Shloka 61
गान्धारी-प्रशमनम् — Pacification of Gāndhārī and Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel at Hāstinapura
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत शल्यपर्वके अन्तर्गत गदापरववमें श्रीकृष्ण पाण्डव और दुर्योधनका संवादविषयक इकसठवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraṃ śrīmahābhārate śalyaparvake antargata-gadāparvaṇi śrīkṛṣṇa-pāṇḍava-duryodhanayoḥ saṃvāda-viṣayaka ekaṣaṣṭitamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ
Sanjaya said: Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Śalya Parva—specifically in the section concerning the mace-duel—ends the sixty-first chapter, whose subject is the dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Pāṇḍavas, and Duryodhana. The closing formula marks a transition in the war narrative, emphasizing that counsel and moral positioning accompany martial action, and that the coming violence is framed by deliberation on right conduct and consequence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Though this line is a colophon rather than a doctrinal verse, it highlights a Mahābhārata pattern: decisive violence is framed by dialogue and counsel. Ethical meaning in the epic is carried not only by actions on the battlefield but also by how leaders justify, contest, and interpret those actions in speech.
This is the chapter-ending notice: it states that the sixty-first chapter in the Gadāparvan (within Śalya Parva) has concluded, and that its topic was the dialogue involving Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Pāṇḍavas, and Duryodhana—setting the stage for subsequent developments in the mace-duel narrative.