Shloka 172
इति श्रीमहाभारते द्रोणपर्वणि घटोत्कचवधपर्वणि रात्रियुद्धे संकुलयुद्धे द्विसप्तत्यधिकशततमो<थध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate droṇaparvaṇi ghaṭotkacavadhaparvaṇi rātriyuddhe saṅkulayuddhe dvisaptatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Sanjaya said: Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Droṇa Parva—specifically in the section on the slaying of Ghaṭotkaca—during the night-battle and the confused, densely entangled fighting, this concludes the 172nd chapter. The colophon marks the close of a grim phase of warfare where darkness, disorder, and escalating violence intensify the moral strain on all combatants.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse does not teach a doctrine directly; it frames the ethical atmosphere of the episode: night-fighting and chaotic melee symbolize how war erodes clarity and restraint, placing dharma under severe pressure and making moral discernment harder for all involved.
This is an end-of-chapter marker stating that, within the Droṇa Parva and the episode of Ghaṭotkaca’s slaying, the account of the night-battle and the confused fighting has reached the conclusion of the 172nd chapter.