Mahabharata 9.18.36 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 18, 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 ||
三阇耶说道：此处彼处可见仍系在辔具与鞍饰上的战马，也可见人中最杰出的车战勇士倒伏于地——恰如有福的成就者（悉地）在功德耗尽时自天坠落于尘土。又当随从摩陀罗王的勇士被诛之后，般度诸子中的大车战士见我军前逼，便为求胜利疾驰而来迎战；螺号轰鸣，箭矢破空的嗖嗖怒响弥漫长空。
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.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.