Shloka 178
अम्बा–राम–भीष्म संवादः
Amba–Rama–Bhishma Dialogue on Vow and Refuge
इति श्रीमहाभारते उद्योगपर्वणि अम्बोपाख्यानपर्वणि परशुरामभीष्मयो: कुरुक्षेत्रावतरणे अष्टसप्तत्यधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate udyogaparvaṇi ambopākhyānaparvaṇi paraśurāmabhīṣmayoḥ kurukṣetrāvataraṇe aṣṭasaptatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus ends the one-hundred-and-seventy-eighth chapter in the Udyoga Parva of the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Ambā-upākhyāna section, describing the descent of Paraśurāma and Bhīṣma to Kurukṣetra. This closing colophon frames the episode as a morally charged confrontation between a revered teacher-warrior and a vow-bound guardian of dharma, set upon the sacred battlefield that will later become the stage for the great war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The colophon signals an episode where dharma is tested through competing obligations: Bhīṣma’s unwavering vow and duty confront Paraśurāma’s authority and sense of kṣatriya justice. The ethical focus is on how righteous intent can still lead to conflict when duties collide.
This is the chapter-ending colophon stating that the Ambā-related sub-narrative has reached the point where Paraśurāma and Bhīṣma arrive at Kurukṣetra for their confrontation, marking a pivotal escalation in the Ambā episode within the Udyoga Parva.