Shloka 72
Duryodhana’s Anxiety, Bhīṣma’s Reassurance, and Renewed Mobilization (दुर्योधनचिन्ता–भीष्मप्रत्याश्वासन–सेनानिर्गमनम्)
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्माभारत भीष्मपर्वके अन्तर्गत भीष्मवधपर्वमें पाँचवें दिनके युद्धसें सम्बन्ध रखनेवाला बद्तत्तरवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
Iti prakāraḥ Śrīmahābhārate Bhīṣmaparvaṇi antargate Bhīṣmavadhaparvaṇi pañcame dine yuddhena sambandhaṃ rakhanevālā dvāsaptatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ abhavat.
Sanjaya concludes by noting that, in the revered Mahābhārata, within the Bhīṣma Parva—specifically the section concerning Bhīṣma’s fall—this seventy-second chapter, connected with the events of the fifth day of the war, is now complete. The closing formula underscores the epic’s careful moral framing of warfare: even amid relentless battle, the narrative is organized to highlight decisive turning points and the ethical weight of actions leading toward the downfall of a great elder-warrior.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
This is a colophon-style closure rather than a doctrinal verse: it teaches the importance of contextual framing in the epic—war events are narrated with moral gravity, marking chapters and days to emphasize accountability and the consequential unfolding toward Bhīṣma’s fall.
Sañjaya signals the end of the seventy-second chapter within the Bhīṣma Parva, stating that it pertains to the fighting on the fifth day and belongs to the Bhīṣma-vadha (Bhīṣma’s fall) section.