Shloka 51
अध्याय ५५ — भीष्मस्य प्रचण्डविक्रमः, अर्जुनप्रत्युत्तरं, कृष्णस्य चक्रोद्यतिः
Chapter 55: Bhīṣma’s onslaught, Arjuna’s counter, and Kṛṣṇa’s raised discus
इति श्रीमहा भारते भीष्मपर्वणि भीष्मवधपर्वणि कौरवव्यूहरचनायामेकपज्चाशत्तमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate bhīṣmaparvaṇi bhīṣmavadhaparvaṇi kauravavyūharacanāyām ekapañcāśattamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Ainsi s’achève le cinquante et unième chapitre du Bhīṣma Parva du Śrī Mahābhārata, dans la section concernant la chute de Bhīṣma, au passage décrivant l’agencement de la formation de bataille des Kauravas. Ce colophon marque une transition : l’ordonnancement solennel des armées encadre la gravité éthique de la guerre et l’imminente chute du vénérable Bhīṣma.
(संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse does not teach through direct instruction; it frames the ethical weight of the war narrative by formally marking the episode: the deliberate organization of violence (vyūha-racanā) and the impending fall of Bhīṣma, a figure associated with duty, vows, and tragic righteousness.
This is an end-of-chapter marker stating that the account has reached the conclusion of a chapter within Bhīṣma Parva, specifically in the portion dealing with Bhīṣma’s fall and the description of the Kauravas’ battle-array. It signals closure of one unit of narration and prepares the listener/reader for the next development.