Shloka 171
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत वनपर्वके अन्तर्गत निवातकवचयुद्धपर्वमें मायायुद्धविषयक एक सौ इकद्ठत्तरवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
Iti prakāraṁ Śrīmahābhārate Vanaparvake antargataṁ Nivātakavacayuddhaparvame māyāyuddhaviṣayaka ekaśataikāśītitamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ abhavat.
Thus ends the one hundred and seventy-first chapter on the theme of illusory warfare, within the Nivātakavaca battle episode of the Vana Parva of the revered Mahābhārata. The colophon signals the completion of this section, framing the preceding events as a moral and strategic contest where deception and supernatural stratagems are acknowledged as part of the battlefield’s complex ethical terrain.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the line primarily teaches how the epic frames and organizes its narrative: it marks the completion of a chapter focused on māyāyuddha (illusory or deceptive warfare), implicitly reminding readers that conflict may involve stratagems beyond straightforward force and that ethical judgment must account for complex means used in war.
This is an editorial/colophonic closing statement indicating that the 171st chapter—about the theme of illusory warfare—within the Nivātakavaca battle episode of the Vana Parva has concluded.