Shloka 35
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ४०
Karṇa’s Pressure on the Pāñcālas; Duryodhana Disabled; Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
अथ काका: प्रजहसुर्ये तत्रासन् समागता:
atha kākāḥ prajahasuḥ ye tatrāsan samāgatāḥ | haṃsasya patitaṃ kāko balavān āśu-vikramaḥ ||
عندئذٍ انفجر الغربان المجتمعون هناك ضحكًا عاليًا وقال بعضهم لبعض: «انظروا إلى هذا الإوزّ وقد أُذِلّ! كيف لإوزٍّ بضربة طيرانٍ واحدة أن يتفوّق على مئة ضربة؟ إنّ هذا الغراب قويٌّ سريع الحركة؛ فلذلك سيهزم طيران الإوزّ بواحدةٍ فقط من تلك المئة.»
हंस उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse cautions against judging worth solely by outward power or speed and against collective ridicule. The crows equate strength and quickness with superiority, illustrating how arrogance and group-think can misread true excellence and refinement.
A group of crows, having gathered at the spot, laugh at a swan they see as ‘fallen’ or humbled. They boast that a strong, swift crow can defeat the swan’s flight, dismissing the swan’s capacity to surpass many kinds of flights.