Shloka 176
इति श्रीमहाभारते द्रोणपर्वणि घटोत्कचवधपर्वणि रात्रियुद्धेडलायु धयुद्धे षट्सप्तत्यधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate droṇaparvaṇi ghaṭotkacavadhaparvaṇi rātriyuddhe ḍalāyudhāyuddhe ṣaṭsaptatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Droṇa Parva—specifically in the section on the slaying of Ghaṭotkaca—this concludes the one-hundred-and-seventy-sixth chapter, concerning the night-battle and the combat involving Ḍalāyudha.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse does not teach through direct instruction; it frames the ethical atmosphere of the episode by highlighting that the conflict has entered rātriyuddha (night-fighting), a setting that traditionally intensifies moral ambiguity and the sense of tragic inevitability in war.
This line signals the end of a chapter in the Droṇa Parva, within the Ghaṭotkaca-slaying section, identifying the chapter’s thematic focus as the night-battle and a specific combat associated with Ḍalāyudha.