Shloka 23
तस्य रूपं॑ प्रपतत: पितुर्मम नराधिप । ययाते: क्षीणपुण्यस्य स्वर्गादिव महीतलम्,नरेश्वरर! उस विमानसे गिरते हुए मेरे पिताका स्वरूप ऐसा जान पड़ता था, मानो पुण्यक्षय होनेपर स्वर्गसे पृथ्वीतलपर गिरनेवाले राजा ययातिका शरीर हो
tasya rūpaṃ prapatataḥ pitur mama narādhipa | yayāteḥ kṣīṇa-puṇyasya svargād iva mahītalam ||
O König der Menschen, als mein Vater fiel, erschien seine Gestalt wie die des Königs Yayāti — dessen Verdienst erschöpft war — der aus dem Himmel auf die Erde stürzt.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Heavenly enjoyment gained by accumulated merit (puṇya) is not permanent; when that merit is exhausted (kṣīṇa-puṇya), one must fall back into mortal conditions. The verse highlights the ethical principle that outcomes follow karma and that lasting welfare requires deeper spiritual grounding than finite merit alone.
Vāyu describes to the king how his father, falling from a higher realm, looked like King Yayāti falling from heaven after his merit was spent. The comparison evokes a well-known exemplar (Yayāti) to convey the gravity and inevitability of the fall.