Shloka 71
Keśinī’s Inquiry to Bāhuka and the Emotional Signs of Concealed Identity (केशिन्याः बाहुकपरीक्षा)
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत वनपर्वके अन्तर्गत नलोपाख्यानपर्वमें ऋतुपर्णका विदर्भदिशमें गमनविषयक इकहतत्तरवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
Iti prakāraṃ Śrīmahābhārate Vanaparvaṇi antargate Nalopākhyānaparvaṇi Ṛtūparṇasya Vidarbhadiśi gamanaviṣayaka ekasaptatitamo ’dhyāyaḥ samāptaḥ.
Sa gayon nagwakas ang ikapitumpu’t isang kabanata ng salaysay ni Nala (Nalopākhyāna) sa loob ng Vana Parva ng Mahābhārata, na nagsasalaysay ng paglalakbay ni Haring Ṛtūparṇa patungo sa lupain ng Vidarbha. Ang pangwakas na pahayag na ito’y tanda ng paglipat ng daloy ng kuwento: ang sinadyang pag-usad ng hari ang naghahanda sa susunod na pag-ikot ng mga pangyayari, kung saan ang paninindigan, tungkulin, at bunga ng mga pasyang nagdaan ay patuloy na mahahayag.
ऋचुपर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse does not teach through direct instruction; it frames the ethical arc by marking a decisive journey. It highlights purposeful action (pravṛtti) in response to duty and circumstance, reminding the reader that choices and movement in the world carry consequences that shape the unfolding of dharma.
The text announces the completion of the seventy-first chapter of the Nalopākhyāna within the Vana Parva, specifically the portion about King Ṛtūparṇa’s departure and travel toward Vidarbha. It functions as a formal closure and signals the next narrative development.