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 ||
三阇耶说道：那乌鸦因啄食残羹而自负膨胀，混入众多能远翔的群鸟之中；在那群体里，它竟自以为最胜——以为自己与远飞的天鹅等同，甚至凌驾其上。此偈以锋利的譬喻示诫：微末之利与借来的自信易生傲慢；而真正的卓越，当以天赋之能与持守之律衡量，非以一时之得。
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.