Shloka 157
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 158 — Aṅgāraparṇa-saṃvāda and Gaṅgā-tīrtha Saṃghaṭṭa
Encounter at the Gaṅgā ford
इति श्रीमहाभारते आदिपर्वणि बकवधपर्वणि ब्राह्मणीवाक्ये सप्तपञ्चाशदधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate ādiparvaṇi bakavadhaparvaṇi brāhmaṇīvākye saptapañcāśadadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Ādi Parva—specifically in the section on the slaying of Baka—ends the one-hundred-and-fifty-seventh chapter, known as “The Brāhmaṇī’s Speech.” The colophon marks the close of this unit, emphasizing how a moral appeal and a householder’s distress become the occasion for righteous intervention against predatory violence.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a chapter-colophon, the verse itself teaches by framing: it signals that the brāhmaṇī’s moral speech and the episode of Baka’s killing belong to a dharmic arc—where suffering voiced ethically becomes the ground for righteous protection and the curbing of predatory harm.
This line is the closing colophon for the preceding chapter: it identifies the text as part of the Ādi Parva, within the Bakavadha episode, and labels the chapter as “Brāhmaṇī’s Speech,” marking the end of chapter 157.