Shloka 24

Adhyāya 290: Kuntī’s Mantra-Parīkṣā and the Appearance of Sūrya (कुन्ती–सूर्यसंवादः)

Devanagari script

तमदृश्यं विचिन्वन्त: सृजन्तमनिशं शरान्‌

Transliteration

tam adṛśyaṃ vicinvantaḥ sṛjantam aniśaṃ śarān

Translation

Auf der Suche nach dem Unsichtbaren hielten sie dennoch nach ihm Ausschau, während er unablässig Pfeile entsandte—ein Bild unerbittlichen Kampfes, in dem die Wahrnehmung versagt, doch Mühe und Wachsamkeit nicht nachlassen.

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अदृश्यम्: invisible
• अदृश्यम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अदृश्य
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• विचिन्वन्तः: searching for
• विचिन्वन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + चि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, शतृ (present active participle)

• सृजन्तम्: shooting/letting fly
• सृजन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: सृज्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular, शतृ (present active participle)

• अनिशम्: constantly, without pause
• अनिशम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनिशम्

• शरान्: arrows
• शरान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• an unseen combatant (tam adṛśyam)
• arrows (śarāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when the truth or the opponent is not directly visible, one must not abandon effort; steadiness and alertness are portrayed as essential virtues amid uncertainty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Markandeya describes fighters trying to locate an unseen figure, while that figure continues without pause to shoot arrows, intensifying the tension of a battle where visibility and certainty are compromised.