Shloka 153
Jaṭāsura-praveśa, Draupadī-apaharaṇa, and Jaṭāsura-vadha (जटासुरप्रवेशः द्रौपद्यपहरणं च जटासुरवधः)
इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि तीर्थयात्रापर्वणि लोमशतीर्थयात्रायां सौगन्धिकाहरणे त्रिपउचाशदधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi tīrthayātrāparvaṇi lomaśatīrthayātrāyāṃ saugandhikāharaṇe tripañcāśadadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus ends, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Vana Parva, in the section on the pilgrimage to sacred fords (Tīrtha-yātrā Parva), in the account of Lomāśa’s pilgrimage, in the episode concerning the bringing of the fragrant saugandhika flowers, the one-hundred-and-fifty-third chapter. This is a colophon marking the close of the chapter and situating the narrative within its larger ethical frame: the forest exile, the sanctifying power of pilgrimage, and the testing of desire, pride, and restraint.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse itself teaches by framing: it reminds the reader that the forest-exile narrative is embedded in a pilgrimage context, where sacred travel is meant to refine character. The surrounding Saugaṇdhika episode is traditionally read as a test of desire and pride, urging restraint, humility, and alignment with dharma even amid hardship.
This line is not a spoken narrative event but an editorial closure: it announces that the chapter has ended and identifies its placement—Vana Parva, within the Tīrtha-yātrā section, specifically Lomāśa’s pilgrimage account, in the episode about obtaining the fragrant saugaṇdhika flowers.