Shloka 243
मृगस्वप्नदर्शनम्
The Deer’s Dream-Appeal and the Move to Kāmyaka
इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि घोषयात्रापर्वणि दुर्योधनमोचनानुज्ञायां त्रिचत्वारिंशदधिकद्धिशततमो<5 ध्याय:,इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत वनपववके अन्तर्गत घोषयात्रापर्वमें दुर्योधनको छुड़ानेकी आज्ञाविषयक दो सौ तैंतालीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi ghoṣayātrāparvaṇi duryodhanamocanānujñāyāṃ tricatuvāriṃśad-adhika-dviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ |
Thus ends, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Vana Parva, in the section concerning the cattle-expedition (Ghoṣa-yātrā), the two-hundred-and-forty-third chapter, dealing with the authorization to rescue Duryodhana. This closing colophon marks the completion of the chapter’s narrative unit and signals the ethical pivot: even amid hostility, the question of permitting an enemy’s release is framed as a matter of rightful conduct and restraint rather than mere advantage.
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The colophon highlights the ethical frame of the episode: decisions about an adversary’s fate—such as permitting rescue or release—are treated as questions of dharma (right conduct) and self-restraint, not merely strategic gain.
This is the chapter-ending colophon stating that, within Vana Parva’s Ghoṣa-yātrā episode, the 243rd chapter—centered on granting permission related to Duryodhana’s rescue—has concluded.