Shloka 176
इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि आजगरपर्वणि गन्धमादनप्रस्थाने षट्सप्तत्यधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi ājagaraparvaṇi gandhamādanaprasthāne ṣaṭsaptatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus ends the one-hundred-and-seventy-sixth chapter of the Vana Parva of the Śrī Mahābhārata—within the section known as the Ajagara episode—concerning the departure toward Gandhamādana. This closing formula marks the completion of a narrative unit and signals a transition to the next movement of the Pāṇḍavas’ forest journey, framing the episode within its ethical and spiritual context of endurance, restraint, and purposeful travel.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
This is a colophon (closing formula), not a teaching-verse; its function is to situate the episode within the Mahābhārata’s structure and to mark a transition. Indirectly, it reinforces the text’s ethical framing: episodes are presented as parts of a larger dharmic journey, where endurance and disciplined movement through exile lead to the next stage of responsibility.
The chapter concludes: the Ajagara-related episode within the Vana Parva is closed, and the narrative is oriented toward the Pāṇḍavas’ onward departure to Gandhamādana, preparing the reader for the next segment of the forest journey.