Shloka 173
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत द्रोणपर्वके अन्तर्गत घटोत्कचवधपर्वमें रात्रियुद्धके समय 'घटोत्कचको भगवान्का प्रोत्साहन देना' विषयक एक सौ तिहतत्तरवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
Iti prakāraṁ Śrīmahābhārate Droṇaparvake antargata Ghaṭotkacavadhaparvaṇi rātriyuddhasamaye “Ghaṭotkacaṁ bhagavatā protsāhana-dānam” viṣayaka ekaśata-trisaptatitamo ’dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ.
सञ्जय उवाच—एवं श्रीमहाभारते द्रोणपर्वणि घटोत्कचवधपर्वणि रात्रियुद्धसमये ‘घटोत्कचस्य भगवत्प्रोत्साहनम्’ इति विषयकः त्रिसप्तत्यधिकशततमोऽध्यायः समाप्तः।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The colophon highlights how, in extreme conditions like a night battle, morale and resolve become decisive, and the epic frames such resolve as strengthened by a higher power (“the Lord’s encouragement”). Ethically, it points to the tension between dharma and the necessities of war, where divine support is portrayed as operating within a tragic, consequential battlefield.
This is a chapter-ending statement (colophon) spoken by Sañjaya, marking the completion of the 173rd chapter within the Droṇa Parva’s Ghaṭotkaca-vadha section, set during the night fighting. It identifies the chapter’s topic as the Lord encouraging Ghaṭotkaca.