Shloka 259
चिरकारि-उपाख्यानम् / The Exemplum of Cirakārī: Deliberation Before Irreversible Action
इति श्रीमहाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि मोक्षधर्मपर्वणि धर्मलक्षणे एकोनषष्ट्यधिकद्वधिशततमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi mokṣadharmaparvaṇi dharmalakṣaṇe ekonaṣaṣṭyadhikadvīśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
இவ்வாறு ஸ்ரீமஹாபாரதத்தின் சாந்திபர்வத்தில், மோக்ஷதர்மப் பகுதியில், தர்மலட்சணத்தை உரைக்கும் இருநூற்று ஐம்பத்தொன்பதாம் அத்தியாயம் நிறைவுற்றது.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line is a colophon rather than a teaching verse: it signals that the preceding discourse has concluded and identifies its placement—Śānti Parva, Mokṣa-dharma section—and its topic, ‘the characteristics of dharma.’
The text is closing a chapter of Bhīṣma’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira. The colophon formally marks the end of the adhyāya and situates it within the larger structure of the Mahābhārata.