Shloka 285
Karṇa-kuṇḍala-kavaca-jijñāsā; Kuntibhoja’s hospitality and Pṛthā’s appointment (कर्णकुण्डलकवचजिज्ञासा)
इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि रामोपाख्यानपर्वणि रामरावणद्वन्ड्युद्धे पज्चाशीत्यधिकद्वधिशततमो< ध्याय:,इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत वनपर्वके अन्तर्गत रामोपाख्यानपर्वमें रम-रावणद्वन्धयुद्धविषयक दो सौ पचासीवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi rāmopākhyānaparvaṇi rāma-rāvaṇa-dvandva-yuddhe pañcāśīty-adhika-dviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ |
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Vana Parva, in the section known as the Rāmopākhyāna (the episode of Rāma), the two-hundred-and-eighty-fifth chapter—describing the duel-battle between Rāma and Rāvaṇa—comes to its close. The colophon signals the completion of this unit of narration, framing the combat not merely as spectacle but as a morally charged confrontation where rightful order is asserted against destructive power.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse chiefly teaches how the epic frames events: the duel of Rāma and Rāvaṇa is presented as a dharmically significant confrontation, where the narrative emphasizes the restoration of rightful order over oppressive force.
This is the closing formula for the chapter: it announces that, within Vana Parva’s Rāmopākhyāna, the chapter dealing with the Rāma–Rāvaṇa duel-battle has concluded.