Umā–Maheśvara-saṃvāda: Varṇa-bhraṃśa, Ācāra (Vṛtta), and Karmic Ascent/Decline
इति श्रीमहाभारते अनुशासनपर्वणि दानधर्मपर्वणि देवरहस्ये षड्विंशत्यधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate anuśāsanaparvaṇi dānadharmaparvaṇi devarahasye ṣaḍviṃśatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
«Ainsi s’achève, dans le Śrī Mahābhārata, au sein de l’Anuśāsana Parva, dans la section sur le dharma des dons et de la charité, dans le sous-thème nommé “Secret divin”, le cent vingt-sixième chapitre.» C’est un colophon conclusif marquant l’achèvement de l’enseignement du chapitre sur le don juste et sa portée sacrée et confidentielle.
भीष्म उवाच
This line is a colophon rather than a doctrinal verse: it signals that the chapter’s instruction belongs to the Anuśāsana Parva’s dāna-dharma material and is framed as a ‘deva-rahasya’—a sacred or confidential teaching—thereby emphasizing the religious and ethical weight of righteous giving.
The narrative voice (Bhīṣma’s discourse context) reaches a formal close for the chapter: the text announces the completion of the 126th chapter within the specified parva and sub-section, functioning as an editorial/recitational marker in the transmission of the Mahābhārata.