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 ||
Disse Sañjaya: Os guerreiros dos carros caíram de seus carros, e os cavaleiros de elefante caíram de seus elefantes. Era como se os Siddha, com o mérito consumido, despencassem do mundo celeste e de seus carros aéreos; assim, naquele campo de batalha, os poderosos foram lançados à terra.
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.