Shloka 57
कर्णस्य एकाकि-प्रहारः तथा पाण्डव-महारथ-परिवेष्टनम् | Karṇa’s concentrated assault and the Pāṇḍava encirclement
इति श्रीमहाभारते कर्णपर्वणि अश्व॒त्थामप्रतिज्ञायां सप्तपठ्चाशत्तमो<5ध्याय: ।। ५७ || इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत कर्णपर्वमें अश्वत्थामाका प्रतिज्ञाविषयक सत्तावनवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti śrīmahābhārate karṇaparvaṇi aśvatthāmapratijñāyāṃ saptapañcāśattamo 'dhyāyaḥ || 57 ||
Sañjaya said: “Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Karṇa Parva, the fifty-seventh chapter—concerning Aśvatthāmā’s vow—comes to an end.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a formally declared vow can become ethically perilous when driven by anger or vengeance; the epic signals that personal oaths in wartime must be weighed against dharma, because commitment without moral restraint can escalate suffering.
This verse is a colophon marking the end of the fifty-seventh chapter of the Karṇa Parva, identifying its theme as Aśvatthāmā’s vow and formally closing the section as narrated by Sañjaya.