Shloka 90
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
रथेभ्यो रथिन: पेतुर्द्धिपे भ्यो हस्तिसादिन: । विमानेभ्यो दिवो भ्रष्टा: सिद्धा: पुण्यक्षयादिव,जैसे सिद्ध पुरुष पुण्यक्षय होनेपर स्वर्गलोकके विमानोंसे नीचे गिर जाते हैं, उसी प्रकार वहाँ रथी रथोंसे और हाथीसवार हाथियोंसे पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े
sañjaya uvāca | rathebhyo rathinaḥ petur dvipebhyo hastisādinaḥ | vimānebhyo divo bhraṣṭāḥ siddhāḥ puṇyakṣayād iva ||
അവിടെ രഥികൾ രഥങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നു വീണു; ഗജാരോഹികൾ ഗജങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നു വീണു—പുണ്യക്ഷയം വന്നപ്പോൾ സിദ്ധർ സ്വർഗ്ഗവിമാനങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് താഴെ പതിക്കുന്നതുപോലെ.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The simile of Siddhas falling from heaven when their merit is exhausted highlights impermanence and karmic limitation: status, power, and even heavenly attainment are not permanent; when the supporting force of puṇya (merit) is spent, a fall follows. In the war context, it also suggests that martial glory is fragile and morally weighty.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene where chariot-fighters tumble from their chariots and elephant-riders drop from their elephants, likening the mass downfall to celestial Siddhas falling from heavenly vimānas due to the depletion of their accumulated merit.