Shloka 29

Devanagari script

गन्धर्वनगराकारा रथा वा ते नरेश्वरा: । विमानादिदव पुण्यान्ते स्वर्गिणो निपतन्त्यमी,'ये गन्धर्व-नगरके समान विशाल रथ हैं, जिनसे ये मारे गये राजालोग उसी प्रकार नीचे गिर रहे हैं, जैसे पुण्य समाप्त होनेपर स्वर्गवासी प्राणी विमानसे नीचे गिर जाते हैं

Transliteration

gandharva-nagarākārā rathā vā te nareśvarāḥ | vimānād iva puṇyānte svargiṇo nipatanty amī ||

Translation

Dijo Arjuna: «Oh reyes, esos carros vuestros —vastos y prodigiosos como las ciudades de los Gandharvas— son ahora la causa misma de vuestra caída. Mirad cómo estos soberanos muertos se precipitan, tal como los moradores del cielo, cuando se agota su mérito, caen de sus carros celestes.»

Word by Word

गन्धर्वनगराकाराhaving the form of a Gandharva-city (illusory city-like)

रथाःchariots

वाor/indeed (disjunctive particle)

तेthose

नरेश्वराःkings (lords of men)

विमानात्from the aerial car (vimāna)

इवlike/as

पुण्य-अन्तेat the end of merit (when merit is exhausted)

स्वर्गिणःheaven-dwellers

निपतन्तिfall down

अमीthese (here)

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

kings (nareśvarāḥ)

chariots (rathāḥ)

Gandharva-city (gandharva-nagara)

celestial cars (vimānāni)

heaven-dwellers (svargiṇaḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Splendor and power—symbolized by magnificent chariots and even heavenly vehicles—are unstable. When merit (puṇya) is spent, exalted states collapse; likewise, worldly greatness in war can end abruptly, warning against pride and attachment to transient status.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the midst of battle, Arjuna addresses kings, pointing to the fallen rulers and their grand chariots. He compares their downfall to the traditional image of heaven-dwellers falling from vimānas when their accumulated merit runs out, underscoring the sudden reversal of fortune in war.