Shloka 165
Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation
इति श्रीमहाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि आपद्धर्मपर्वणि प्रायद्षित्तीये पज्चषष्ट्यधिकशततमो< ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi āpaddharmaparvaṇi prāyaścittīye pañcaṣaṣṭyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ |
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Śānti Parva—specifically the Āpaddharma section—ends the one-hundred-and-sixty-fifth chapter, which sets forth the procedures of expiation (prāyaścitta) for sins. This closing colophon marks the completion of Bhīṣma’s instruction on restoring ethical order through prescribed atonements, especially amid adversity.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The colophon highlights the chapter’s focus: prāyaścitta (expiation) as a dharmic means to address wrongdoing and re-establish moral order, particularly within the broader framework of āpaddharma—ethical decision-making under distress.
This is the formal closing statement of the chapter in the Śānti Parva. It marks the completion of a unit of Bhīṣma’s instruction (to Yudhiṣṭhira in context) on expiatory rites and procedures, rather than advancing plot events.