Shloka 168
भीष्मकृतः पाण्डवपक्ष-महारथ-प्रशंसा
Bhishma’s appraisal of Pandava-aligned chariot-warriors
इति श्रीमहाभारते उद्योगपर्वणि रथातिरथसंख्यानपर्वणि भीष्मकर्णसंवादे अष्टषष्ट्यधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate udyogaparvaṇi rathātirathasaṅkhyānaparvaṇi bhīṣmakarṇasaṃvāde aṣṭaṣaṣṭyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Udyoga Parva—specifically in the section on the enumeration of chariot-warriors (rathas and atirathas)—in the dialogue between Bhīṣma and Karṇa, ends the one hundred and sixty-eighth chapter.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Though this line is a colophon rather than a doctrinal verse, it highlights a key Mahābhārata concern: before war, leaders must realistically assess strength and responsibility. Enumerating rathas/atirathas is not mere boasting—it underscores accountability, the weight of command decisions, and the ethical gravity of unleashing violence.
The text marks the close of a chapter in the Udyoga Parva within the Bhīṣma–Karṇa conversation, situated in the section that counts and classifies elite chariot-warriors. It functions as an editorial/narrative boundary indicating that the preceding discussion belongs to this strategic catalogue in the run-up to the great war.