Shloka 277

Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda

Devanagari script

इति श्रीमहाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि मोक्षधर्मपर्वणि पितापुत्रसंवादे सप्तसप्तत्यधिकद्वधिशततमो<ध्याय:

Transliteration

iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi mokṣadharmaparvaṇi pitāputrasaṃvāde saptasaptatyadhikadvīśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Śānti Parva—specifically the Mokṣa-dharma section—ends the dialogue between father and son, concluding the two-hundred-and-seventy-seventh chapter. This closing colophon frames the teaching as part of the Mahābhārata’s ethical and liberative instruction, situating the discourse within the tradition of dharma and mokṣa-oriented reflection.

Word by Word

इतिthus; end-quote marker

श्रीमहाभारतेin the revered Mahabharata

शान्तिपर्वणिin the Shanti Parva

मोक्षधर्मपर्वणिin the Mokshadharma section

पितापुत्रसंवादेin the dialogue of father and son

सप्तसप्तत्यधिकद्वधिशततमःthe two-hundred-seventy-seventh

अध्यायःchapter

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śrī Mahābhārata

Śānti Parva

Mokṣa-dharma Parva

pitā (father)

putra (son)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

This line is a colophon rather than a doctrinal verse: it signals that the preceding instruction belongs to the Mokṣa-dharma portion of Śānti Parva and is presented as a father–son dialogue, emphasizing the Mahābhārata’s role as a vehicle for ethical and liberation-oriented teaching.

What is happening in the narrative?

The chapter concludes. The text formally marks the end of the father–son dialogue within the Mokṣa-dharma section of Śānti Parva, identifying the chapter count and situating the discourse within the larger epic structure.