Shloka 33
हंस उवाच शतमेकं च पातानां त्वं काक पतिता ध्रुवम्,पत त्वमपि ताम्राक्ष येन पातेन मन्यसे । हंस बोला--काग! तू अवश्य एक सौ एक उड़ानोंद्वारा उड़ सकता है। परंतु मैं तो जिस एक उड़ानको सारे पक्षी जानते हैं उसीसे उड़ सकता हूँ, दूसरी किसी उड़ानका मुझे पता नहीं है। लाल नेत्रवाले कौए? तू भी जिस उड़ानसे उचित समझे, उसीसे उड़
haṃsa uvāca śatam ekaṃ ca pātānāṃ tvaṃ kāka patitā dhruvam, pata tvam api tāmrākṣa yena pātena manyase |
The Swan said: “O crow, you are surely capable of a hundred and one kinds of flights. But I can fly only by that single manner of flight which all birds know; I know no other. O copper-eyed crow, you too may fly by whatever flight you deem proper.”
हंस उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights self-knowledge and restraint: one should not boast of many techniques or powers, but act within what one truly knows and can do; likewise, others may choose their own course, but wisdom lies in modest competence rather than display.
A swan addresses a crow, acknowledging the crow’s ability to perform many kinds of flight, while stating that the swan knows only the single common way of flying. The swan then tells the crow to fly by whatever method the crow considers appropriate—an instructive, slightly ironic counsel.