Shloka 257
रावणोत्पत्तिः—तपसा वरलाभश्च
Rāvaṇa’s Origins and the Acquisition of Boons
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत वनपर्वके अन्तर्गत घोषयात्रापर्वमें युधिष्टिरकी चिन्तासे सम्बन्ध रखनेवाला दो सौ सत्तावनवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraḥ śrī-mahābhārate vana-parvaṇi antar-gate ghoṣa-yātrā-parvaṇi yudhiṣṭhirasya cintayā sambandhaṃ rakhnevalaḥ dvi-śata-saptapañcāśattamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ
Thus ends the 257th chapter of the Vana Parva of the sacred Mahabharata, within the Ghoṣa-yātrā sub-narrative, a section connected with Yudhiṣṭhira’s anxious reflections. The closing formula marks the completion of this unit, emphasizing the moral weight of the king’s inner concern as a thread of the episode.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The colophon highlights that Yudhiṣṭhira’s inner concern is ethically significant: a righteous ruler’s anxiety is not mere fear but reflective responsibility, signaling the moral seriousness with which dharma is weighed even amid hardship.
This is a concluding statement (chapter-ending colophon) announcing that the 257th chapter—within the Ghoṣa-yātrā episode of the Vana Parva—has been completed, and that its contents are connected to Yudhiṣṭhira’s चिंतā (anxious reflection).