Shloka 3
कल्माषपाद-शाप-कारणम्
Cause of Kalmāṣapāda’s Niyoga under a Curse
क्षितौ निपतितं काले शक्रध्वजमिवोच्छितम् । तं हि दृष्टवा महेष्वासं निरस्तं पतितं भुवि
kṣitau nipatitaṁ kāle śakradhvajam ivocchritam | taṁ hi dṛṣṭvā maheṣvāsaṁ nirastaṁ patitaṁ bhuvi ||
彼は大地に倒れていた。まるで時至って降ろされる、帝釈天（インドラ）の高き旗印のように。あの偉大なる弓の達人が投げ捨てられ、地に伏しているのを見て、見守る者たちは身に火がついたかのごとく悲嘆に揺さぶられ、情愛ゆえに胸を震わせつつ、急ぎ彼のもとへ駆け寄った。
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a vivid simile—Indra’s lofty banner brought down ‘in due time’—to underscore impermanence: even the exalted and powerful can be laid low. Ethically, it evokes compassion and loyal concern in witnesses, reminding readers that greatness does not exempt one from vulnerability and that humane response to another’s fall is a mark of virtue.
A mighty archer is seen lying fallen on the ground. The speaker (a Gandharva) describes the scene with the image of a tall Indra-banner toppled at its appointed time, emphasizing the shock and grief of those who behold the hero’s collapse and their urgent movement toward him.