Shloka 49
Āstīka’s Commission and Approach to Janamejaya’s Sarpa-satra (आस्तीक-प्रेषणं यज्ञप्रवेशोपक्रमश्च)
इति श्रीमहाभारते आदिपर्वणि आस्तीकपर्वणि पारीक्षितीये एकोनपज्चाशत्तमो5 ध्याय:,इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत आदिपव॑के अन्तर्गत आस्तीकपर्वमें परीक्षित्-चरित्रविषयक उनचासवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti śrīmahābhārate ādiparvaṇi āstīkaparvaṇi pārīkṣitīye ekonapañcāśattamo 'dhyāyaḥ |
अशा प्रकारे श्रीमहाभारतातील आदिपर्वांतर्गत आस्तीकपर्वात, परीक्षित्-चरित्रविषयक एकोणपन्नासावा अध्याय समाप्त झाला।
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line is a colophon rather than a doctrinal verse: it teaches how the Mahābhārata self-identifies its internal divisions (parva, sub-parva, and chapter), emphasizing careful preservation, citation, and accountability in transmission of sacred narrative.
The narrative action pauses: the text formally marks that the forty-ninth chapter of the Ādi Parva—within the Āstīka Parva and the Parīkṣit-related section—has ended, preparing the reader/listener for the next chapter.