Shloka 164
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Kaurava-Aligned Mahārathas
Warrior Roster and Motivations
इति श्रीमहाभारते उद्योगपर्वणि उलूकदूतागमनपर्वणि सेनापतिनियोगे चतुःषष्टयधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate udyogaparvaṇi ulūkadūtāgamanaparvaṇi senāpatiniyoge catuḥṣaṣṭyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Udyoga Parva—specifically the section describing the arrival of Ulūka as an envoy—and in the episode concerning the appointment of the commander of the army, ends the one-hundred-and-sixty-fourth chapter.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when diplomacy is formally pursued through envoys, ethical responsibility requires clear leadership and preparedness; the colophon highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between the duty to seek peace and the duty to act decisively when conflict becomes unavoidable.
This is a concluding colophon for the chapter: it locates the chapter within Udyoga Parva, notes the sub-episode of Ulūka’s envoy-mission arrival, and indicates the context of appointing a commander (senāpati), marking the close of the 164th chapter.