Shloka 50

कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ४०

Karṇa’s Pressure on the Pāñcālas; Duryodhana Disabled; Arjuna’s Counter-Advance

Devanagari script

अतिक्रम्य च चक्राड़: काक॑ तं समुदैक्षत

Transliteration

atikramya ca cakrāḍaḥ kākaṃ taṃ samudaikṣata

Translation

ເມື່ອກ້າວຂ້າມຂອບວົງລໍ້ໄປແລ້ວ ກາກກໍຈ້ອງມອງເຂົາຢ່າງໃກ້ຊິດ ດັ່ງຈະຊັ່ງນ້ຳໜັກວ່າມີຫຍັງຢູ່ພົ້ນຂອບເຂດທີ່ຕົນພຶ່ງລ່ວງຂ້າມ—ເປັນຄວາມຢາກຮູ້ທີ່ຫຸນຫັນ ແລະຊີ້ເຖິງອັນຕະລາຍແຫ່ງການລ່ວງເກີນຂອບເຂດ.

Word by Word

• अतिक्रम्य: having overstepped / having crossed
• Type: Verb
• Root: अति-क्रम्
• Form: ल्यप् (क्त्वा-प्रत्ययार्थे), कर्तरि, पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (absolutive/gerund)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• चक्रात्: from the wheel / from the discus
• चक्रात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• काकः: the crow
• काकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: काक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• समुदैक्षत: looked up at / looked upon
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उद्-ईक्ष्
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपद, 3rd, Singular

Speaker

हंस उवाच

Characters & Entities

• हंस (Haṃsa, the swan—speaker)
• काक (Kāka, the crow)
• चक्र (Cakra, wheel/its rim as an object or boundary)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse suggests an ethical warning: crossing a boundary (atikrama) out of impulsive curiosity can lead to moral or practical danger; careful discernment should precede stepping beyond established limits.

What is happening in the narrative?

In a didactic exchange attributed to the swan (haṃsa), the crow is described as having crossed the wheel’s edge/boundary and then staring intently—portraying a moment of transgressive action followed by scrutiny, as if assessing consequences or seeking advantage.