Shloka 172
इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि निवातकवचयुद्धपर्वणि निवातकवचयुद्धे द्विसप्तत्यधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi nivātakavacayuddhaparvaṇi nivātakavacayuddhe dvisaptatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Vana Parva—specifically in the sub-section concerning the battle with the Nivātakavacas—ends the one-hundred-and-seventy-second chapter. This is a colophon-style closing line that frames the narrative as part of a larger ethical history, marking the completion of a unit of the Arjuna-centered conflict episode.
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line is not a doctrinal verse but a structural colophon. Its value is in showing how the Mahābhārata organizes moral history into named sections and chapters, emphasizing that events like warfare are presented within a framed narrative meant for reflection on duty, consequence, and righteous conduct.
The text is marking the end of a chapter within the Vana Parva, in the episode describing the battle with the Nivātakavacas. It functions as a formal closure, indicating that the preceding narrative unit has concluded.