Shloka 18
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ४०
Karṇa’s Pressure on the Pāñcālas; Duryodhana Disabled; Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
तान् सो$भिपत्य जिज्ञासु: क एषां श्रेष्ठभागिति
tān so’bhipatya jijñāsuḥ ka eṣāṃ śreṣṭhabhāg iti | tam ādadāya durbuddhiḥ patāv iti pakṣiṇam ||
Sañjaya berkata: Didorong rasa ingin tahu—“Siapakah antara mereka yang mendapat bahagian terbaik, yang paling utama?”—gagak yang bodoh itu pun terbang mendekati mereka. Dalam kalangan banyak angsa yang mampu terbang jauh, ia memilih seekor yang disangkanya paling unggul lalu mencabar: “Mari—kita berdua terbang bertanding!”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse critiques arrogance and shallow judgment: the crow, puffed up and lacking discernment, presumes it can challenge the best among the swans. It warns that pride without true merit leads to reckless rivalry and humiliation.
Sañjaya narrates an illustrative episode: a crow approaches a flock of swans to find the ‘best’ among them and then provocatively challenges that chosen swan to a flying contest.