Shloka 81
अलम्बुस-वधः
The Neutralization of Alambusa
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत द्रोणपर्वके अन्तर्गत प्रतिज्ञापवरमें अर्जुनको पुनः पाशुपतासत्रकी प्राप्तिविषयक इक्यासीवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraṁ śrīmahābhārate droṇaparvake antargata-pratijñāparvaṇi arjunasya punaḥ pāśupatāstraprāptiviṣayaka ekāśītitamo ’dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ
Sanjaya concludes: Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Droṇa Parva—specifically in the Pratijñā Parva—the eighty-first chapter comes to an end, recounting Arjuna’s renewed attainment of the Pāśupata weapon. The closing note underscores how divine power is framed as something regained through purpose and resolve, and how the epic’s war narrative continually ties martial capability to vows, responsibility, and the moral weight of one’s commitments.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a war-centered narrative, power is not presented as merely technical skill: the text frames extraordinary capability (like divine weapons) as bound to vows, discipline, and moral accountability. The chapter-ending emphasis on a ‘pratijñā’ (pledge) highlights that commitments shape action and its ethical consequences.
This is a concluding colophon spoken by Sañjaya, marking the end of the eighty-first chapter within the Droṇa Parva’s Pratijñā section. It summarizes the chapter’s subject as Arjuna’s renewed attainment of the Pāśupata weapon.