Shloka 305
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत वनपर्वके अन्तर्गत कुण्डलाहरणपर्वमें पथाको मन्त्रकी प्राप्तिविषयक तीन सौ पॉचवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraṁ śrīmahābhārate vanaparvake antargata-kuṇḍalāharaṇa-parvaṇi pathakā-mantrasya prāpti-viṣayakaḥ trī-śata-pañcamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ
Thus, in the revered Mahābhārata, within the Vana Parva, the three-hundred-and-fifth chapter of the Kuṇḍalāharaṇa episode—concerning the obtaining of the so-called “Pathakā” mantra—comes to its conclusion. The closing formula marks the completion of a narrative unit and signals the ethical weight of the episode: the acquisition of a mantra is treated not merely as information, but as a consequential attainment tied to discipline, intent, and rightful conduct.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
This verse functions as a colophon: it emphasizes that the acquisition of a mantra is a significant attainment and that chapters are structured as complete units of meaning. Implicitly, it frames sacred knowledge as something received through proper means and with ethical consequence.
The narrator signals the end of the 305th chapter within Vana Parva’s Kuṇḍalāharaṇa episode, specifically the portion dealing with the obtaining of the “Pathakā” mantra. It is a formal closure rather than a new narrative event.