Shloka 304
Utkramaṇa-sthāna and Ariṣṭa-lakṣaṇa: Yājñavalkya’s Instruction on Departure Pathways and Mortality Signs
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत शान्तिपर्वके अन्तर्गत मोक्षधर्मपर्वमें वसिष्ठ और करालजनकका संवादविषयक तीन सौ चारवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraḥ śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi antargate mokṣadharmaparvaṇi vasiṣṭha-karālajanaka-saṃvāda-viṣayakaḥ trīśata-catur-adhikaḥ adhyāyaḥ samāptaḥ
Thus ends the three-hundred-and-fourth chapter of the Mokṣadharma section within the Śānti Parva of the revered Mahābhārata, concerning the dialogue between Vasiṣṭha and Karāla Janaka. This colophon marks the completion of this unit of instruction, framing the exchange as guidance toward liberation through right understanding and disciplined conduct.
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line is a colophon rather than a doctrinal verse: it signals that the chapter’s instruction is framed as Mokṣadharma—dharma oriented toward liberation—delivered through the dialogue of Vasiṣṭha and Karāla Janaka, emphasizing reflective inquiry and ethical-spiritual discipline as the context for mokṣa.
The text formally closes the chapter, stating that the three-hundred-and-fourth chapter of the Mokṣadharma section within Śānti Parva—centered on the Vasiṣṭha–Karāla Janaka dialogue—has concluded.