Shloka 259
Daśagrīva-boonāvaraṇa, Viṣṇv-avatāra-niyoga, Vānara-sahāya-janana, Mantharā-nirmāṇa
इति श्रीमहा भारते वनपर्वणि व्रीहिद्रौणिकपर्वणि दानदुष्करत्वक थने एकोनषष्ट्यधिकद्विशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi vrīhidrāuṇikaparvaṇi dānadūṣkaratvakathane ekonaṣaṣṭyadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Ainsi, dans le vénérable Mahābhārata, au sein du Vana Parva—plus précisément dans la sous-section Vrīhidrauṇika—s’achève le chapitre qui traite du thème de la difficulté du don véritable (dāna). C’est le deux-cent-cinquante-neuvième chapitre (259), qui clôt cette unité narrative.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The colophon signals that the chapter’s ethical focus is on dāna—true giving—and emphasizes its duṣkaratva, the fact that genuine generosity is difficult because it tests attachment, intention, and righteousness rather than mere outward donation.
This line functions as a concluding colophon: it closes the chapter within Vana Parva, naming the sub-section (Vrīhidrauṇika) and the topic (the account concerning the difficulty of giving), and it states the chapter count in the traditional style.