Shloka 154
उपायैः पूर्ववधकथनम् / Strategic Justifications for Prior Eliminations
इति श्रीमहाभारते द्रोणपर्वणि घटोत्कचवधपर्वणि रात्रियुद्धे चतुष्पड्चाशदधिकशततमोड्ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate droṇaparvaṇi ghaṭotkacavadhaparvaṇi rātriyuddhe catuṣpaṇcāśad-adhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Droṇa Parva—specifically the section describing the slaying of Ghaṭotkaca and the night-battle—this marks the conclusion of the one hundred and fifty-sixth chapter. The colophon frames the episode as a morally charged turning point: warfare continues beyond daylight into a night engagement, and the narrative highlights how extraordinary means and escalating violence reshape the ethical landscape of the conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse does not teach through direct instruction; it frames the episode’s ethical weight by naming it as the slaying of Ghaṭotkaca and a night-battle. The implied lesson is that when war crosses into the night and relies on exceptional tactics, the struggle intensifies and the boundaries of righteous conduct (dharma) become harder to maintain.
This is the chapter-ending colophon: it signals that the account belongs to the Droṇa Parva, within the episode of Ghaṭotkaca’s death, set amid the night-fighting, and it closes the 156th chapter.