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 berkata: Di sana-sini tampak kuda-kuda yang masih terpasang pada perlengkapannya, dan para kesatria kereta perang yang utama telah rebah—laksana para siddha yang, ketika puṇya mereka habis, jatuh dari langit ke bumi. Dan setelah para pahlawan pengikut raja Madra itu terbunuh, para mahāratha dari pihak putra-putra Pāṇḍu, melihat kami maju menyerang, segera melesat untuk menghadang—mendambakan kemenangan, menggemakan bunyi sangkakala dan menyebarkan deru mendesing anak panah.
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.