Shloka 249
द्रौपदी-शैब्यसंवादः — Draupadī’s Identification and Counsel on Hospitality
इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि घोषयात्रापर्वणि दुर्योधनप्रायोपवेशे एकोनपजञ्चाशदधिकद्वधिशततमो< ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi ghoṣayātrāparvaṇi duryodhanaprāyopaveśe ekonapañcāśadadhikadvīśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Vana Parva—specifically in the section on the cattle-expedition (Ghoṣa-yātrā)—the chapter concerning Duryodhana’s resolve to fast unto death comes to an end: this is the two-hundred-and-forty-ninth chapter. The colophon marks a narrative turning point where pride, humiliation, and political rivalry drive a prince toward self-destructive extremity, setting the stage for counsel, intervention, and the ethical scrutiny of despair as a weapon.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The colophon highlights an ethical tension: when wounded pride and rivalry push a leader toward self-destruction, the act (prāyopaveśa) becomes morally charged—raising questions about rightful resolve versus manipulative despair, and the need for wise counsel to prevent adharma-driven extremes.
This is the chapter-ending colophon for the episode in which Duryodhana undertakes (or resolves upon) prāyopaveśa—fasting unto death—within the Ghoṣa-yātrā sequence of the Vana Parva, marking the close of the two-hundred-and-forty-ninth chapter.