Shloka 137
इति श्रीमहाभारते आदिपर्वणि सम्भवपर्वणि द्रुपदशासने सप्तत्रिंशदाधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate ādiparvaṇi sambhavaparvaṇi drupadaśāsane saptatriṃśad-adhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the revered Mahābhārata, within the Ādi Parva and specifically the Sambhava Parva, concludes the chapter entitled “The Command of Drupada,” being the one hundred and thirty-seventh chapter. This closing colophon signals the end of a narrative unit and frames the episode within the ethical and political sphere of royal injunctions and their consequences.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line is a colophon rather than a didactic verse: it teaches how the epic self-organizes its narrative into parvas and adhyāyas, and it highlights the importance of śāsana (royal command) as a thematic frame—suggesting that political directives and their moral weight shape subsequent events.
The text is marking the close of a chapter within the Sambhava Parva, titled “Drupada’s Command.” It functions as an editorial/narrative boundary, indicating that the preceding episode has concluded and the next chapter will begin a new segment.