Shloka 170
द्रोणपुत्रस्याग्नेयास्त्रप्रयोगः — अर्जुनस्य ब्राह्मास्त्रप्रतिघातः — व्यासोपदेशः
Aśvatthāmā’s Agneyāstra, Arjuna’s Brāhmāstra Counter, and Vyāsa’s Instruction
इति श्रीमहाभारते द्रोणपर्वणि घटोत्कचवधपर्वणि रात्रियुद्धे संकुलयुद्धे सप्तत्यधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate droṇaparvaṇi ghaṭotkacavadhaparvaṇi rātriyuddhe saṅkulayuddhe saptatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Droṇa Parva—specifically in the section on the slaying of Ghaṭotkaca—here ends the one-hundred-and-seventieth chapter, recounting the night-battle and the confused, densely entangled fighting. This colophon marks a moral and narrative turning point: war has crossed into darkness and disorder, where discernment and restraint are strained, and the cost of victory grows heavier.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a chapter-colophon, the line does not teach through direct instruction but through framing: it highlights that the battle has entered night and confusion, a setting where dharma becomes harder to perceive and uphold. The ethical undertone is that when conflict turns chaotic and obscured, the human cost and moral risk intensify.
The verse marks the formal close of Adhyāya 170 in the Droṇa Parva, within the episode of Ghaṭotkaca’s slaying. It identifies the chapter’s focus as the night-fight and the tangled, disorderly combat.