Shloka 78
Jayadratha-rakṣā: Conch Signals and Encirclement of Arjuna
Chapter 79
इति श्रीमहाभारते द्रोणपर्वणि प्रतिज्ञापर्वणि सुभद्राप्रविलापे अष्टसप्ततितमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate droṇaparvaṇi pratijñāparvaṇi subhadrāpravilāpe aṣṭasaptatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Droṇa Parva—specifically in the section called the Pratijñā Parva—this concludes the seventy-eighth chapter, themed around Subhadrā’s lament. The colophon signals a transition: the narrative pauses to mark the chapter’s end, emphasizing the moral weight of grief amid war and the solemn framing of vows and their consequences.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The colophon itself teaches through framing: war is not merely action but consequence—vows (pratijñā) and grief (pravilāpa) are ethically charged forces. It reminds the reader that dharma is tested not only on the battlefield but also in how one bears loss and how pledges shape further violence.
This line is a chapter-ending colophon. It announces that the seventy-eighth chapter has concluded, situated in Droṇa Parva, within the Pratijñā Parva section, and characterized by the episode of Subhadrā’s lament—signaling a pause and transition to what follows.