Shloka 188
Adhyāya 189: Japa—Inquiry into the Jāpaka, Method
Vidhi), and Fruit (Phala
इति श्रीमहाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि मोक्षधर्मपर्वणि भूगुभरद्वाजसंवादे वर्णविभागकथने अष्टाशीत्यधिकशततमो< ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi mokṣadharmaparvaṇi bhṛgu-bharadvāja-saṃvāde varṇa-vibhāga-kathane aṣṭāśīty-adhika-śatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
इति श्रीमहाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि मोक्षधर्मपर्वणि भृगु-भरद्वाजसंवादे वर्णविभागकथनेऽष्टाशीत्यधिकशततमोऽध्यायः समाप्तः।
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
This verse is a colophon marking the end of a chapter whose theme is varṇa-vibhāga (the classification of social orders) within Mokṣa-dharma. Its ethical context is that discussions of social duty and identity are framed as part of a larger inquiry into dharma and ultimately liberation (mokṣa).
The text signals the conclusion of the discourse: within the Śānti Parva’s Mokṣa-dharma section, the dialogue between the sages Bhṛgu and Bharadvāja has completed a chapter explaining varṇa divisions; the chapter count is given as the 188th.