Shloka 22

Devanagari script

हंया ऊचु: वयं हंसाश्चरामेमां पृथिवीं मानसौकस: । पक्षिणां च वयं नित्यं दूरपातेन पूजिता:,हंसोंने कहा--काक! हम मानसरोवरनिवासी हंस हैं, जो सदा इस पृथ्वीपर विचरते रहते हैं। दूरतक उड़नेके कारण हमलोग सदा सभी पक्षियोंमें सम्मानित होते आये हैं

Transliteration

haṁsā ūcuḥ—vayaṁ haṁsāś carāma imāṁ pṛthivīṁ mānasaukasaḥ | pakṣiṇāṁ ca vayaṁ nityaṁ dūrapātena pūjitāḥ ||

Translation

The swans said: “O crow, we are swans who dwell at Lake Mānasa (Mānasarovara). We roam over this earth, and among birds we have long been held in honor, for we can fly far.”

Word by Word

हंसाःswans

ऊचुःsaid

वयम्we

हंसाःswans

चरामःwe roam / we move about

इमाम्this

पृथिवीम्earth

मानस-ओकसःdwelling in (having as abode) Manasa (lake)

पक्षिणाम्of birds

चand

वयम्we

नित्यम्always

दूरपातेनby (our) far flight / long range of flight

पूजिताःhonored / revered

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Haṁsāḥ (swans)

Kāka (crow)

Mānasa/Mānasarovara

Pṛthivī (earth)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how social honor can arise from a perceived excellence (here, the swans’ ability to fly far), while also hinting at the ethical risk of pride based on status or reputation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In a framed dialogue narrated by Sañjaya, the swans introduce themselves to a crow, identifying their home as Mānasarovara and asserting their long-standing respect among birds due to their far-ranging flight.