Shloka 202
Guṇa-vibhāga and Prāṇa–Agni–Yoga Upadeśa (गुणविभाग तथा प्राण-अग्नि-योगोपदेश)
इति श्रीमहा भारते वनपर्वणि मार्कण्डेयसमास्यापर्वणि धुन्धुमारोपाख्याने दयधिकद्धिशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi mārkaṇḍeyasamāsyāparvaṇi dhundhumāropākhyāne dadhikad-dhiśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus ends the two-hundred-and-something chapter in the Vana Parva of the Mahābhārata, within the section summarizing the discourse of Mārkaṇḍeya, in the episode concerning Dhundhumāra. This is a colophon marking the close of the chapter and situating the narrative within its larger ethical frame: exemplary kingship and ascetic power directed toward the protection of the world.
उत्तड़क उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse itself does not teach through a new instruction; it frames the teaching by locating the episode within the Mahābhārata’s dharma-literature. The implied lesson is that exemplary action—especially the righteous use of royal and ascetic power—belongs to a larger moral narrative and is preserved as guidance for conduct.
This line signals the end of the chapter and identifies its placement: in the Vana Parva, within Mārkaṇḍeya’s summarized discourse section, specifically in the Dhundhumāra episode. It functions as a formal closing tag rather than a spoken line advancing the plot.