यक्षोपाख्यान-प्रवेशः
Entry into the Yakṣa-Lake Episode
इति श्रीमहा भारते वनपर्वणि पतिव्रतामाहात्म्यपर्वणि सावितऋयुपाख्याने चतुर्नवत्यधिकद्विशततमो<5ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi pativratāmāhātmyaparvaṇi sāvitrīyupākhyāne caturnavatyadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
“Như vậy kết thúc chương thứ 294 trong Vana Parva của Śrī Mahābhārata, thuộc mục Pativratā-māhātmya, trong tiểu truyện về Sāvitrī.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
The colophon signals that the surrounding narrative belongs to the ‘Pativratā-māhātmya’ and the ‘Sāvitrī-upākhyāna’, highlighting dharma through the ideal of steadfast virtue and devoted conduct, presented as an ethical exemplar within the epic.
This line is a formal chapter-ending colophon: it identifies the work (Mahābhārata), the book (Vana Parva), the internal section (glory of devoted wives), the embedded tale (Sāvitrī), and states the chapter number, marking the close of the chapter in Mārkaṇḍeya’s narration.