Shloka 208
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत वनपर्वके अन्तर्गत मार्कण्डेयसमास्यापर्वमें पतिव्रतोपाख्यानके प्रसंगमें ब्राह्मणव्याधसंवादाविषयक दो सौ आठवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
Iti prakāraṁ Śrīmahābhārate Vanaparvaṇi antargate Mārkaṇḍeyasamāsyāparvaṇi pativratopākhyāna-prasaṅge brāhmaṇa-vyādha-saṁvāda-viṣayaka dviśata-aṣṭamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ.
Thus ends the two-hundred-and-eighth chapter of the Mahābhārata’s Vana Parva, within the Markandeya-samāsya section, in the context of the tale of the devoted wife (Pativratā-upākhyāna), specifically concerning the dialogue between the Brahmin and the hunter. The colophon signals the completion of this instructional episode, emphasizing dharma as discerned through lived conduct rather than mere social status.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The colophon closes a didactic unit where dharma is highlighted as practical, embodied righteousness: moral authority can arise from sincere duty and right conduct, not merely from birth, profession, or outward rank.
This is a concluding colophon stating that the chapter dealing with the Brahmin–hunter dialogue, occurring within the Pativratā-upākhyāna in the Markandeya-related section of the Vana Parva, has been completed.