Shalya Parva — The followers of Shalya try to kill Yudhishthira, the routing of the Kuru army

Sanjaya said After the destruction of Shalya, O king, the followers of the Madra king, numbering seventeen hundred brave car-warriors, proceeded for battle with great force.

Duryodhana, riding upon a huge mountainlike elephant with an umbrella held over his head and fanned with white chowries, forbade the Madraka warriors, saying "Do not proceed, Do not proceed!”

Though repeatedly forbidden by Duryodhana, those heroes, desirous of killing Yudhishthira, entered into the Pandava army.

Those brave warriors, O king, loyal to Duryodhana, twanging their bows loudly fought with the Pandavas.

In the meantime hearing that Shalya had been killed and that Yudhishthira had been assailed by the mighty car-warriors of the Madrakas devoted to the well-being of the Madraka king, the great car-warrior Partha came there, stretching his bow Gandiva and filling the Earth with the rattle of his car.

Then Arjuna, Bhima and the two sons of Madri by Pandu and that foremost of men, Satyaki and the (five) sons of Draupadi and Dhrishtadyumna and Sikhandin and the Panchalas and the Somakas, desirous of rescuing Yudhishthira, encircled him on all sides.

Having taken their positions round the king, the Pandavas, those foremost of men, began te) agitate the enemy's army like Makaras agitating the ocean. Indecd, they made your army tremble like a mighty tempest shaking the trees.

Like the great river Ganges agitated by a hostile wind, the Pandava army, O king, once more were exceedingly agitated,

Making that powerful army tremble, the illustrious and mighty car-warriors (viz., the Madrakas), all shouted loudly, saying-"Where is that king Yudhishthira?”

Why are not his valiant brothers, viz., the Pandavas, to be seen here? What has become of the highly energetic as also of the great carwarriors Sikhandin? Where are Dhrishtadyumna and the grandson of Sini and those great car-warriros, viz., the (five sons of Draupadi)!

Thereat those great car-warriors, viz., the sons of Draupadi, began to kill the followers of the Madra king who were uttering those words i and fighting vigorously. In that battle, some, amongst your troops, where crushed by carwheels and some slain by huge standards.

Beholding, however, the heroic Pandavas, the brave warriors of your army, O Bharata, though forbidden by your son, still proceeded against them.

Speaking mildly Duryodhana tried to prevent those warriors from fighting with the foe. No great car-warrior, however, amongst them carried out his order.

Then Sakuni, the eloquent son of the Gandhara king, O king, said to Duryodhana these words:-How is this that we are standing here, while the Madraka army is being killed before our eyes? O Bharata,when you are here, it does not look well!

The contract was that all of us should fight in a body. Why then, O king, do you suffer our foes to kill thus our soldiers?

Duryodhana said Though prevented by me before, they did not carry our my order. These men, in a body, have entered into the Pandava army.

Sakuni said When worked up with rage in battle, brave warriors do not obcy the bchests of their leaders. You should not be angry with those men. This is not the time to act indifferently.

We shall, therefore, all of us, in a body with our cars and horses and elephants, proceed, for rescuing those great bowmen, viz., the followers of the Madra king.

O king, we shall protect one another very carefully. Accepting Shakuani's view all the Kauravas then proceeded where the Madras were.

Also encircled by a large force Duryodhana proceeded against the foe, uttering leonine shouts and causing the Earth to resound with that noise.

Slay, cut, seize, strike, cut off-these were the words that were heard then, O king, among those troops.

Meanwhile beholding in that battle the followers of the Madra king assailing them unitedly the Pandavas proceeded against thein, arraying themselves in the Madhyama from.

Fighting hand to hand, O king, for a short time, those heroic warriors, viz., the followers of the Madra king, were killed.

Then, whilst we were proceeding, the active Pandavas, in a body, completed the slaughter of the Madrakas and filled with delight, sent up joyous shouts.

Then headless forms were seen all around. Large meteors fell down from the solar disc. The earth was covered with cars and broken on yokes and axles and slain car-warriors and lifeless horses.

Horses, quick-coursing like the wind and still attached to yokes of cars, were seen to drag car-warriors, O king, hither and thither on the field of battie.

Some horses were seen to drag cars with broken wheels, while some ran on all sides, carrying the broken cars.

Here and there also were seen horses hampered by their traces. Car-warriors dropped down like denizens of heaven the exhaustion of their virtue.

When the brave followers of the Madra king were killed the great car-warriors of the Parthas, beholding a body of horse advancing towards them, rushed quickly towards it with a view to win victory.

Shooting their arrows and making various other kinds of noise mingled with the blare of their conchs, those warriors of sure aim, shook bows and uttered leonine shouts.

Seeing then that large force of the Madra king killed as also their heroic king the entire army of Duryodhana once more fled away from the field.

Struck, O king, by those firm bowmen of the Pandavas, the Kuru army, filled with fear, fled away on all sides.

Struck, O king, by those firm bowmen of the Pandavas, the Kuru army, filled with fear, fled away on all sides.