Varṇāśrama-ācāra and Vikarma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry on Safe Dharmas (शिवधर्मप्रश्नः)
इति श्रीमहाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि राजधर्मानुशासनपर्वणि चतुराश्रमधर्मकथने एकषष्टितमो5ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi rājadharmānuśāsanaparvaṇi caturāśramadharmakathane ekaṣaṣṭitamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Assim, no Śrī Mahābhārata, dentro do Śānti Parva—em particular, na seção de instrução sobre o rājadharma—encerra-se o sexagésimo primeiro capítulo, que narra os deveres dos quatro āśramas (estágios da vida).
भीष्म उवाच
This line is a colophon marking the close of a chapter whose subject is caturāśrama-dharma—the ethical duties appropriate to the four stages of life—presented within Bhīṣma’s broader instruction on rājadharma (the king’s responsibilities).
The text signals the end of the sixty-first chapter in the Śānti Parva’s rājadharma instruction section. It functions as an editorial/structural closure rather than a spoken verse content, summarizing the chapter’s theme.