Mahabharata (Gita Press) 3.21.23 - Vana Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 23
Dvārakā’s Distress and the Saubha Engagement (द्वारकाव्यग्रता तथा सौभयुद्धम्)
तस्य रूपं॑ प्रपतत: पितुर्मम नराधिप । ययाते: क्षीणपुण्यस्य स्वर्गादिव महीतलम्
tasya rūpaṃ prapatataḥ pitur mama narādhipa | yayāteḥ kṣīṇa-puṇyasya svargād iva mahītalam ||
Ô roi des hommes, tandis que mon père tombait, son apparence semblait celle du roi Yayāti—dont le mérite était épuisé—chutant du ciel jusqu’à la terre.
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.
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