Shloka 59

कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ४०

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

Devanagari script

स पक्षाभ्यां स्पृशन्नार्तस्तुण्डेन च महार्णवे । काको दृढपरिश्रान्त: सहसा निपपात ह

Transliteration

sa pakṣābhyāṃ spṛśann ārtaḥ tuṇḍena ca mahārṇave | kāko dṛḍha-pariśrāntaḥ sahasā nipapāta ha ||

Translation

沙利耶说道：“说罢，那乌鸦悲苦万分、疲惫至极，用双翼与喙不断触及大海之水，随即猛然坠入其中。那一刻，它痛苦难当。”

Word by Word

• सः: he/that (one)
• सः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पक्षाभ्याम्: with (his) two wings
• पक्षाभ्याम्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Dual

• स्पृशन्: touching
• स्पृशन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्पृश्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• आर्तः: distressed, in pain
• आर्तः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आर्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तुण्डेन: with (his) beak
• तुण्डेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुण्ड
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

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

• महार्णवे: in the great ocean
• महार्णवे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महार्णव
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

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

• दृढपरिश्रान्तः: utterly exhausted
• दृढपरिश्रान्तः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृढ-परिश्रान्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सहसा: suddenly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहसा

• निपपात: fell down
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-पत्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ह: indeed (particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह

Speaker

शल्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śalya
• crow (kāka)
• great ocean (mahārṇava)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse cautions against arrogant overreach and blind persistence beyond one’s strength; ignoring limits leads to collapse and suffering rather than success.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śalya describes a crow, worn out and in distress, barely touching the ocean’s water with wings and beak, then suddenly plunging into the great sea, suffering intensely—an illustrative example within his admonitory speech.