शल्य पर्व — शल्य अपनी सेना संगठित कर युधिष्ठिर और पाण्डवों पर चढ़ते हैं; नकुल और चित्रसेन का युद्ध, जिसमें नकुल उसका वध करते हैं; नकुल सत्यसेन और सुषेण का भी वध करते हैं

Sanjaya said Beholding the army thus scattered the brave king of the Madras address his driver, saying-Quickly urge these horses fleet as thought.

There stands king Yudhishthira, the son of Pandu, shining with the uinbrella held over his head.

Reach me there quickly driver and witness my power. The Parthas are unable to stand before me in battle."

Thus addressed the driver, of the Madra king, proceeded where stood the righteous king Yudhishthira of sure aim.

Shalya suddenly attacked the mighty army of the Pandavas. Alone he withstood it like the continent withstanding the surging deep.

The huge army of the Pandavas, coming against Shalya, O sire, stood still in that battle, like the rushing deep upon being obstructed by a mountain.

Beholding the king of the Madras standing for battle on the field, the Kouravas returned, making death their goal.

After they had come back, O king and separately taken up their positions in a wellformed array, an awful encounter took place in which blood flowed freely like water. The invincible Nakula encountered Chitrasena.

These two heroes, both excellent bowmen, approaching, covered each other with downpours of arrows in that battle, like two pouring clouds risen in the sky on the south and the north. I could mark no difference between the son of Pandu and his antagonist.

Both of them were masters of weapons, both very powerful and both were experienced car-warriors. Each determined upon killing the other, they carefully looked for each other's weak point.

Then, O king, with a broad-headed arrow, well-tempered and sharp Chitrasena cut off Nakula's bow at the handle.

Fearlessly then the son of Karna struck the bowless Nakula at the forehead with three gold-winged arrows whetted on stone.

With a few more sharp arrows he killed Nakula's horses, Next he struck down both the standard and the driver of his antagonist, each with three arrows.

With those three arrows shot off the arms of his foe and striking his forehead, Nakula, O king, looked beautiful like a mountain of three summits.

Deprived of his bow and his car, the brave Nakula, taking up a sword, jumped down from his car like a lion from a mountain suminit.

As, however, he rushed on foot, his antagonist discharged a shower of arrows upon him. The highly active Nakula received that downpour of arrows on his shield.

Getting at the car of Chitrasena, the mightyarmed hero, the untiring son of Pandu, conversant with all modes of warfare, appeared before the troops.

The son of Pandu then cut off from Chitrasena's trunk his diadem-decked head, adorned with ear-rings and bedecked with a beautiful nose and a pair of large eyes. At this, Chitrasena, effulgent like the Sun, dropped down on the terrace of his car.

Beholding Chitrasena killed at the great carwarriors shouted there like lions and lauded him.

Meanwhile, beholding their brother slain, the two sons of Karna, viz., Sushena and Satyasena, both of whom were great carwarriors, made a downpour of sharp arrows.

Those foremost of car-warriors rushed quickly against the son of Pandu like a pair of tigers, O king, in the deep forest rushing against an elephant for slaying him.

Both of them covered the great car-worrier Nakula with keen arrows. When they discharged arrows, they looked like two masses of clouds pouring rain in torrents.

Though wounded with arrows all over his body the valiant and heroic son of Pandu cheerfully took up another bow after getting upon another car and stood in battle like the angry Destroyers himself,

Then those two brothers, O kings, with their straight arrows, cut off Nakula's car into pieces.

Then Nakula, laughing, struck the four horses of Satyasena with four whetted and keen arrows in that encounter.

Shooting a long gold-winged shaft the son of Pandu then cut off, O king, the bow of Satyasena.

At this the latter, mounting on another car and taking up another bow, as also his brother Sushena, rushed against the son of Pandu.

The brave son of Madri fearlessly struck each of them, O monarch, with a couple of arrows.

Then worked up with wrath, the mighty car-warrior Sushena, cut off, in that battle, the formidable bow of Pandu's son with a razorshaped arrow.

Then Nakula, beside himself with rage, took up another bow and struck Sushena with five arrows and his standard with one.

Without losing a moment, he then cut off the boy and the leathern fence of Saryasena also, at which all the troops there sent up a loud shout.

Satyasena, taking up another foe-slaying and powerful bow, covered the son of Pandu with arrows on all sides.

Baffling those arrows Nakula, that slayer of hostile heroes, struck each of his antagonists with a couple of arrows.

Each of the latter separately struck the son of Pandu in return with ma..y straight coursing arrows. Afterwards they struck Nakula's driver also with many keen arrows.

The brave and light-handed Satyasena then cut off without his brother's help the shafts of Nakula's car and his bow with a couple of arrows.

The great car warrior Nakula, however, standing on his car, took up a golden mounted and keen dart steeped in oil and exceedingly bright.

It resembled, O king, a she-snake of dreadful poison, frequently darting out her tongue. Raising that weapon he hurled it at Satyasena in that battle.

That dart, O king, cut the heart of Satyasena in that battle into a hundred pieces and he fell down dead upon the Earth from his car.

Beholding his brother killed Sushena, beside himself with rage, suddenly made Nakula careless in that battle. Without losing a moment, he poured arrows over the son of Pandu fighting on foot. He pierced four arrows and destroyed his four cars. Again he pierced five and cut off his flag. Then by three the son of Karna killed charioteer and uttered a loud leonine roar.

Seeing Nakula carless, the mighty carwarrior Sutasoma, the son of Draupadi rushed, there for rescuing his father in battle.

Riding then the car of Sutasoma, Nakula, that hero of Bharata's race, looked beautiful like a lion upon a mountain. Then taking up another bow, he fought with Sushena.

Those two great car-warriors, approaching each other and discharging arrows, tried to kill each other.

Then Sushena, filled with rage, struck the son of Pandu with three arrows and Sutasoma with twenty in the arms and the chest.

At this the impetuous Nakula, O king, that slayer of hostile heroes, covered all the points of the compass with shafts.

Then taking up a sharp and powerful arrow having a semi-circular head, Nakula shot it with great force at Karna's son in that battle.

With that arrow, O best of kings, the son of Pandu cut off from Sushena's trunk his head before all the troops. That feat was highly wonderful.

Thus killed by the illustrious Nakula Karna's son drooped down like a tall tree on the bank of a river thrown down by the current of the river.

Seeing the destruction of Karna's son and the power of Nakula, your army, O best of Bharatas, fled away in fear.

Their General however, the brave and valiant king of the Madras, that repressor of foes, then protected, O king, those troops in battle.

Rallying his army, O king, Shalya stood fearlessly in battle sending forth leonine shouts and twanging his bow fiercely.

Then your soldiers O king, protected in battle by that firm bowman, cheerfully rushed against the enemy once more from all sides.

Those great warriors, encircling that great bowmen, the king of the Madras, stood, O king, desirous of fighting on every side.

Then Satyaki and Bhimasena and those two Pandavas, the twin sons of Madri, placing that modest chastiser of foes, Yudhishthira, at their head and surrounding him on all sides in that battle, sent up leonine roars. And those heroes also caused a loud sound of the arrows and frequently sent up war-cries.

Smingly, all your warriors, enraged, quickly encompassed the king of the Madras and stood there for battle.

Then took place on encounter filling the coward with fear, between your soldiers and the enemy, both of whom were bent upon meeting with death.

The battle between fearless combatants resembled, O king that between the gods and the Asuras in days of yore and increased the population of Yama's kingdom.

Then the ape-emblemed son of Pandu, O king, having killed the Samsaptakas in battle, rushed against the Kauravas.

Smiling, all the Pandavas, headed by Dhrishtadyumna, proceeded against the same detachment discharging keen arrows.

Overpowered by the Pandavas, the Kaurava army were stupefied. Indeed, those divisions then could not distinguish the cardinal and the minor points of the compass.

Covered with keen arrows shot by the Pandavas, the Kaurava ariny, deprived of its foremost warriors, were routed on all sides. Indeed, O Kauravya, your army were killed by the mighty car-warriors of the Pandavas.

Similarly, the Pandava army, O king, were killed in hundreds and thousands in that battle by your sons on every side with their arrows.

While the two armies, in their excitement, were thus killing each other, they became much agitated like two streams in the rains.

During the onset of that dreadful fight, O king, a great fear possessed your warriors as also those of the Pandavas.