Shloka 165
इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि निवातकवचयुद्धपर्वण्यर्जुनसमागमे पज्चषष्ट्यधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi nivātakavacayuddhaparvaṇy arjunasamāgame pañcaṣaṣṭyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Vana Parva—specifically in the section concerning the battle with the Nivātakavacas, in the episode of Arjuna’s encounter—ends the one hundred and sixty-fifth chapter. This closing colophon situates the narrative within its larger ethical frame: Arjuna’s divinely aided struggle against formidable adversaries is presented as part of a wider dharmic journey undertaken during exile, where discipline, courage, and right purpose are tested and affirmed.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse does not teach through direct instruction; it frames the episode within a dharmic narrative. The implied ethical emphasis is that righteous purpose, steadfast courage, and disciplined effort—especially during hardship like exile—are integral to the hero’s path and to the restoration of dharma.
This line marks the close of a chapter in the Vana Parva, identifying it as part of the Nivātakavaca battle section and connected with Arjuna’s encounter (samāgama). It functions as an editorial/narrative marker indicating where this unit of the story ends within the larger Mahābhārata.