Shloka 180
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत द्रोणपर्वके अन्तर्गत घटोत्कचवधपर्वमें यात्रियुद्धके समय घटोत्कचका वध होनेपर श्रीकृष्णका हर्षविषयक एक सौ अस्सीवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
Iti prakāraḥ Śrīmahābhārate Droṇaparvaṇi antar-gate Ghaṭotkacavadhaparvaṇi yātriyuddhasamaye Ghaṭotkacasya vadhe jāte Śrīkṛṣṇasya harṣaviṣayaka ekaśata-aśītitamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ.
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Droṇa Parva—specifically in the section on the slaying of Ghaṭotkaca—when, during the course of the marching battle, Ghaṭotkaca is killed, the one-hundred-and-eightieth chapter, describing Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s joy, comes to its close. The notice underscores a grim ethical tension of war: even a righteous side may feel relief or strategic satisfaction at a death when it averts a greater calamity, revealing how dharma in battle often involves choosing the least destructive outcome rather than celebrating violence itself.
श्रीवायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The colophon highlights the moral complexity of dharma in war: emotions like relief or joy can arise not from cruelty but from recognizing that a dangerous force has been neutralized, potentially preventing wider destruction. It points to the Mahābhārata’s recurring theme that righteous action in conflict often involves tragic trade-offs rather than pure triumph.
This is a concluding notice (colophon) stating that, within Droṇa Parva and the Ghaṭotkaca-slaying section, the chapter ends at the point where Ghaṭotkaca is killed during a moving battle, and the chapter’s focus includes Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s reaction of joy/relief.