Shloka 259
Daśagrīva-boonāvaraṇa, Viṣṇv-avatāra-niyoga, Vānara-sahāya-janana, Mantharā-nirmāṇa
इति श्रीमहा भारते वनपर्वणि व्रीहिद्रौणिकपर्वणि दानदुष्करत्वक थने एकोनषष्ट्यधिकद्विशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi vrīhidrāuṇikaparvaṇi dānadūṣkaratvakathane ekonaṣaṣṭyadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the revered Mahābhārata, within the Vana Parva—specifically in the Vrīhidrauṇika sub-section—ends the chapter that treats the theme of how difficult true giving (dāna) can be. This is the two-hundred-and-fifty-ninth chapter (i.e., the 259th), marking the close of that narrative unit.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The colophon signals that the chapter’s ethical focus is on dāna—true giving—and emphasizes its duṣkaratva, the fact that genuine generosity is difficult because it tests attachment, intention, and righteousness rather than mere outward donation.
This line functions as a concluding colophon: it closes the chapter within Vana Parva, naming the sub-section (Vrīhidrauṇika) and the topic (the account concerning the difficulty of giving), and it states the chapter count in the traditional style.