Shloka 16

Devanagari script

कुमारकास्तदा हंसान्‌ दृष्टवा काकमथाब्रुवन्‌

Transliteration

kumārakās tadā haṁsān dṛṣṭvā kākam athābruvan

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then the young ones, seeing the swans, spoke to the crow—setting up a contrast between noble conduct and base imitation in the midst of the tale.

Word by Word

• कुमारकाः: boys, young lads
• कुमारकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमारक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• हंसान्: swans
• हंसान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: हंस
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund), Non-finite

• काकम्: a crow
• काकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: काक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अथ: then, thereupon
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• अब्रुवन्: they said/spoke
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• kumārakāḥ (young ones)
• haṁsa (swans)
• kāka (crow)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse introduces an ethical contrast: the swan commonly represents refined discernment and purity, while the crow suggests coarseness; the youths’ address frames a lesson about recognizing and choosing higher conduct over base tendencies.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that some young boys, after noticing swans, turn and speak to a crow—an opening move that typically signals a brief illustrative exchange or moral comparison within the ongoing war-time narration.