Shloka 1619
Gautama’s Flight, the Enchanted Grove, and the Arrival of Rājadharma
Nāḍījaṅgha
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्या भारत शान्तिपवकि अन्तर्गत आपद्धर्मपर्वमें तपस्याकी प्रशंयाविषयक एक सौ इकसठवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraḥ śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi antar-gate āpaddharmaparvaṇi tapasyā-praśaṃsā-viṣayakaḥ eka-śata-eka-ṣaṣṭitamaḥ adhyāyaḥ samāptaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Śānti Parvan—specifically in the section on dharma in times of distress (Āpaddharma Parvan)—the one-hundred-and-sixty-first chapter, devoted to praising austerity (tapas), comes to its close. The narrative frame remains Bhīṣma’s instruction, marking the completion of a teaching unit that upholds disciplined self-restraint as a stabilizing ethical force when ordinary norms are strained.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The chapter’s framing emphasizes the commendation of tapas—disciplined austerity and self-restraint—as a sustaining ethical power, especially relevant to āpaddharma where one must preserve inner integrity and right intention when normal social rules are under pressure.
This verse functions as a colophon: it announces the completion of the 161st chapter within the Āpaddharma section of the Śānti Parva, presented in the larger setting of Bhīṣma’s instruction.