Shloka 156
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ४०
Karṇa’s Pressure on the Pāñcālas; Duryodhana Disabled; Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
गरुडस्य गतौ तुल्याश्षक्राड़ा हृष्टचेतस: । एक दिनकी बात है, उस समुद्रके तटपर गरुड़के समान लंबी उड़ानें भरनेवाले मानसरोवरनिवासी राजहंस आये। उनके अंगोंमें चक्रके चिह्न थे और वे मन-ही-मन बहुत प्रसन्न थे
sañjaya uvāca | garuḍasya gatau tulyāḥ śakrāḍā hṛṣṭacetasaḥ | ekadinakī bāta hai, us samudrake taṭapara garuḍake samāna lambī uḍāneṃ bharanevāle mānasarovaranivāsī rājahamsa āye | unke aṅgoṃ meṃ cakrake cihna the aura ve man-hī-man bahuta prasanna the |
गरुडस्य गतौ तुल्याः चक्राङ्काः हृष्टचेतसः। कदाचित् सागरतीरे मानसरोवरनिवासिनो राजहंसाः समाययुः; गरुडगत्याः दीर्घपतनगमनैः, अङ्गेषु चक्रचिह्नैः, अन्तःप्रहृष्टमानसाः॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses auspicious natural symbolism—royal swans likened to Garuḍa and bearing cakra-marks—to suggest the arrival of a pure, elevated influence. In the Mahābhārata’s war setting, such imagery often functions ethically as a reminder that signs of dharmic order and higher purpose can appear even amid violence, inviting discernment rather than mere despair.
Sañjaya narrates that, on a certain day, royal swans from Mānasarovara arrive at the seashore, flying with Garuḍa-like speed and making long flights. They bear wheel-like emblems on their limbs and are inwardly joyful, indicating an auspicious or significant occurrence being introduced into the episode.