Shloka 48
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ४०
Karṇa’s Pressure on the Pāñcālas; Duryodhana Disabled; Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
गाम्भीरयद्धि समुद्रस्य न विशेषं हि सूतज । दिगम्बराम्भस: कर्ण समुद्रस्था विदुर्जना:
gāmbhīryaṃ yaddhi samudrasya na viśeṣaṃ hi sūtaja | digambarāmbhasaḥ karṇa samudrasthā vidur janāḥ ||
天鹅说道：“车夫之子啊，大海之深，外表并无分别可见。迦尔那啊，世人自能识得真正‘深如海’者，纵使其形貌素朴、无所装饰——正如海中之水，居于其内而不自炫。”
हंस उवाच
Educational Q&A
True worth and profundity are not measured by external signs—status, appearance, or ornamentation. Like the ocean’s depth, genuine greatness can be recognized by the discerning even when it is outwardly unadorned.
A speaker identified as the Swan addresses Karṇa, using the ocean as a metaphor: depth has no obvious external marker, yet people can recognize what is truly profound. The remark implicitly challenges judgments based on Karṇa’s supposed low birth (sūtaja) and points to inner qualities.