Shloka 196
Adhyāya 195 — Arjuna’s Capability and Restraint Regarding Divyāstras
Udyoga Parva
इति श्रीमहाभारते उद्योगपर्वणि अम्बोपाख्यानपर्वणि पाण्डवसेनानिर्याणे षण्णवत्यधिकशततमो< ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate udyogaparvaṇi ambopākhyānaparvaṇi pāṇḍavasenānirayāṇe ṣaṇṇavatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus ends the one hundred and ninety-sixth chapter of the Udyoga Parva of the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Ambā (Ambopākhyāna) section, at the point describing the departure of the Pāṇḍava army.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a chapter-colophon, the verse does not teach through direct instruction but through framing: it reminds the reader that the narrative is part of a larger moral arc in which past actions (such as the Ambā episode) and present choices (the Pāṇḍavas’ mobilization) converge toward consequences, highlighting the Mahābhārata’s recurring concern with dharma under pressure.
The verse formally closes a chapter and identifies its placement: within the Udyoga Parva, in the Ambā-related sub-narrative, at the juncture describing the Pāṇḍava army’s departure. It functions as an editorial marker rather than a spoken line advancing the plot.