शृङ्गिशापः—तक्षककाश्यपसंवादः (Śṛṅgī’s Curse and the Takṣaka–Kāśyapa Dialogue)
इति श्रीमहाभारते आदिपर्वणि आस्तीकपर्वणि वासुकिजरत्कारुसमागमे षट्चत्वारिंशो5ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate ādiparvaṇi āstīkaparvaṇi vāsuki-jaratkāru-samāgame ṣaṭcatvāriṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ
अशा प्रकारे श्रीमहाभारताच्या आदिपर्वातील आस्तीकपर्वात वासुकी-जरत्कारु समागमवर्णन करणारा छेचाळीसावा अध्याय समाप्त झाला.
तक्षक उवाच
Though this line is a colophon rather than dialogue, it frames a key ethical concern of the Āstīka narrative: safeguarding lineage and fulfilling dharma through timely action, especially when vows, curses, and ancestral obligations place a community at risk.
The text signals the conclusion of a chapter in the Āstīka section, specifically the episode concerning the meeting between Vāsuki (leader of the Nāgas) and the sage Jaratkāru—an encounter pivotal to arranging a marriage meant to avert a looming calamity for the Nāga lineage.