Āśrama-dharma: Duties of the Four Life-Stages (आश्रमधर्मः)
इति श्रीमहाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि राजधर्मानुशासनपर्वणि वर्णाश्रमधर्मकथने षष्टितमो5 ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi rājadharmānuśāsanaparvaṇi varṇāśramadharmakathane ṣaṣṭitamo 'dhyāyaḥ |
Sa gayon, sa Śrī Mahābhārata, sa loob ng Śānti Parva—lalo na sa bahaging nagtuturo ng tungkulin ng hari—nagtatapos ang ikaanimnapung kabanata, na ang paksa ay ang pagpapaliwanag ng mga tungkulin ng varṇa at āśrama (mga kaayusang panlipunan at mga yugto ng buhay).
भीष्म उवाच
This verse functions as a colophon marking the completion of a chapter devoted to varṇāśrama-dharma within the broader instruction on rājadharma. The ethical emphasis is that governance and social order are framed through dharma, articulated via duties appropriate to social roles (varṇa) and life-stages (āśrama).
Bhīṣma’s discourse to Yudhiṣṭhira continues in the Śānti Parva. Here the text signals that the chapter on explaining varṇa- and āśrama-based duties has concluded, transitioning to the next unit of instruction.