Shloka 19
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ४०
Karṇa’s Pressure on the Pāñcālas; Duryodhana Disabled; Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
उच्छिष्टदर्पित: काको बहूनां दूरपातिनाम् । तेषां यं प्रवरं मेने हंसानां दूरपातिनाम्
ucchiṣṭadarpitaḥ kāko bahūnāṁ dūrapātinām | teṣāṁ yaṁ pravaraṁ mene haṁsānāṁ dūrapātinām ||
Sañjaya berkata: Gagak yang membusung angkuh setelah memakan sisa-sisa itu berada di tengah banyak burung yang mampu terbang jauh. Dalam pergaulan itu ia menyangka dirinya yang terunggul—seolah-olah setara, bahkan mengatasi angsa-angsawan yang terbang jauh. Bait ini menyampaikan teladan yang tajam: keuntungan kecil dan keyakinan pinjaman mudah melahirkan kesombongan; namun keunggulan sejati diukur oleh kemampuan asal dan disiplin, bukan oleh laba sesaat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns against arrogance born of trivial or borrowed advantage: a person of lesser capacity may become conceited after small gains and then misjudge themselves among the truly excellent. Real superiority is proven by intrinsic merit, sustained discipline, and tested capability.
Sañjaya employs a metaphor: a crow, emboldened by feeding on leftovers, enters the company of far-flying birds and imagines itself the foremost among them—especially among swans. The image functions as a moral comparison within the war narrative, criticizing inflated self-estimation.