Shloka 251

धर्मलक्षण-प्रश्नः (Marks and Sources of Dharma) | Chapter 251: Inquiry into the Definition of Dharma

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत शान्तिपर्वके अन्तर्गत गोक्षधर्मपर्वमें शुकदेवका अनुप्रश्नविषयक दी सौ इक्यावनवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ

Transliteration

iti prakāreṇa śrī-mahābhārata-śānti-parva-antargata-gokṣa-dharma-parvaṇi śukadevasya anuprasna-viṣayakaḥ dvi-śata-eka-pañcāśattamaḥ adhyāyaḥ samāptaḥ

Translation

Demikianlah berakhir bab ke-251 dalam Śānti Parva bagi Śrī Mahābhārata, dalam bahagian Gokṣa-dharma, yang membicarakan pertanyaan susulan Śukadeva. Kolofon penutup ini menandai selesainya satu unit pengajaran, membingkai wacana sebagai penyelidikan dharma melalui rangkaian soal jawab dan penjelasan.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• प्रकारम्: manner, way
• प्रकारम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रकार
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• श्री: splendour; honorific 'Shri'
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• महाभारत: Mahabharata
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभारत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• शान्ति: in (the) Shanti (Parva)
• शान्ति: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शान्ति
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• पर्व: in the book/section (parva)
• पर्व: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्व
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• अन्तर्गत: included within
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्तर्गत
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• गोक्ष: in Goksha (name of a sub-parva/topic)
• गोक्ष: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• धर्म: in the Dharma (section/topic)
• धर्म: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• पर्व: in the sub-book (parva)
• पर्व: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्व
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• शुकदेव: of Shukadeva
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुकदेव
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• अनुप्रश्न: in (the topic of) follow-up questions
• अनुप्रश्न: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुप्रश्न
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• विषयक: concerning, pertaining to
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषयक
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• द्वि: two
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: द्वि

• शत: hundred
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• एक: one
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पञ्चाशत्: fifty
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चाशत्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• एक: one
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अध्याय: chapter
• अध्याय: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्याय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पूर्ण: completed, finished
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अभवत्: was (completed)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Imperfect, 3rd, Singular

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Śukadeva
• Mahābhārata
• Śānti Parva
• Gokṣa-dharma Parva

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse functions as a colophon rather than a doctrinal statement: it emphasizes the pedagogical method of dharma-teaching through disciplined inquiry (anuprasna), where understanding is refined by follow-up questions and structured completion of topics.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa signals the formal end of Adhyāya 251 in the Śānti Parva, specifying that this chapter belongs to the Gokṣa-dharma section and that its subject is Śukadeva’s follow-up questioning; it is an editorial/narrative closure marker.