Shloka 162
Droṇa’s Withdrawal, Death, and the Kaurava Rout (द्रोणनिधन-प्रसङ्गः)
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत द्रोणपर्वके अन्तर्गत घटोत्कचवधपर्वमें रात्रियुद्धविषयक एक सौ बासठवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraḥ śrīmahābhārate droṇaparvake antargata ghaṭotkacavadhaparvaṇi rātriyuddhaviṣayaka ekaśatadvāṣaṣṭitamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ
Sanjaya said: Thus, in the revered Mahābhārata, within the Droṇa Parva—specifically in the section concerning the slaying of Ghaṭotkaca—this 162nd chapter, dealing with the night-battle, is concluded. The statement functions as a formal colophon, marking the close of a narrative unit that underscores how war’s moral order is strained when fighting continues under cover of night.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the line does not teach through direct instruction; it frames the preceding events as part of the night-battle narrative, implicitly highlighting how warfare can push combatants toward morally ambiguous conduct when normal restraints (visibility, rules, and oversight) weaken.
Sanjaya formally announces the completion of the 162nd chapter within the Droṇa Parva, in the subsection on the slaying of Ghaṭotkaca, indicating that the episode concerning the night battle has reached its end for this chapter.