Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 36
शल्यवधे कौरवसेनाभङ्गः, भीमस्य गदायुद्धं, दुर्योधनस्य समाह्वानम्
Rout after Śalya’s fall; Bhīma’s mace engagement; Duryodhana’s rally
जहाँ-तहाँ जोतोंसे जुड़े हुए घोड़े और नरश्रेष्ठ रथी गिरते दिखायी दे रहे थे, मानो सिद्ध (पुण्यात्मा) पुरुष पुण्यक्षय होनेपर आकाशसे पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े हों ।।
sañjaya uvāca | yatra-tatra jyotobhiḥ saṃyuktā aśvāś ca narottamā rathinaś ca patitā dṛśyante sma, yathā puṇyakṣaye siddhāḥ puruṣā ākāśāt pṛthivīṃ patanti || nihateṣu ca śūreṣu madrarājānugeṣu vai asmān āpatataś cāpi dṛṣṭvā pārthā mahārathāḥ, jayābhilāṣiṇaḥ śaṅkhanādena bāṇānāṃ śabdaṃ vitanvantaḥ pratyudyayur mahāvegāḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Hier und dort sah man Pferde, die noch an Geschirr und Zierat angeschirrt waren, und die vornehmsten Wagenkämpfer hingestreckt—wie verdienstvolle Siddhas, die, wenn ihr Vorrat an Verdienst erschöpft ist, vom Himmel zur Erde stürzen. Und als die tapferen Gefolgsleute des Königs von Madra erschlagen waren, kamen die großen Wagenkämpfer unter den Söhnen Pāṇḍus, da sie uns zum Angriff vorrücken sahen, in höchster Eile heran, um uns zu stellen—begierig nach Sieg, mit dem Dröhnen der Muschelhörner und dem sirrenden Brausen ihrer Pfeile, das die Luft erfüllte.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores impermanence and karmic limitation: even exalted states symbolized by Siddhas are depicted as contingent upon puṇya, and when merit is exhausted one falls. In the human sphere, martial glory likewise collapses into death, reminding the listener that victory and status are unstable and ethically charged.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield after heavy fighting: fallen horses and elite chariot-warriors lie scattered. With Śalya’s (Madrarāja’s) followers being slain, the Pāṇḍava great warriors, eager to win, rush forward to confront the advancing Kaurava side, sounding conches and releasing arrows.