Shloka 48
Arjuna’s Approach, Drona’s Recognition, and the Turning of the Cattle (अर्जुनागमनम्, द्रोणवाक्यम्, गोगमनिवृत्तिः)
इति श्रीमहाभारते विराटपर्वणि गोहरणपर्वणि उत्तरगोग्रहे कर्णविकत्थने अष्टचत्वारिंशो5ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate virāṭaparvaṇi goharaṇaparvaṇi uttaragograhe karṇavikatthane aṣṭacatvāriṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus ends the forty-eighth chapter of the Virāṭa Parva in the Śrī Mahābhārata—within the episode of the cattle-raid—at the section concerning the seizure of Uttara’s cattle and Karṇa’s boastful speech. The colophon signals a transition: Karṇa’s self-assertion and martial pride frame the ethical tension of the raid, where honor, duty, and the consequences of aggression are about to be tested in action.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The colophon highlights a moral contrast central to the cattle-raid episode: boastful confidence and aggressive intent (Karṇa’s vaunting) stand against the deeper demands of dharma—restraint, rightful conduct in conflict, and accountability for initiating harm.
This is a chapter-ending colophon. It marks that the narrative segment dealing with the cattle-raid—specifically the seizure of Uttara’s cattle and Karṇa’s boastful speech—has concluded, setting up the next movement of the story where the raid’s challenge is met and its consequences unfold.