Shloka 173

Adhyāya 174: Karma as an inescapable companion (कर्मानुगमन-उपदेश)

Devanagari script

इति श्रीमहाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि आपद्धर्मपर्वणि कृतघ्नोपाख्याने त्रिसप्तत्यधिकशततमो<ध्याय:

Transliteration

iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi āpaddharmaparvaṇi kṛtaghnopākhyāne trisaptatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

Thus ends, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Śānti Parva, in the section on Dharma in times of distress (Āpaddharma Parva), the episode concerning the ungrateful (Kṛtaghna-upākhyāna): the one-hundred-and-seventy-third chapter.

Word by Word

• इति: thus; end-quote marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• श्रीमहाभारते: in the revered Mahabharata
• श्रीमहाभारते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमहाभारत
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• शान्तिपर्वणि: in the Shanti Parva
• शान्तिपर्वणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शान्तिपर्वन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• आपद्धर्मपर्वणि: in the Apaddharma section
• आपद्धर्मपर्वणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आपद्धर्मपर्वन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• कृतघ्नोपाख्याने: in the episode (upakhyana) of the ungrateful one
• कृतघ्नोपाख्याने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतघ्नोपाख्यान
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• त्रिसप्तत्यधिकशततमः: one hundred seventy-third
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रिसप्तत्यधिकशततम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अध्यायः: chapter
• अध्यायः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्याय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Mahābhārata
• Śānti Parva
• Āpaddharma Parva
• Kṛtaghna-upākhyāna

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

This line functions as a colophon marking the close of a chapter and situating it within the Āpaddharma material; by naming the Kṛtaghna-upākhyāna, it highlights the ethical focus on gratitude versus ingratitude as a key concern in discussions of right conduct, especially under hardship.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana’s narration reaches a formal chapter-ending formula: it identifies the larger work (Mahābhārata), the parva (Śānti), the sub-section (Āpaddharma), and the specific embedded tale (Kṛtaghna-upākhyāna), and then states the chapter number as a closure marker.