Shloka 204
Doṣa-Parīkṣā and Guṇa-Viveka
Examination of Faults and Discernment of the Guṇas
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत शान्तिपर्वके अन्तर्गत मोक्षधर्मपर्वमें मनु और बृहस्पतिका संवादविषयक दो सौ चारवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraṁ śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi antargate mokṣadharmaparvaṇi manu-bṛhaspati-saṁvāda-viṣayakaḥ dvi-śata-catur-adhikaḥ adhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Śānti Parva—specifically in the Mokṣa-dharma section—the two-hundred-and-fourth chapter, dealing with the dialogue between Manu and Bṛhaspati, comes to its conclusion.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line is a colophon marking completion: it frames the preceding material as Mokṣa-dharma instruction delivered through the authoritative dialogue of Manu and Bṛhaspati, emphasizing liberation-oriented ethics and disciplined understanding as the chapter’s overarching purpose.
The text formally closes the chapter, stating that within the Śānti Parva’s Mokṣa-dharma section, the chapter whose topic is the Manu–Bṛhaspati dialogue has ended—signaling a transition to the next unit of Bhīṣma’s discourse.