Shloka 90
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
रथेभ्यो रथिन: पेतुर्द्धिपे भ्यो हस्तिसादिन: । विमानेभ्यो दिवो भ्रष्टा: सिद्धा: पुण्यक्षयादिव
sañjaya uvāca | rathebhyo rathinaḥ petur dvipebhyo hastisādinaḥ | vimānebhyo divo bhraṣṭāḥ siddhāḥ puṇyakṣayād iva ||
Sañjaya sprach: Die Wagenkämpfer stürzten von ihren Streitwagen, und die Elefantenreiter fielen von ihren Elefanten. Es war, als würden Siddhas, deren Verdienst erschöpft ist, aus der Himmelswelt und ihren Luftwagen herabstürzen—so wurden auf jenem Schlachtfeld die Mächtigen zur Erde geworfen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The simile of Siddhas falling from heaven when their merit is exhausted highlights impermanence and karmic limitation: status, power, and even heavenly attainment are not permanent; when the supporting force of puṇya (merit) is spent, a fall follows. In the war context, it also suggests that martial glory is fragile and morally weighty.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene where chariot-fighters tumble from their chariots and elephant-riders drop from their elephants, likening the mass downfall to celestial Siddhas falling from heavenly vimānas due to the depletion of their accumulated merit.