Shloka 97
Adhyāya 96: Nārada Guides Mātali in Varuṇa’s Realm
Varuṇa-loka Darśana
इति श्रीमहाभारते उद्योगपर्वणि भगवद्यानपर्वणि मातलिवरान्वेषणे सप्तनवतितमो<5ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate udyogaparvaṇi bhagavadyānaparvaṇi mātalivarānveṣaṇe saptanavatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Demikianlah, dalam Śrī Mahābhārata, di dalam Udyoga Parva, pada bahagian mengenai misi Tuhan (Bhagavad-yāna), dalam episod pencarian sais kereta yang unggul, Mātali—berakhirlah bab yang kesembilan puluh tujuh. Kolofon ini menandai penutupan satu unit naratif yang membingkai tindakan berlandaskan dharma dan nasihat menjelang perang.
कण्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line is a colophon rather than a didactic verse; its function is to mark textual closure and locate the chapter within the Mahābhārata’s larger ethical narrative—preparations, counsel, and duty (dharma) as the conflict approaches.
The statement announces the end of the ninety-seventh chapter in the Udyoga Parva, specifically within the Bhagavad-yāna section, and identifies the episode-theme as the search for the excellent Mātali.