Shloka 18

Devanagari script

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

Transliteration

teṣāṃ prayatamānānāṃ nādṛśyata mahāmṛgaḥ | apaśyanto mṛgaṃ śāntā duḥkhaṃ prāptā manasvinaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: Dẫu họ gắng sức đến mức khốc liệt, con nai lớn ấy cũng không còn thấy nữa—nó biến mất khỏi tầm mắt. Không tìm được con vật, những anh hùng kiên nghị ấy bị chặn đứng nhiệt huyết, rơi vào buồn khổ và sầu não.

Word by Word

तेषाम्of them

प्रयतमानानाम्of those striving/endeavouring

नnot

अदृश्यतwas seen / appeared

महामृगःthe great deer

अपश्यन्तःnot seeing

मृगम्the deer

शान्ताःcalm / composed

दुःखम्sorrow

प्राप्ताःhaving obtained / having met with

मनस्विनःhigh-minded, resolute

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

mahāmṛga (great deer)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.