Shloka 284
Karṇa–Sūrya Saṃvāda: Satya, Dāna, and the Amoghā Śakti (कर्ण–सूर्यसंवादः)
इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि रामोपाख्यानपर्वणि लड्काप्रवेशे चतुरशीत्यधिकद्वधिशततमो<5 ध्याय:,इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ा भारत वनपर्वके अन्तर्गत रामोपाख्यानपर्वमें लंकामें प्रवेशविषयक दो सौ चौरासीवाँ अध्याय प्रा हुआ ॥/
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi rāmopākhyānaparvaṇi laṅkāpraveśe caturaśītyadhikadvīśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ |
Thus ends, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Vana Parva, in the section known as the Rāmopākhyāna, the two-hundred-and-eighty-fourth chapter, concerning the entry into Laṅkā.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse primarily teaches how the Mahābhārata frames embedded narratives: the Rāmopākhyāna is presented as a dharma-illustrating exemplar within Vana Parva, and the chapter-end marker emphasizes disciplined progression through a morally charged story-unit.
This line is not a plot event but an editorial closure: it announces the completion of the chapter themed 'entry into Laṅkā' within the Rāmopākhyāna section of Vana Parva, attributed in context to Mārkaṇḍeya’s narration.