Shloka 18
तेषां प्रयतमानानां नादृश्यत महामृगः । अपश्यन्तो मृगं शान्ता दुःखं प्राप्ता मनस्विन:,घोर प्रयत्न करनेपर भी वह महामृग उनके हाथ न लगा; सहसा अदृश्य हो गया। मृगको न देखकर वे मनस्वी वीर हतोत्साह और दुःखी हो गये
teṣāṃ prayatamānānāṃ nādṛśyata mahāmṛgaḥ | apaśyanto mṛgaṃ śāntā duḥkhaṃ prāptā manasvinaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Though they strove with grim effort, that great deer was no longer to be seen—it vanished from their sight. When they could not find the animal, those resolute heroes, their ardor checked, fell into distress and sorrow.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the limits of human effort: even intense striving may fail when circumstances (or a higher design) remove the object of pursuit. Ethically, it points to steadiness of mind—one should not let frustration and grief overpower discernment when outcomes slip beyond control.
The group pursuing a remarkable deer exerts themselves strongly, but the animal suddenly becomes unseen. Unable to find it, the otherwise resolute men lose momentum and become distressed.