Shloka 180
Karma, Preta-gati, and the Continuity of Phala
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Instruction
इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि आजगरपर्वणि युधिष्ठिरसर्पसंवादे अशीत्यधिकशततमोडयाय:,इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत वनपर्वके अन्तर्गत आजगरपर्वमें युधिष्टिरसर्पसंवादाविषयक एक सौ अस्सीवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi ājagaraparvaṇi yudhiṣṭhira-sarpa-saṃvāde aśītyadhika-śatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ |
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Vana Parva—specifically in the Ājagara episode—the dialogue between Yudhiṣṭhira and the serpent comes to an end; thereby the one-hundred-and-eightieth chapter is concluded. This colophon marks the completion of a teaching-centered exchange in which dharma is examined through questioning and reflection rather than through force.
सर्प उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse itself does not add new doctrine; it signals the completion of a dharma-focused dialogue. The ethical emphasis of the episode is that insight into dharma is pursued through inquiry, restraint, and reflective conversation rather than impulsive action.
The text marks the end of the Ājagara episode within the Vana Parva, concluding the exchange between Yudhiṣṭhira and the serpent. It functions as an editorial closure: identifying the work, the parva and sub-episode, the interlocutors, and the chapter number.