Shloka 59
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ४०
Karṇa’s Pressure on the Pāñcālas; Duryodhana Disabled; Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
स पक्षाभ्यां स्पृशन्नार्तस्तुण्डेन च महार्णवे । काको दृढपरिश्रान्त: सहसा निपपात ह,ऐसा कहकर अत्यन्त थका-मादा कौआ दोनों पाँखों और चोंचसे जलका स्पर्श करता हुआ सहसा उस महासागरमें गिर पड़ा। उस समय उसे बड़ी पीड़ा हो रही थी
sa pakṣābhyāṃ spṛśann ārtaḥ tuṇḍena ca mahārṇave | kāko dṛḍha-pariśrāntaḥ sahasā nipapāta ha ||
Dijo Śalya: «Dicho esto, el cuervo —afligido y completamente exhausto— rozaba el agua del gran océano con sus dos alas y su pico, y de pronto cayó en ella. En ese instante padecía un dolor intenso.»
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse cautions against arrogant overreach and blind persistence beyond one’s strength; ignoring limits leads to collapse and suffering rather than success.
Śalya describes a crow, worn out and in distress, barely touching the ocean’s water with wings and beak, then suddenly plunging into the great sea, suffering intensely—an illustrative example within his admonitory speech.