Shloka 413
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ४०
Karṇa’s Pressure on the Pāñcālas; Duryodhana Disabled; Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
कुर्वाणा विविधान् रावानाशंसन्तो जयं तथा । वे दो-दो घड़ीपर बारंबार उड़-उड़कर कहते--'देखो, कौएकी यह उड़ान, वह उड़ान'। ऐसा कहकर वे हंसोंका उपहास करते और उन्हें कटु वचन सुनाते थे। साथ ही कौएकी विजयके लिये शुभाशंसा करते और भाँति-भाँतिकी बोली बोलते हुए वे कभी वृक्षोंकी शाखाओंसे भूतलपर और कभी भूतलसे वृक्षोंकी शाखाओंपर नीचे-ऊपर उड़ते रहते थे
kurvāṇā vividhān rāvān āśaṃsanto jayaṃ tathā |
The crows, uttering many kinds of harsh cries, again and again proclaimed victory for their own side. Time after time they flew up and down, jeering, “Look—this crow’s flight, that crow’s flight!” Thus they mocked the swans and assailed them with bitter words. Yet even as they did so, they offered auspicious wishes for the crows’ triumph, chattering in many tones while darting from tree-branches down to the ground and from the ground back up to the branches—restless, noisy, and intent on humiliating the noble.
हंस उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage criticizes harsh, mocking speech and the delight taken in humiliating others. It implies that noisy self-congratulation and ridicule are signs of poor character, whereas dignity and discernment (symbolized by the swan) should not be shaken by such taunts.
A group of crows repeatedly caw and move restlessly between branches and the ground, boasting about their own ‘flight’ and wishing victory for themselves. In doing so, they mock the swans and speak bitterly to them, turning the scene into a display of derision and factional triumphalism.