Shloka 19
इदानीं तु विशीर्णो<यं दग्धो ब्रह्मास्त्रतेजसा । मया विमुक्त: कौन्तेय त्वय्यद्य कृतकर्मणि,युद्धके अन्तमें अर्जुनके रथका दाह कुन्तीनन्दन! आज जब तुम अपना अभीष्ट कार्य पूर्ण कर चुके हो, तब मैंने इसे छोड़ दिया है; इसलिये पहलेसे ही ब्रह्मास्त्रके तेजसे दग्ध हुआ यह रथ इस समय बिखरकर गिर पड़ा है
idānīṁ tu viśīrṇo 'yaṁ dagdho brahmāstra-tejasā | mayā vimuktaḥ kaunteya tvayy adya kṛta-karmaṇi ||
Vāyu said: “Now this chariot, already scorched by the fiery power of the Brahmāstra, has at last fallen apart. O son of Kuntī, today—when you have accomplished your intended task in battle—I have released my support; therefore the chariot, long since burned by that weapon’s radiance, has only now collapsed.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unseen support (divine or providential) can sustain a person until their rightful duty is completed; once the purpose is fulfilled, that support may withdraw, and the hidden damage or consequences become visible—underscoring timing, responsibility, and the completion of one’s appointed task.
Vāyu explains to Arjuna that the chariot had already been burned by the power of the Brahmāstra, but it did not collapse earlier because Vāyu was sustaining it; now that Arjuna has finished his intended work in the battle, Vāyu releases it, and the chariot finally breaks apart.