Shloka 229
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत वनपर्वके अन्तर्गत मार्कण्डेयसमास्यापर्वमें आंगिरसोपाख्यानके प्रसंगरें स्कन्दोपाख्यानसम्बन्धी दो सौ उनतीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ ॥/
Iti prakāraṁ Śrīmahābhārata-vanaparva-ke antargata Mārkaṇḍeya-samāsyāparva-meṁ Āṅgirasa-upākhyāna-ke prasaṅga-meṁ Skanda-upākhyāna-sambandhī do sau unatīsavāṁ adhyāya pūrā huā ||
Thus ends the two hundred and twenty-ninth chapter concerning the Skanda episode, occurring within the context of the Āṅgirasa sub-narrative, in the Mārkaṇḍeya-samāsyā section of the Vana Parva of the Śrī Mahābhārata. This is a colophon marking the completion of the chapter rather than a spoken doctrinal verse.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line is a colophon: it primarily teaches how the Mahābhārata is organized—through nested narratives (upākhyānas) within larger parvas—rather than presenting a direct ethical injunction. Its function is to signal closure and textual continuity.
The text announces that the chapter connected with the Skanda sub-narrative, situated within the Āṅgirasa episode and under the Mārkaṇḍeya section of the Vana Parva, has concluded.