Shloka 1819
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्माभारत द्रोणपर्वके अन्तर्गत घटोत्कचवधपर्वमें रात्रि-युद्धके समय श्रीकृष्णणा कथनविषयक एक सौ इक्यासीवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraṁ śrīmahābhārate droṇaparvake antargata ghaṭotkacavadhaparvaṇi rātri-yuddha-samaye śrīkṛṣṇāyāḥ kathana-viṣayaka eka-śata-ekaśītitamaḥ adhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ abhavat
Thus ends the one hundred and eighty-first chapter of the Droṇa Parva of the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the section on the slaying of Ghaṭotkaca, set during the night-battle, and centered on the words spoken by Śrī Kṛṣṇā. This colophon marks a turn in the tale: the war has entered a morally fraught nocturnal phase, and Kṛṣṇā’s speech is framed as weighty guidance amid the chaos and ethical strain of fighting in the dark.
श्रीवायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the line does not teach through a direct maxim; its ethical force lies in framing the episode: the night-battle is a setting where ordinary rules of combat are strained, and Kṛṣṇā’s words are highlighted as morally and emotionally significant guidance within that crisis.
This is the chapter-ending notice stating that the 181st chapter of the Droṇa Parva has concluded, within the subsection on the slaying of Ghaṭotkaca, during the night-fighting, and that the chapter’s focus was Śrī Kṛṣṇā’s (Draupadī’s) speech.