Shloka 163

Aśvatthāmā’s Lamentation, Vow of Retaliation, and the Manifestation of the Nārāyaṇāstra (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६६)

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ााभारत द्रोणपर्वके अन्तर्गत घटोत्कचवधपर्वमें यात्रियुद्धके अवसरपर प्रदीपोंका प्रकाशविषयक एक सौ तिरसठवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ

Transliteration

Iti prakāraṃ śrīmahābhārata droṇaparvake antargata ghaṭotkacavadhaparvaṇi yātriyuddhasya avasare pradīpānāṃ prakāśaviṣayaka ekaśatatriṃśattamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ.

Translation

ଏହିପରି ଶ୍ରୀମହାଭାରତର ଦ୍ରୋଣପର୍ବାନ୍ତର୍ଗତ ଘଟୋତ୍କଚବଧପର୍ବରେ ରାତ୍ରିଯୁଦ୍ଧ ଅବସରରେ ପ୍ରଦୀପମାନଙ୍କ ଆଲୋକବିଷୟକ ଏକଶେ ତିରସଠିତମ ଅଧ୍ୟାୟ ସମାପ୍ତ ହେଲା।

Word by Word

इतिthus; end-quotation marker

प्रकारेणin this manner; by this way

श्रीमहाभारतेin the (holy) Mahabharata

द्रोणपर्वणिin the Drona Parva

अन्तर्गतेincluded; contained (within)

घटोत्कचवधपर्वणिin the section (parvan) on the slaying of Ghatotkacha

यात्रियुद्धस्यof the night-battle (yātrī-yuddha)

अवसरेon the occasion; at the time

प्रदीपानाम्of lamps

प्रकाशविषयकःconcerning the light/illumination

एकशतत्रिषष्टितमःone-hundred-sixty-third

अध्यायःchapter

सम्पूर्णःcompleted; finished

अभवत्was; became

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Śrī Mahābhārata

Droṇa Parva

Ghaṭotkaca

pradīpa (lamps)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

As a colophon, the verse does not teach through direct instruction; it frames the episode ethically by highlighting the conditions of night warfare—illumination and visibility—implying that even in chaos, combat is evaluated through norms of discernment, order, and accountability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya signals the completion of a chapter in the Drona Parva, within the Ghaṭotkaca-slaying section, specifically noting that this chapter concerned the illumination of lamps during a night battle.