Shloka 50

कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ४०

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

Devanagari script

अतिक्रम्य च चक्राड़: काक॑ तं समुदैक्षत

Transliteration

atikramya ca cakrāḍaḥ kākaṃ taṃ samudaikṣata

Translation

Vượt qua vành bánh xe, con quạ bèn nhìn chòng chọc vào chàng, như để dò xét điều gì nằm ngoài ranh giới mà nó vừa bước qua—một thứ tò mò hấp tấp, hàm chứa hiểm họa của việc vượt quá giới hạn.

Word by Word

• अतिक्रम्य: having overstepped / having crossed
• Type: Verb
• Root: अति-क्रम्
• Form: ल्यप् (क्त्वा-प्रत्ययार्थे), कर्तरि, पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (absolutive/gerund)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• चक्रात्: from the wheel / from the discus
• चक्रात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• काकः: the crow
• काकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: काक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• समुदैक्षत: looked up at / looked upon
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उद्-ईक्ष्
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपद, 3rd, Singular

Speaker

हंस उवाच

Characters & Entities

• हंस (Haṃsa, the swan—speaker)
• काक (Kāka, the crow)
• चक्र (Cakra, wheel/its rim as an object or boundary)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse suggests an ethical warning: crossing a boundary (atikrama) out of impulsive curiosity can lead to moral or practical danger; careful discernment should precede stepping beyond established limits.

What is happening in the narrative?

In a didactic exchange attributed to the swan (haṃsa), the crow is described as having crossed the wheel’s edge/boundary and then staring intently—portraying a moment of transgressive action followed by scrutiny, as if assessing consequences or seeking advantage.