Shloka 157
नृशंस-लक्षणनिर्णयः | Determining the Marks of Cruel Conduct
Nṛśaṃsa
इति श्रीमहाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि आपद्धर्मपर्वणि पवनशाल्मलिसंवादे सप्तपञठ्चाशदधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi āpaddharmaparvaṇi pavaṇaśālmalisaṃvāde saptapañcāśad-adhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Demikianlah berakhir bab ke-seratus lima puluh tujuh dalam Śānti Parva bagi Śrī Mahābhārata, dalam bahagian Āpaddharma, pada dialog antara Pavana (Angin) dan pohon Śālmalī. Kolofon ini menandai penutupan episod pengajaran itu, serta menempatkannya dalam rangka ajaran Bhīṣma yang lebih luas tentang dharma ketika menghadapi kesukaran.
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line is a colophon rather than a doctrinal verse: it frames the teaching as part of Āpaddharma—ethical conduct under crisis—delivered through the Pavana–Śālmali dialogue within Bhīṣma’s instruction. Its function is to locate and conclude the episode, emphasizing the Mahābhārata’s method of embedding dharma-teachings in illustrative dialogues.
The text signals the end of a chapter: the Pavana (Wind) and Śālmali (tree) dialogue has concluded, and the compiler’s closing formula identifies the work (Mahābhārata), the book (Śānti Parva), the subsection (Āpaddharma), and the chapter number (157th).