Shloka 51
अध्याय ५५ — भीष्मस्य प्रचण्डविक्रमः, अर्जुनप्रत्युत्तरं, कृष्णस्य चक्रोद्यतिः
Chapter 55: Bhīṣma’s onslaught, Arjuna’s counter, and Kṛṣṇa’s raised discus
इति श्रीमहा भारते भीष्मपर्वणि भीष्मवधपर्वणि कौरवव्यूहरचनायामेकपज्चाशत्तमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate bhīṣmaparvaṇi bhīṣmavadhaparvaṇi kauravavyūharacanāyām ekapañcāśattamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Sa gayon nagwakas ang ikalimampu’t isang kabanata sa Bhīṣma Parva ng Śrī Mahābhārata, sa loob ng bahaging tumatalakay sa pagbagsak ni Bhīṣma, sa salaysay tungkol sa pagsasaayos ng hanay-pandigma ng mga Kaurava. Ang kolopon na ito’y hudyat ng paglipat: sa pormal na pag-aayos ng mga hukbo, inilalatag ang bigat na etikal ng digmaan at ang nalalapit na pagbagsak ng kagalang-galang na si Bhīṣma.
(संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse does not teach through direct instruction; it frames the ethical weight of the war narrative by formally marking the episode: the deliberate organization of violence (vyūha-racanā) and the impending fall of Bhīṣma, a figure associated with duty, vows, and tragic righteousness.
This is an end-of-chapter marker stating that the account has reached the conclusion of a chapter within Bhīṣma Parva, specifically in the portion dealing with Bhīṣma’s fall and the description of the Kauravas’ battle-array. It signals closure of one unit of narration and prepares the listener/reader for the next development.