Shloka 157

कुरुक्षेत्रे सेनानिवेशवृत्तान्तः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra Questions Saṃjaya on the Deployed Armies

Devanagari script

इति श्रीमहाभारते उद्योगपर्वणि सैन्यनिर्याणपर्वणि बलरामती र्थयात्रागमने सप्तपञ्चाशदधिकशततमो< ध्याय:,इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ा भारत उद्योगपर्वके अन्तर्गत यैन्यनिर्याणपर्वमें बलरामजीके तीर्थयात्राके लिये जानेसे सम्बन्ध रखनेवाला एक सौ सत्तावनवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ

Transliteration

iti śrīmahābhārate udyogaparvaṇi sainyaniryāṇaparvaṇi balarāmatīrthayātrāgamane saptapañcāśadadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana concludes: Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Udyoga Parva and the section on the marching forth of armies, ends the one-hundred-and-fifty-seventh chapter, dealing with Balarāma’s departure on a tīrtha-yātrā, a pilgrimage to sacred fords. The closing colophon signals a deliberate ethical pause: as war preparations intensify, Balarāma chooses withdrawal into pilgrimage, embodying a dharmic response that seeks purification and restraint amid escalating conflict.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'iti', 'definition': 'thus

• a marker concluding a statement or section'}, {'term': 'śrīmahābhārate', 'definition': 'in the revered Mahābhārata (locative singular)'}, {'term': 'udyogaparvaṇi', 'definition': 'in the Udyoga Parva

• the Book of Effort/Preparations (for war)'}, {'term': 'sainyaniryāṇaparvaṇi', 'definition': 'in the sub-section concerning the departure/marching of the armies'}, {'term': 'balarāma', 'definition': 'Balarāma

• elder brother of Kṛṣṇa, associated with strength and restraint'}, {'term': 'tīrtha', 'definition': 'sacred ford/pilgrimage place

• a site of crossing and purification'}, {'term': 'yātrā', 'definition': 'journey

• pilgrimage'}, {'term': 'gamane', 'definition': 'in the going/departure (locative)

• ‘regarding the departure’'}, {'term': 'saptapañcāśad-adhika-śatatamaḥ', 'definition': 'the 157th (literally: ‘the hundredth plus fifty-seven’) chapter'}, {'term': 'adhyāyaḥ', 'definition': 'chapter'}]

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Mahābhārata
• Udyoga Parva
• Sainyaniryāṇa-parvan (section)
• Balarāma
• Tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The colophon highlights a dharmic counterpoint to war: when conflict becomes unavoidable, one ethical response is restraint and purification. Balarāma’s choice of pilgrimage suggests stepping away from partisan escalation and seeking inner clarity amid collective violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

This is the formal end-of-chapter notice. It states that the 157th chapter (within Udyoga Parva, in the army-march section) has concluded, and its subject is Balarāma’s departure to undertake a tīrtha-yātrā.