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
Assim termina o capítulo cento e cinquenta e sete do Śānti Parva do Śrī Mahābhārata, dentro da seção Āpaddharma, no diálogo entre Pavana (o Vento) e a árvore Śālmalī. Este colofão assinala o encerramento do episódio de ensinamento e o situa no âmbito mais amplo da instrução de Bhīṣma sobre o dharma sob adversidade.
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).