven war.
Sañjaya signals the close of the seventy-second chapter in the Bhīṣma Parva, within the Bhīṣma-vadha section, noting that the account pertains to the fighting of the fifth day. It functions as a formal chapter-ending marker and a cue that the narrative is progressing toward the decisive events surrounding Bhīṣma.