Shloka 188
Ambā’s Vow of Tapas after Paraśurāma’s Assessment (अम्बाया तपोव्रतनिश्चयः)
इति श्रीमहाभारते उद्योगपर्वणि अम्बोपाख्यानपर्वणि शिखण्ड्युत्पत्तौ अष्टाशीत्यधिकशततमो< ध्याय:,इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत उद्योगपर्वके अन्तर्गत अम्बोपाख्यानपर्वमें शिखण्डीका उत्पत्तिविषयक एक सौ अद्ठासीवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti śrīmahābhārate udyogaparvaṇi ambopākhyānaparvaṇi śikhaṇḍyutpattau aṣṭāśītyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Demikianlah, dalam Śrī Mahābhārata, pada Udyoga Parva, di bagian Amba-upākhyāna, berakhirlah bab ke-188 yang mengisahkan kelahiran dan kemunculan Śikhaṇḍī.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The colophon closes the Ambā–Śikhaṇḍī cycle, underscoring how actions bound to pride, coercion, and rigid vows can generate enduring moral consequences. It points to the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension between personal vows (like Bhīṣma’s) and the broader demands of justice and compassion.
This is the formal end-of-chapter marker: Bhīṣma’s narration concludes the chapter dealing with Śikhaṇḍī’s origin within the Ambā episode, situated in the Udyoga Parva as the war’s causes and key destinies are being explained.