Shloka 177
Adhyāya 179 — Bharadvāja’s Reductionist Inquiry into Jīva and Pañcabhūta Dissolution
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत शान्तिपर्वके अन्तर्गत मोक्षधर्मपर्वमें मद्किगीताविषयक एक सौ सतहत्तरवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraṃ śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvake antargata mokṣadharmaparvaṇi madgītāviṣayaka ekaśata-saptasaptatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ
ดังนี้ ในศรีมหาภารตะ ปรพะศานติ ภาคโมกษธรรม บทว่าด้วยมทคีตา บทที่หนึ่งร้อยเจ็ดสิบเจ็ด ได้สิ้นสุดลงแล้ว
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
This line is a colophon rather than a doctrinal verse: it marks the completion of a chapter within Mokṣadharma, a section devoted to teachings on dharma that culminate in liberation (mokṣa). Its function is to frame and authenticate the textual unit, indicating that the preceding discourse—attributed to Bhīṣma—belongs to a liberation-oriented ethical and spiritual instruction.
The narrative voice signals closure: within the Śānti Parva’s Mokṣadharma portion, the chapter identified as dealing with the ‘Madgītā’ topic has concluded. In the broader Śānti Parva setting, Bhīṣma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira; here the editor’s colophon simply announces the end of that specific chapter.