Shloka 52
Āstīka Stops the Sarpa-satra; Royal Closure and Protective Phalaśruti (आस्तीकः सर्पसत्रनिवर्तनम्)
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत आदिपववके अन्तर्गत आस्तीकपर्वमें सर्पसत्रोपक्रमाविषयक बावनवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
Iti prakāraḥ Śrīmahābhārata Ādiparva-ke antargata Āstīkaparva-meṃ sarpasatropakrama-viṣayaka bāvanavāṃ adhyāya pūrā huā.
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत के आदिपर्व के अंतर्गत आस्तीकपर्व में सर्पसत्र के आरम्भ-विषयक बावनवाँ अध्याय समाप्त हुआ।
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon marking the chapter’s close, it underscores the gravity of initiating powerful rituals: actions—especially those motivated by vengeance—carry ethical consequences, and the epic’s frame invites reflection on restraint and dharma in the use of religious power.
This is an end-of-chapter notice stating that the fifty-second chapter, dealing with the commencement of the serpent-sacrifice (sarpa-satra), within the Āstīka episode of the Ādi Parva, has concluded.