Shloka 17
वे सभी नरश्रेष्ठ कवच बाँध एवं कमर कसकर धनुष लिये आश्रमसे दौड़े और ब्राह्मणकी कार्यसिद्धिके लिये प्रयलमशील होकर तीव्र गतिसे मृगका पीछा करने लगे ।। कर्णिनालीकनाराचानुत्सूजन्तो महारथा: । नाविध्यन् पाण्डवास्तत्र पश्यन्तो मृगमन्तिकात्,कुछ दूर जानेपर उन्हें वह मृग अपने पास ही दिखायी दिया। तब वे महारथी पाण्डव कर्णि, नालीक और नाराच नामक बाण उसपर छोड़ने लगे; किंतु वे देखते हुए भी वहाँ उस मृगको बींध न सके
vaiśampāyana uvāca | te sarve naraśreṣṭhāḥ kavacaṃ baddhvā kaṭiṃ baddhvā dhanuḥ gṛhītvā āśramāt pradrutāḥ, brāhmaṇasya kāryasiddhaye prayatnaśīlāḥ san tīvraṃ vegena mṛgasya pṛṣṭhato jagmuḥ || karṇinālīkanārācān utsṛjantaḥ mahārathāḥ | nāvidhyan pāṇḍavās tatra paśyanto mṛgam antikāt || dūraṃ gatvā tu teṣāṃ sa mṛgaḥ samīpeva dṛśyate sma; tataḥ te mahārathāḥ pāṇḍavāḥ karṇi-nālīka-nārāca-nāmānaḥ śarān tasmin mumucuḥ, kintu paśyanta eva tatra taṃ mṛgaṃ na vyadhyan ||
Vaiśampāyana said: All those foremost of men, having fastened on their armor and tightened their girdles, took up their bows and rushed out from the hermitage. Striving to accomplish the Brahmin’s purpose, they pursued the deer at great speed. Then those great chariot-warriors, the Pāṇḍavas, loosed karṇi-, nālīka-, and nārāca-arrows; yet, though the deer appeared close before their very eyes, they could not pierce it. After they had gone some distance, the deer still seemed to remain near them; and again they shot, but even while seeing it clearly, they failed to strike—suggesting a deceptive, uncanny quarry and foreshadowing that mere martial prowess does not always secure a righteous aim.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one acts with righteous intent—here, to fulfill a Brahmin’s request—success is not guaranteed by strength alone. The verse highlights the ethical impulse (service and duty) while hinting that unseen forces (deception/illusion) can obstruct action, urging discernment and perseverance rather than mere reliance on prowess.
The Pāṇḍavas, fully armed, rush out from the hermitage to chase a deer for the sake of a Brahmin’s objective. Though the deer appears close, they repeatedly shoot various kinds of arrows (karṇi, nālīka, nārāca) and yet cannot wound it, suggesting the quarry is uncanny or protected and setting up the next development in the episode.