Āpad-dharma and Discernment in Livelihood (आपद्धर्मे विज्ञानबलम्)
इति श्रीमहाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि राजधर्मानुशासनपर्वणि यमगौतमसंवादे एकोनत्रिंशदधिकशततमो< ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi rājadharmānuśāsanaparvaṇi yamagautamasaṃvāde ekonatriṃśad-adhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ |
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Śānti Parva—specifically the section on the instruction of royal dharma—ends the one hundred and twenty-ninth chapter, presenting the dialogue between Yama and Gautama. This closing colophon signals the completion of a teaching unit on righteous governance and moral law as articulated through their exchange.
यम उवाच
This verse is a colophon marking the end of a chapter in the Rājadharma (royal ethics) instruction: it frames the preceding material as authoritative guidance on justice and righteous governance, delivered through the dialogue of Yama (moral-judicial authority) and the sage Gautama.
The narrative unit concludes: the text announces that the Yama–Gautama dialogue section has completed its 129th chapter within the Śānti Parva’s royal-dharma instruction, functioning as a formal closing statement rather than a new doctrinal verse.