Shloka 4536

कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ४०

Karṇa’s Pressure on the Pāñcālas; Duryodhana Disabled; Arjuna’s Counter-Advance

Devanagari script

द्वीपद्गुमानपश्यन्तं निपातार्थे श्रमान्वितम्‌ इधर कौआ थक गया था। उसे कहीं आश्रय लेनेके लिये द्वीप या वृक्ष नहीं दिखायी दे रहे थे; अतः उसके मनमें भय समा गया और वह घबराकर अचेत-सा हो उठा

Transliteration

dvīpadgumān apaśyantaṁ nipātārthe śramānvitam

Translation

Der Schwan sagte: „Vom Mühen erschöpft und auf der Suche nach einem Platz zum Landen sah er weder Insel noch Baum. Da kein Zufluchtsort in Sicht war, drang Furcht in seinen Geist, und in seiner Panik wurde er wie betäubt.“

Word by Word

• द्वीप: island
• द्वीप: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वीप
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• द्रुमान्: trees
• द्रुमान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रुम
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अपश्यन्तम्: not seeing
• अपश्यन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• निपात-अर्थे: for the purpose of alighting/descending (to rest)
• निपात-अर्थे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: निपातार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• श्रम-अन्वितम्: endowed with fatigue; weary
• श्रम-अन्वितम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रम + अन्वित
• Form: क्त (past passive participle) in अन्वित, Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

हंस उवाच

Characters & Entities

• haṁsa (the swan, speaker)
• dvīpa (island)
• druma/gumāna (tree)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When support and shelter seem absent, fear can overwhelm the mind; the ethical lesson is to recognize panic as a product of exhaustion and uncertainty, and to respond with steadiness and discernment rather than helplessness.

What is happening in the narrative?

The swan describes a being (contextually a bird) exhausted and looking for a place to land, but seeing no island or tree; the lack of refuge triggers fear, and the creature becomes dazed, setting up a moral illustration about distress and the need for guidance or shelter.