Shloka 39
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ४०
Karṇa’s Pressure on the Pāñcālas; Duryodhana Disabled; Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
विसिस्मापयिषु: पातैराचक्षाणो55त्मन: क्रिया: । अथ काकस्य चित्राणि पतितानि मुहुर्मुहु:
visismāpayiṣuḥ pātair ācakṣāṇo ’tmanaḥ kriyāḥ | atha kākasya citrāṇi patitāni muhur muhuḥ ||
Angsa berkata: “Kerana ingin menghairankan orang lain dengan ‘kehebatannya’, dia asyik menghebahkan perbuatannya sendiri. Namun kemudian, berkali-kali, perhiasan yang mencolok pada gagak itu pun gugur.” Dalam maksud dharma, bait ini menegaskan pertentangan antara kesombongan yang suka mengiklankan diri dan terbongkarnya hiasan pinjaman yang dangkal; nilai sejati tidak bergantung pada pertunjukan, dan kepura-puraan akan runtuh apabila diuji berulang kali.
हंस उवाच
Educational Q&A
Boastful self-display and borrowed splendor are unstable: when one relies on outward show and self-praise rather than genuine merit, repeated trials expose the pretense, and the ‘ornaments’ of reputation fall away.
The Swan narrates how the crow, trying to impress others with flashy aerial feats and by advertising his own deeds, is repeatedly embarrassed when his colorful adornments/gaudy trappings keep falling off.