Shloka 78
भीष्म-युधिष्ठिर-संमर्दः
Bhīṣma’s Pressure on Yudhiṣṭhira; Śikhaṇḍī’s Approach; Evening Withdrawal
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्या भारत भीष्मपर्वके अन्तर्गत भीष्मवधपर्वमें संकुलयुद्धविषयक अठहत्तरवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraḥ śrīmahābhārate bhīṣmaparvaṇi antargate bhīṣmavadhaparvaṇi saṅkulayuddhaviṣayakaḥ aṣṭāsaptatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ samāptaḥ
Thus ends the seventy-eighth chapter on the theme of the confused and densely intermingled battle, within the Bhīṣma Parva of the sacred Mahābhārata, in the sub-section concerning the slaying of Bhīṣma. This closing colophon signals a transition in the narrative, marking the completion of a unit of war-description and its moral weight—where duty, strategy, and the tragic cost of conflict converge.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse does not teach through direct instruction; it frames the ethical gravity of the war narrative by formally closing a chapter focused on chaotic battle. The implied lesson is attentiveness to dharma amid confusion—recognizing that warfare’s disorder tests discernment, restraint, and responsibility.
Sañjaya marks the completion of the seventy-eighth chapter describing a densely intermingled, confused battle, situated within the Bhīṣma Parva and specifically within the section dealing with Bhīṣma’s fall. It is an editorial/narrative closure indicating a transition to the next unit of events.