Shloka 177
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत द्रोणपर्वके अन्तर्गत घटोत्कचवधपर्वमें रात्रियुद्धके प्रसंगमें अलायुधयुद्धविषयक एक सौ सतहत्तरवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraṁ śrīmahābhārate droṇaparvake antargata ghaṭotkacavadhaparvaṇi rātriyuddhaprasaṅge alāyudhayuddhaviṣayaka ekaśata-saptasaptatitamo ’dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ
Sañjaya dit : Ainsi, dans le Śrī Mahābhārata, au sein du Droṇa Parva—dans la section consacrée à la mise à mort de Ghaṭotkaca—à l’occasion du combat nocturne, s’achève le cent soixante-dix-septième chapitre, portant sur l’affrontement impliquant Alāyudha. Ce colophon marque un tournant funeste dans l’éthique de la guerre : la lutte se poursuit sous le voile de la nuit, et des guerriers comme des armes extraordinaires sont mis en œuvre.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a colophon, but it implicitly highlights how war can slide into morally fraught territory—here, the continuation of combat at night and the introduction of formidable figures intensify the conflict, raising questions about the limits of righteous warfare (dharma-yuddha) amid desperation.
Sañjaya signals the conclusion of a chapter in the Droṇa Parva: within the Ghaṭotkaca-slaying section, during the night-battle episode, the chapter focused on the fighting involving Alāyudha has ended.