Shloka 241
धृतराष्ट्रस्य क्रतु-प्रवर्तनम् तथा पाण्डवानां निमन्त्रण-प्रतिवचनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Sacrifice Commences and the Pandavas’ Reply to the Invitation
इति श्रीमहा भारते वनपर्वणि घोषयात्रापर्वणि कर्णपराभवे एकचत्वारिंशदधिकद्विशततमो<5ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi ghoṣayātrāparvaṇi karṇaparābhave ekacatvāriṃśadadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the revered Mahābhārata, within the Vana Parva, in the section concerning the Ghoṣa-yātrā (the cattle-camp expedition), concludes the two-hundred-and-forty-first chapter, titled “The Defeat of Karṇa.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line is a colophon rather than a didactic verse: it marks the closure of a chapter and situates it within the Mahābhārata’s larger architecture. Its ethical value is indirect—reminding the reader that episodes (such as Karṇa’s setback) are framed as parts of a broader narrative where actions and consequences are tracked across time.
The text is announcing the end of the chapter in the Vana Parva, within the Ghoṣa-yātrā section, whose theme is “Karṇa’s defeat.” It functions as an editorial/narrative boundary marker rather than describing events in detail.