Shloka 25
Adhyāya 290: Kuntī’s Mantra-Parīkṣā and the Appearance of Sūrya (कुन्ती–सूर्यसंवादः)
तांश्व तौ चाप्यदृश्य: स शरैरविव्याथ राक्षस:
tān śva tau cāpy adṛśyaḥ sa śarair avivyātha rākṣasaḥ
Then that rākṣasa, himself unseen, struck those two again with a shower of arrows—an act of stealth and aggression that heightens the moral contrast between concealed violence and open, righteous combat.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores an ethical tension central to the epic: violence carried out through concealment and deceit is portrayed as morally suspect when contrasted with straightforward, accountable combat aligned with dharma.
Markaṇḍeya describes a rākṣasa who remains unseen and nevertheless wounds the opposing pair by shooting arrows at them, escalating the danger through stealth.