Shloka 78

Akṣa-hṛdaya-dāna and Phalāśruti of the Nalopākhyāna (अक्षहृदयदानम् / नलोपाख्यान-फलश्रुतिः)

Devanagari script

इति श्रीमहा भारते वनपर्वणि नलोपाख्यानपर्वणि पुष्करपरा भवपूर्वक॑ राज्यप्रत्यानयने अष्टसप्ततितमो<ध्याय:

Transliteration

iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi nalopākhyānaparvaṇi puṣkaraparā bhavapūrvakaṁ rājyapratyānayane aṣṭasaptatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ ശ്രീമഹാഭാരതത്തിലെ വനപർവത്തിലെ നലോപാഖ്യാനപർവത്തിൽ, പുഷ്കരന്റെ പരാജയം മുതലായ സംഭവങ്ങളെ തുടർന്ന് നളന്റെ രാജ്യം പുനഃപ്രാപിച്ചതിനെ വിവരിക്കുന്ന എഴുപത്തിയെട്ടാം അധ്യായം സമാപ്തം।

Word by Word

इतिthus; end-quote marker

श्रीin the venerable/auspicious (work)

महाभारतेin the Mahabharata

वनपर्वणिin the Vana-parvan (Forest Book)

नलोपाख्यानपर्वणिin the Nala-upakhyana section

पुष्करपराhaving Pushkara as the chief theme/culmination

भवपूर्वकम्preceded by/with the occurrence (of events) as prior

राज्यप्रत्यानयनेin the restoring/bringing back of the kingdom

अष्टसप्ततितमःseventy-eighth (ordinal)

अध्यायःchapter

Speaker

बृहदश्चव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mahābhārata

Vana Parva

Nala-upākhyāna

Puṣkara

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The colophon highlights the moral trajectory of the Nala narrative: unethical conduct and arrogance bring ruin, but endurance, correction of past faults, and alignment with dharma enable restoration—here symbolized by the recovery of rightful kingship.

What is happening in the narrative?

This is a concluding colophon for the chapter: it marks the end of the seventy-eighth adhyāya in the Vana Parva’s Nala episode, summarizing its focus on Pushkara and the subsequent restoration of the kingdom.