Shloka 72
Ādi-parva, Adhyāya 73: Devayānī–Śarmiṣṭhā Dispute, Confinement in the Well, and Yayāti’s Rescue
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत आदिपर्वके अन्तर्गत सम्भवपर्वमें शकुन्तलोपाख्यानविषयक बहत्तरवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraḥ śrīmahābhārate ādiparvake antargata-sambhavaparvaṇi śakuntalopākhyāna-viṣayakaḥ bahattaro 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ abhūt
Thus ends the seventy-second chapter of the Śakuntalā episode within the Sambhava section of the Ādi Parva of the revered Mahābhārata. The closing formula signals the completion of a narrative unit, inviting the listener to reflect on how personal conduct and responsibility shape lineage, legitimacy, and the moral order that underlies the epic’s larger history.
कण्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon marking the end of the Śakuntalā episode’s chapter, it emphasizes the epic’s concern with dharma as it operates through family, recognition, and rightful continuity of lineage—ethical responsibility is shown to have lasting social and historical consequences.
This is a formal closing statement indicating that the chapter concerning the Śakuntalā episode within the Sambhava portion of the Ādi Parva has concluded.