Shloka 168
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
इति श्रीमहाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि आपद्धर्मपर्वणि कृतघ्नोपाख्याने अष्टषष्ट्यधिकशततमो< ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi āpaddharmaparvaṇi kṛtaghnopākhyāne aṣṭaṣaṣṭyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ |
Sa gayon, sa Śrī Mahābhārata, sa loob ng Śānti Parva—lalo na sa bahaging tumatalakay sa dharma sa panahon ng kagipitan (Āpaddharma Parva)—nagtatapos dito ang kabanatang tinatawag na “Salaysay ng Walang Utang-na-Loob,” bilang ika-168 kabanata. Ipinahihiwatig ng balangkas na ito ang pagsasara at binibigyang-diin ang babalang etikal laban sa kawalan ng pasasalamat, lalo na kapag sinusubok ang mga pasyang moral sa gitna ng paghihirap.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
This closing colophon frames the preceding instruction as an ethical exemplum: ingratitude (kṛtaghnatā) is a serious moral failing, and Āpaddharma discussions test how one preserves dharma even under pressure—especially by honoring benefactors and not betraying received good.
The verse is a formal end-of-chapter marker stating that the 168th chapter—centered on the ‘Kṛtaghna’ (Ungrateful) episode—has concluded within the Śānti Parva’s Āpaddharma section, in the larger Bhīṣma-to-Yudhiṣṭhira instruction cycle.