Shloka 189
इति श्रीमहाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि मोक्षधर्मपर्वणि भूगुभरद्वाजसंवादे वर्णस्वरूपकथने एकोननवत्यधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi mokṣadharmaparvaṇi bhṛgu-bharadvāja-saṃvāde varṇa-svarūpa-kathane ekona-navaty-adhika-śatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Śānti Parva—specifically the Mokṣa-dharma section—this marks the close of the dialogue between Bhṛgu and Bharadvāja, in the discourse explaining the true nature of the social orders (varṇas): the one-hundred-and-ninetieth chapter.
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
This verse is a colophon marking the chapter’s conclusion; it frames the teaching as an inquiry into varṇa-svarūpa (the essential nature of social orders) within Mokṣa-dharma, implying an ethical focus on what truly constitutes status and duty beyond mere labels.
The text signals the end of a chapter in the Śānti Parva: the dialogue between the sages Bhṛgu and Bharadvāja, specifically the portion discussing the nature of varṇas, concluding Chapter 190.