Shloka 163
भीष्मस्य सेनापत्यप्रतिज्ञा तथा रथसंख्यावर्णनम् | Bhishma Accepts Command and Enumerates Kaurava Strength
इति श्रीमहा भारते उद्योगपर्वणि उलूकदूतागमनपर्वणि उलूकापयाने त्रिषष्टयधिकशततमो< ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate udyogaparvaṇi ulūkadūtāgamanaparvaṇi ulūkāpāyāne triṣaṣṭyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ |
Sañjaya said: Thus, in the revered Mahābhārata, within the Udyoga Parva, in the section concerning the arrival of Ulūka as an envoy, the chapter dealing with Ulūka’s departure comes to an end—this being the one hundred and sixty-third chapter. The closing formula marks the completion of the episode in which diplomatic speech and moral posturing give way to the inevitability of war, underscoring how failed counsel and hardened intent erode the remaining space for dharma-guided reconciliation.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse’s function is to close an episode: it implicitly highlights how diplomacy (dūta-vākya) is ethically weighty—when counsel fails and parties cling to pride and hostility, the path toward righteous settlement narrows and conflict becomes imminent.
This is the formal end-of-chapter statement: it announces that, within Udyoga Parva, the portion about Ulūka’s envoy mission and his return/departure has concluded, completing the 163rd chapter of that internal division.