Shloka 177
Adhyāya 179 — Bharadvāja’s Reductionist Inquiry into Jīva and Pañcabhūta Dissolution
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत शान्तिपर्वके अन्तर्गत मोक्षधर्मपर्वमें मद्किगीताविषयक एक सौ सतहत्तरवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraṃ śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvake antargata mokṣadharmaparvaṇi madgītāviṣayaka ekaśata-saptasaptatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ
Ainsi s’achève le cent soixante-dix-septième chapitre, consacré à la Madgītā, au sein de la section Mokṣadharma du Śānti Parva du vénérable Mahābhārata. Ce colophon de clôture marque l’achèvement d’un ensemble doctrinal tourné vers la délivrance, inscrit dans l’enseignement de Bhīṣma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line is a colophon rather than a doctrinal verse: it marks the completion of a chapter within Mokṣadharma, a section devoted to teachings on dharma that culminate in liberation (mokṣa). Its function is to frame and authenticate the textual unit, indicating that the preceding discourse—attributed to Bhīṣma—belongs to a liberation-oriented ethical and spiritual instruction.
The narrative voice signals closure: within the Śānti Parva’s Mokṣadharma portion, the chapter identified as dealing with the ‘Madgītā’ topic has concluded. In the broader Śānti Parva setting, Bhīṣma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira; here the editor’s colophon simply announces the end of that specific chapter.