Shloka 119
Daṇḍa-svarūpa-nirūpaṇa
The Nature, Forms, and Function of Daṇḍa
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ाभारत शान्तिपर्वके अन्तर्गत राजधर्मानुशासनपर्वमें कुत्ता और ऋषिका संवादविषयक एक सौ उतन्नीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
Iti prakāraḥ Śrīmahābhārate Śāntiparva-ke antargata Rājadharmānuśāsanaparvaṇi kuttā-ṛṣikā-saṃvāda-viṣayaka eka-śata-unnaviṃśat-tamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ.
Thus ends the one hundred and nineteenth chapter in the Rājadharmānuśāsana section of the Śānti Parva of the Śrī Mahābhārata, concerning the dialogue between a dog and a female ascetic. This colophon marks the completion of this unit, framing the foregoing discourse as instruction in royal duty and ethical governance through a moral exemplum.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a chapter-colophon, the line chiefly signals that the preceding discourse—cast as a dialogue between a dog and a female ascetic—belongs to the Mahābhārata’s instruction on rājadharma (the ethical duties of rulers). It frames the story as a moral exemplum meant to guide governance and conduct.
This is the formal closing statement for the chapter: it announces that the 119th chapter on the ‘dog and ṛṣikā’ dialogue, situated within the Rājadharmānuśāsana portion of Śānti Parva, has concluded, with Bhīṣma as the speaker in the surrounding discourse.