Shloka 173
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत द्रोणपर्वके अन्तर्गत घटोत्कचवधपर्वमें रात्रियुद्धके समय 'घटोत्कचको भगवान्का प्रोत्साहन देना' विषयक एक सौ तिहतत्तरवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
Iti prakāraṁ Śrīmahābhārate Droṇaparvake antargata Ghaṭotkacavadhaparvaṇi rātriyuddhasamaye “Ghaṭotkacaṁ bhagavatā protsāhana-dānam” viṣayaka ekaśata-trisaptatitamo ’dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ.
Sanjaya said: Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Droṇa Parva—specifically in the section on the slaying of Ghaṭotkaca—during the night battle, the one-hundred-and-seventy-third chapter, whose theme is “the Lord’s encouragement of Ghaṭotkaca,” is concluded. The closing formula frames the episode as a morally charged moment in war: divine encouragement is presented as a decisive force amid the chaos and ethical strain of nocturnal combat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The colophon highlights how, in extreme conditions like a night battle, morale and resolve become decisive, and the epic frames such resolve as strengthened by a higher power (“the Lord’s encouragement”). Ethically, it points to the tension between dharma and the necessities of war, where divine support is portrayed as operating within a tragic, consequential battlefield.
This is a chapter-ending statement (colophon) spoken by Sañjaya, marking the completion of the 173rd chapter within the Droṇa Parva’s Ghaṭotkaca-vadha section, set during the night fighting. It identifies the chapter’s topic as the Lord encouraging Ghaṭotkaca.