Shloka 274
अरण्यकपर्व — मार्कण्डेयकथिते रामविजयः, सीताशुद्धिः, अयोध्याप्रत्यागमनवर्णनम्
Rāma’s victory, Sītā’s vindication, and return to Ayodhyā as told by Mārkaṇḍeya
इति श्रीमहा भारते वनपर्वणि रामोपाख्यानपर्वणि रामरावणयोर्जन्मक थने चतु:सप्तत्यधिकद्विशततमो<5ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi rāmopākhyānaparvaṇi rāmarāvaṇayor janmakathane catuḥsaptatyadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the revered Mahābhārata, within the Forest Book (Vana Parva), in the sub-narrative known as the Rāmopākhyāna, in the account describing the births and origins of Rāma and Rāvaṇa, ends the two-hundred-and-seventy-fourth chapter.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse chiefly teaches how the epic frames moral instruction: it marks the completion of a unit focused on the origins of Rāma and Rāvaṇa, implying that ethical reflection on dharma is grounded in understanding character, causes, and the narrative roots of conflict.
Mārkaṇḍeya’s narration reaches a formal stopping point: the text announces that the chapter dealing with the birth/origin account of Rāma and Rāvaṇa within the Rāmopākhyāna (inside Vana Parva) has concluded.