Shloka 287
Pṛthā’s Atithi-Sevā and the Gift of the Deva-Āhvāna Mantra (पृथायाः अतिथिसेवा तथा देवाह्वानमन्त्रप्रदानम्)
इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि रामोपाख्यानपर्वणि कुम्भकर्णादिवधे सप्ताशीत्यधिकद्धिशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi rāmopākhyānaparvaṇi kumbhakarṇādivadhe saptāśītyadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Vana Parva, in the section known as the Rāmopākhyāna, concludes the two-hundred-and-eighty-seventh chapter, describing the slaying of Kumbhakarṇa and others. The colophon signals the completion of this narrative unit, marking a transition point in the ethical arc of the Rāma story where the struggle against destructive power is framed as a necessary act in defense of righteousness and the protection of the world.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse does not teach through direct instruction; it frames the preceding events as part of a dharmic narrative where confronting violent, world-harming forces (symbolized by Kumbhakarṇa and others) is presented as a necessary duty in the protection of order and the innocent.
This line marks the close of a chapter in the Rāmopākhyāna embedded within the Vana Parva, specifically the portion recounting the slaying of Kumbhakarṇa and other foes. It functions as an editorial/narrative boundary rather than a spoken dialogue line.