Shloka 82
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
इति श्रीमहाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि राजधर्मानुशासनपर्वणि अमात्यपरीक्षायां कालकवृक्षीयोपाख्याने द्ायशीतितमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi rājadharmānuśāsanaparvaṇi amātyaparīkṣāyāṃ kālakavṛkṣīyopākhyāne dvāśītitamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus ends the eighty-second chapter in the Śānti Parva of the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Rājadharmānuśāsana section, in the episode concerning the examination of ministers—namely, the narrative known as the “Tale of the Kālakavṛkṣa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line functions as a colophon marking the close of a chapter within Bhīṣma’s instruction on rājadharma. By naming the topic—testing ministers—it underscores the ethical-political principle that a king’s success depends on carefully examining and selecting trustworthy, competent counsellors.
Bhīṣma’s discourse reaches a formal chapter conclusion. The text identifies its placement (Śānti Parva, Rājadharmānuśāsana section) and the specific sub-episode (the Kālakavṛkṣa-related tale) connected with the theme of amātya-parīkṣā, i.e., evaluating ministers.