Shloka 231
Bṛhaspati’s Counsel on Contentment
Santoṣa), Restraint, and Adroha (Non-injury
इति श्रीमहाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि राजधर्मानुशासनपर्वणि देवस्थानवाक्ये एकविंशो5ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi rājadharmānuśāsanaparvaṇi devastānavākye ekaviṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Śānti Parva—specifically the section on the instruction of royal duties—ends the twenty-first chapter, consisting of the words spoken by Devastāna. This closing formula marks the completion of a unit of teaching on rājadharma, the ethics and responsibilities of kingship.
देवस्थान उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line is a colophon rather than a doctrinal verse: it signals that the preceding discourse belongs to the rājadharma instruction within Śānti Parva and that Devastāna’s speech (as framed by the edition) concludes here. The ethical focus indicated is governance guided by dharma.
The text is formally closing a chapter: it identifies the larger work (Mahābhārata), the book (Śānti Parva), the internal section (Rājadharmānuśāsana), the speaker attribution (Devastāna’s words), and the chapter number (21).