Shloka 261
Jatāyu’s Resistance, Sītā’s Traces, Kabandha’s Release, and the Path to Sugrīva (Āraṇyaka-parva 263)
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत वनपर्वके अन्तर्गत व्रीहिद्रीणिकपर्वमें मुदूगल-देवदूत- संवादविषयक दो सौ इकसठवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraṃ śrīmahābhārate vanaparvake antargataṃ vrīhidrīṇikaparvaṇi mudgala-devadūta-saṃvādaviṣayakaṃ dviśataikaṣaṣṭitamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ
Demikian berakhir bab ke-261 Mahābhārata, dalam Vana Parva, pada bagian yang disebut Vrīhīdrīṇika Parva, mengenai dialog antara Mudgala dan utusan ilahi.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a chapter-colophon, the line chiefly marks completion, but it points to the ethical thrust of the episode: dharma is illuminated through the Mudgala–divine messenger dialogue, where steadfast self-restraint, truthfulness, and contentment are upheld as spiritually potent forms of right living.
Vaiśaṃpāyana’s closing formula announces that the chapter dealing with the Mudgala–Devadūta conversation—situated within the Vrīhīdrīṇika section of the Vana Parva—has concluded, signaling the end of that instructional narrative unit.