Shloka 48

कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ४०

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

Devanagari script

गाम्भीरयद्धि समुद्रस्य न विशेषं हि सूतज । दिगम्बराम्भस: कर्ण समुद्रस्था विदुर्जना:

Transliteration

gāmbhīryaṃ yaddhi samudrasya na viśeṣaṃ hi sūtaja | digambarāmbhasaḥ karṇa samudrasthā vidur janāḥ ||

Translation

ഹംസം പറഞ്ഞു— “ഹേ സൂതപുത്രാ! സമുദ്രത്തിന്റെ ഗാംഭീര്യം പുറമേ പ്രത്യേക ഭേദം കാണിക്കില്ല. ഹേ കർണാ, യഥാർത്ഥത്തിൽ ‘സമുദ്ര-ഗംഭീരർ’ ആയവരെ ജനങ്ങൾ ദിഗംബരമായി, അലങ്കാരമില്ലാതെ തോന്നിയാലും തിരിച്ചറിയും—സമുദ്രത്തിനകത്തു നിലകൊള്ളുന്ന ജലത്തെപ്പോലെ.”

Word by Word

गाम्भीर्यात्from (its) depth

हिindeed/for

समुद्रस्यof the ocean

नnot

विशेषम्difference/distinction

हिindeed

सूतजO son of a charioteer (Suta-born)

दिगम्बराम्भसःof the sky-clad water (i.e., rainwater)

कर्णO Karna

समुद्रस्थाःbeing in the ocean / ocean-dwelling

विदुःknow

जनाःpeople

Speaker

हंस उवाच

Characters & Entities

ह

हंस (the Swan)

क

कर्ण (Karṇa)

स

समुद्र (ocean)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True worth and profundity are not measured by external signs—status, appearance, or ornamentation. Like the ocean’s depth, genuine greatness can be recognized by the discerning even when it is outwardly unadorned.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker identified as the Swan addresses Karṇa, using the ocean as a metaphor: depth has no obvious external marker, yet people can recognize what is truly profound. The remark implicitly challenges judgments based on Karṇa’s supposed low birth (sūtaja) and points to inner qualities.