Shloka 199
इति श्रीमहाभारते द्रोणपर्वणि नारायणास्त्रमोक्षपर्वणि पाण्डवसैन्यास्त्रत्यागे नवनवत्यधिकशततमो< ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate droṇaparvaṇi nārāyaṇāstramokṣaparvaṇi pāṇḍavasainyāstratyāge navanavatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Droṇa Parva—specifically in the section on the discharge of the Nārāyaṇa weapon—ends the chapter describing the Pāṇḍava army’s laying down of weapons. This closing colophon frames the ethical turning-point: in the face of a divinely empowered missile, restraint and surrender of aggression become the means of survival, underscoring that dharma in war sometimes requires renunciation rather than retaliation.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The colophon points to an ethical lesson embedded in the episode: when confronted with an overwhelming, divinely charged force, dharma may require restraint and the abandonment of violent response. Survival and righteousness can depend on self-control rather than escalation.
This is the chapter-ending colophon for the section describing the release of the Nārāyaṇa weapon and the Pāṇḍava host’s response—laying down their weapons (astratyāga) as the appropriate means to neutralize the weapon’s effect.