Shloka 196
इति श्रीमहा भारते द्रोणपर्वणि नारायणास्त्रमोक्षपर्वणि अर्जुनवाक्ये षण्णवत्यधिकशततमो< ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate droṇaparvaṇi nārāyaṇāstramokṣaparvaṇi arjunavākye ṣaṇṇavatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the sacred Mahābhārata, within the Droṇa Parva, in the section concerning the discharge of the Nārāyaṇa weapon, concludes the one-hundred-and-ninety-sixth chapter—marked here as the words of Arjuna. This is a colophon-style closing that situates the episode within the larger war narrative, emphasizing the gravity of divine weaponry and the ethical weight borne by warriors who must restrain or respond to such forces in accordance with dharma.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid total war, the Mahābhārata repeatedly frames the use of extraordinary power—especially divine weapons—as an ethical burden. The colophon reminds the reader that such episodes are not mere spectacle: they test restraint, obedience to dharma, and responsibility for consequences.
This line is a concluding colophon that closes a chapter within Droṇa Parva, specifically the episode about the release of the Nārāyaṇa weapon, and notes that the chapter’s framing voice here is ‘Arjuna’s words.’ It functions as a textual marker rather than a spoken battlefield verse.