कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ४०
Karṇa’s Pressure on the Pāñcālas; Duryodhana Disabled; Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
सागराम्भसि तं॑ दृष्टवा पतितं दीनचेतसम् | ग्रियमाणमिदं काक॑ हंसो वाक्यमुवाच ह,समुद्रके जलमें गिरकर अत्यन्त दीनचित्त हो मृत्युके निकट पहुँचे हुए उस कौएसे हंसने इस प्रकार कहा--
sāgarāmbhasi taṁ dṛṣṭvā patitaṁ dīnacetasam | grīyamāṇam idaṁ kāka haṁso vākyam uvāca ha ||
天鹅见那乌鸦坠入海水之中,心神沮丧,危难攫住它,性命已近终尽,便对它说道:
शल्य उवाच
When a person is brought low by peril and regret, the proper response is to receive wise counsel and regain discrimination (viveka). The swan’s forthcoming instruction implies that ethical clarity and right conduct—not panic or despair—are the means to rise from self-caused distress.
Śalya narrates a fable-like scene: a crow has fallen into the ocean and is near death, overwhelmed and helpless. A swan sees the crow’s condition and begins to speak, setting up a moral admonition that will follow in the next verses.