Shloka 174
इति श्रीमहाभारते उद्योगपर्वणि अम्बोपाख्यानपर्वणि अम्बावाक्ये चतु:सप्तत्यधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate udyogaparvaṇi ambopākhyānaparvaṇi ambāvākye catuḥsaptatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the revered Mahābhārata, within the Udyoga Parva, in the section known as the Ambopākhyāna (the episode of Ambā), in the portion containing Ambā’s words, ends the one-hundred-and-seventy-fourth chapter. This colophon marks the close of a narrative unit, framing Ambā’s testimony within the wider ethical and political tensions of the Udyoga Parva.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse does not teach a doctrine directly; it frames the Ambā episode as a formally bounded testimony within the Mahābhārata. The ethical implication is that personal vows, past actions, and unresolved grievances are treated as serious moral forces that shape later conflict—hence the narrative’s careful textual demarcation.
This line signals the end of a chapter and the close of the Ambā-related sub-episode (Ambopākhyāna), specifically the portion presented as Ambā’s words. It functions as an editorial/recitational marker rather than spoken dialogue content.