Shloka 74
Adhyāya 78 — Bhīṣma’s Advance, Duryodhana’s Rally, and Concurrent Duels (भीष्मस्याभ्युद्यमः, दुर्योधनस्योत्साहवचनम्, विविधयुद्धवर्णनम्)
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत भीष्मपर्वके अन्तर्गत भीष्मवधपर्वमें पाँचवें दिवसके युद्धकी समाप्तिविषयक चौहत्तरवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
Iti prakāraṁ Śrīmahābhārate Bhīṣma-parvaṇi antar-gate Bhīṣma-vadha-parvaṇi pañcama-divasasya yuddhasya samāpti-viṣayakaś catuḥsaptatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ.
Thus, in the revered Mahābhārata, within the Bhīṣma Parva—specifically in the section concerning Bhīṣma’s fall—this seventy-fourth chapter, describing the conclusion of the fighting on the fifth day, comes to an end. The narration marks a formal pause in the war’s progression, underscoring the relentless passage of days and the mounting moral weight of the conflict as it moves toward Bhīṣma’s decisive fate.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
This is a colophon-style closing that highlights how the epic frames war through measured stages (days and chapters), inviting reflection on the accumulating ethical consequences of continued violence and the inevitability of pivotal outcomes such as Bhīṣma’s fall.
Sañjaya signals the completion of the chapter that deals with the end of the fifth day’s fighting, situating it within the Bhīṣma Parva and the subsection focused on Bhīṣma’s downfall.