Shloka 168
हिरण्यपुरवर्णन–रौद्रास्त्रप्रयोगः
Hiraṇyapura Described and the Deployment of the Raudra Weapon
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत वनपर्वके अन्तर्गत अर्जुनवाक्यविषयक एक सौ अड़सठवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraṃ śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi antargataṃ arjunavākyaviṣayakaṃ ekaśatāṣṭaṣaṣṭitamo 'dhyāyaḥ samāptaḥ
Thus ends the one hundred and sixty-eighth chapter of the Vana Parva of the Śrī Mahābhārata, a chapter centered on Arjuna’s words. The closing formula marks the completion of a narrative unit, formally attributing its focus to Arjuna’s speech and signaling a transition to what follows in the forest-episode sequence.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line is a colophon rather than a doctrinal verse; its function is to formally close a chapter and identify its subject as Arjuna’s speech, emphasizing textual order and faithful transmission rather than presenting a new ethical instruction.
The narrative unit has concluded: the editor’s/reciter’s closing formula announces that the chapter within the Vana Parva—focused on Arjuna’s words—has ended, preparing the reader for the next chapter.