Shloka 256
Adhyāya 290: Kuntī’s Mantra-Parīkṣā and the Appearance of Sūrya (कुन्ती–सूर्यसंवादः)
स भृशं ताडयामास रावणिर्मायया5<वृत: । रावणकुमार अपनी मायासे आवृत होनेके कारण स्वयं किसीकी दृष्टिमें नहीं आता था; परंतु वह उन दोनों भाइयोंको तथा सम्पूर्ण वानरोंको भी निरन्तर अपने बाणोंद्वारा घायल कर रहा था
sa bhṛśaṃ tāḍayāmāsa rāvaṇir māyayāvṛtaḥ |
Markandeya said: Shrouded by his sorcery, Rāvaṇa’s son struck them fiercely again and again. Though he could not be seen, he kept wounding the two brothers and the entire host of vānaras with a relentless shower of arrows—an image of warfare where deceit and concealment amplify violence and test the warriors’ steadiness and discernment.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how māyā (deceptive concealment) can intensify harm in conflict, implying an ethical contrast between straightforward valor and covert aggression; it also underscores the need for steadiness and discernment when facing unseen or unfair threats.
Rāvaṇa’s son, hidden by magical illusion, becomes invisible to others and repeatedly attacks—wounding the two principal brothers and the vānaras with continuous volleys of arrows.