Shloka 188
इति श्रीमहाभारते द्रोणपर्वणि द्रोणवधपर्वणि संकुलयुद्धे अष्टाशीत्यधिकशततमो< ध्याय:,इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत द्रोणपर्वके अन्तर्गत द्रोणवधपर्वमें घमासान युद्धविषयक एक सौ अद्वासीवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti śrīmahābhārate droṇaparvaṇi droṇavadhaparvaṇi saṅkulayuddhe aṣṭāśītyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Droṇa Parva—specifically in the section on the slaying of Droṇa—this chapter concerning the densely entangled, all-consuming battle comes to an end, marking the completion of the one hundred and eighty-eighth chapter. The colophon underscores the moral weight of the war’s escalation: the narrative proceeds not as mere spectacle, but as a record of how dharma becomes obscured amid relentless violence and strategic killing.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse does not teach through direct instruction but frames the episode ethically: the war has become saṅkula—morally and tactically entangled—signaling how prolonged conflict obscures clarity of dharma and accelerates grievous acts such as the targeted killing of key elders.
This is the formal closing statement of the chapter: it situates the reader within Droṇa Parva, inside the Droṇa-vadha section, and notes that the chapter dealing with the fierce, chaotic melee has concluded (the 188th chapter by this colophon’s count).