Shloka 25
Garuḍa, the Brāhmaṇa’s Release, and Kaśyapa’s Counsel
Gajakacchapa-ākhyāna Prelude
इति श्रीमहाभारते आदिपर्वणि आस्तीकपर्वणि सौपर्णे पजचविंशो5ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate ādiparvaṇi āstīkaparvaṇi sauparṇe pañcaviṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Ādi Parva—specifically the Āstīka section, in the Sauparṇa episode—ends the twenty-fifth chapter. This is a colophon marking the close of a narrative unit, situating the listener within the larger ethical frame of the epic where lineage, vows, and the consequences of actions are carefully tracked across chapters.
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line is a colophon rather than a doctrinal verse; its function is to anchor the narrative within the epic’s architecture. The implicit lesson is methodological: the Mahābhārata presents dharma through carefully segmented stories, and attention to context (parva, sub-parva, episode) is essential for ethical interpretation.
The text is marking the end of the twenty-fifth chapter in the Sauparṇa episode within the Āstīka section of the Ādi Parva. It signals a chapter boundary and helps the reader locate the surrounding events in the broader frame of the Āstīka-related narration.