Shloka 190
Śikhaṇḍī-janma-nigūḍha-vṛtta (The concealed birth-account of Śikhaṇḍī) | शिखण्डी-जन्म-निगूढ-वृत्त
इति श्रीमहाभारते उद्योगपर्वणि अम्बोपाख्यानपर्वणि ट्रुपदप्रश्ने नवत्यधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate udyogaparvaṇi ambopākhyānaparvaṇi drupadapraśne navatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus ends the one hundred and ninetieth chapter of the Udyoga Parva of the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the section known as the “Tale of Ambā,” in the episode concerning Drupada’s inquiry. This is a colophon marking the close of the chapter and situating the narrative within its larger ethical frame: the unfolding consequences of vows, duty, and past actions that shape the coming conflict.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse itself does not teach a new doctrine; it frames the episode within the Mahābhārata’s moral architecture, reminding the reader that the coming war is shaped by earlier choices—especially vows, duty, and the long reach of karma highlighted in the Ambā narrative.
The text is closing a chapter: it signals that the narration (attributed here to Bhīṣma) has reached the end of the specified adhyāya within the Udyoga Parva, in the Ambā-upākhyāna section, connected with Drupada’s inquiry.