Shloka 158
इति श्रीमहा भारते उद्योगपर्वणि सैन्यनिर्याणपर्वणि रुक्मिप्रत्याख्याने अष्टपञज्चाशदधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate udyogaparvaṇi sainyaniryāṇaparvaṇi rukmipratyākhyāne aṣṭapañcāśadadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the sacred Mahābhārata, within the Udyoga Parva—specifically in the section on the marching forth of the armies—ends the chapter concerning the rejection of Rukmī: the one hundred and fifty-eighth chapter.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line functions as a colophon rather than a doctrinal verse: it frames the narrative ethically by marking the transition into war preparations and by highlighting an episode of refusal (pratyākhyāna), where questions of honor, eligibility, and right conduct become decisive in alliances and participation.
The text is closing a chapter in the Udyoga Parva, within the army-departure section, specifically the episode titled “Rukmī’s rejection.” It signals that the account has reached the end of the 158th chapter and prepares the reader for the next movement in the mobilization toward war.