Shloka 279
Sāvitrī’s Trirātra-Vrata and Departure with Satyavān (सावित्रीव्रतनिश्चयः सहगमनं च)
इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि रामोपाख्यानपर्वणि कबन्धहनने एकोनाशीत्यधिकद्धिशततमो<5 ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi rāmopākhyānaparvaṇi kabandhahanane ekonāśītyadhika-dviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Vana Parva, in the section known as the Rāmopākhyāna, the chapter concerning the slaying of Kabandha concludes—this being the two-hundred-and-seventy-ninth chapter. The colophon marks the formal close of the episode, emphasizing the narrative’s moral arc: obstacles and distortions of life are overcome through steadfast courage and right action, clearing the way for the next stage of the quest.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse does not teach through direct instruction but by framing the episode’s ethical arc: steadfast valor and dharmic resolve remove monstrous impediments, enabling progress toward a righteous goal.
This is the chapter-ending colophon stating the textual location: in the Mahābhārata’s Vana Parva, within the Rāmopākhyāna section, the chapter on Kabandha’s slaying ends here, numbered as the 279th chapter.