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
Demikianlah berakhir bab kelima puluh satu dalam Bhīṣma Parva dari Śrī Mahābhārata, pada bagian Bhīṣma-vadha Parva, mengenai penataan formasi tempur pihak Kaurava.
(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.