Shloka 157
दुर्योधन–द्रोणसंवादः
Arjuna-vīrya-prasaṃśā and renewed battle formation
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत द्रोणपर्वके अन्तर्गत घटोत्कचवधपर्वमें रात्रियुद्धके प्रसंगमें द्रोणाचार्य और युधिष्ठिरका युद्धविषयक एक सौ सत्तावनवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraṁ śrīmahābhārate droṇaparvake antargata ghaṭotkacavadhaparvaṇi rātriyuddhaprasaṅge droṇācārya-yudhiṣṭhirayor yuddhaviṣayaka ekaśata-saptapañcāśattamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ
Sanjaya said: Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Droṇa Parva—specifically in the section on the slaying of Ghaṭotkaca, in the context of the night-battle—the one hundred and fifty-seventh chapter, dealing with the warfare between Droṇācārya and Yudhiṣṭhira, is concluded. The closing formula frames the episode as part of a larger moral and narrative arc: the escalation of war into night-fighting and the mounting costs borne by both sides under the pressure of duty, strategy, and survival.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon-like conclusion, the verse does not teach by direct instruction but by framing: it highlights how warfare expands into morally fraught territory (night-fighting) and situates individual combats (Droṇa vs. Yudhiṣṭhira) within the larger burden of dharma, command, and consequence.
Sañjaya signals the end of a chapter: during the night-battle episode within the Ghaṭotkaca-slaying section of Droṇa Parva, the account of the war-related engagement between Droṇācārya and Yudhiṣṭhira has reached its conclusion.