Shloka 34
मनुष्या जगति श्रेष्ठा: पक्षिणां पतगेश्वर: | सरितां सागर: श्रेष्ठो गौर्वरिष्ठा चतुष्पदाम्
manuṣyā jagati śreṣṭhāḥ pakṣiṇāṃ patageśvaraḥ | saritāṃ sāgaraḥ śreṣṭho gaur variṣṭhā catuṣpadām ||
Sañjaya dit : «Parmi les êtres mobiles du monde, les hommes sont tenus pour les premiers ; parmi les oiseaux, Garuḍa, seigneur des ailés, est suprême ; parmi les rivières et les eaux, l’océan est réputé le plus grand ; et parmi les quadrupèdes, la vache est tenue pour la meilleure.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
It presents a conventional hierarchy of ‘the best’ within categories (humans, birds, waters, quadrupeds) to highlight exemplars and the duties implied by excellence—especially the ethical responsibility associated with being ‘foremost’.
Sañjaya is describing and classifying beings by traditional standards of supremacy, using well-known exemplars (Garuḍa, the ocean, the cow) as part of a broader discourse that contextualizes values and norms within the epic’s unfolding events.