शल्य पर्व — सात्यकि, भीम, नकुल और सहदेव युधिष्ठिर की रक्षा को आते हैं; भीम शल्य पर भारी प्रहार करते हैं

Sanjaya said When king Yudhishthira was thus assailed by the king of the Madras, Satyaki and Bhimasena and the two sons of Madri by Pandu, encircling Shalya with their cars, began to assail him in that battle.

Beholding the helpless Shalya thus assailed by those great car-warriors loud sounds of applause were hcard and the Siddhas became filled with delight. The ascetics, assembled together, declared it wonderful.

Then Bhimasena in that battle, having cut Shalya who had become irresistible with one arrow, next struck him with seven.

Satyaki, desirous of rescuing the son of Dharma, strucks Shalya with a hundred arrows and uttered a loud leonine roar.

Nakula struck him with five arrows and Sahadeva with seven; the latter then once more struck him with as many.

The heroic king of the Madras, struggling carefully in that battle, thus afflicted by those grcat car-warriors, drew a formidable and strong bow capable of imparting great force to the shafts shot from it and pierced Satyaki, with twenty-five arrows and Bhima with seventy-three and Nakula with seven.

Then cutting off with a broad-headed arrow the bow, with shaft fixed on the string, of Sahadeva, he struck Sahadeva himself in that battle, with seventy-arrows.

Sahadeva then, stringing another bow, pierced his maternal uncle with five arrows that resembled snakes of virulent poison or burning fire.

Worked up with great ire, he then struck his antagonist's driver with a straight shaft in that battle and then Shałya himself once more with three.

Then Bhimasena pierced the king of the Madras with seventy arrows and Satyaki pierced him with nine and king Yudhishthira with sixty.

Thus pierced, O king, by those mighty carwarriors, blood began to flow from Shalya's body, like red streams running down the breast of a mountain of red chalk.

Shalya, however, quickly struck in return each of those great bowmen with five arrows, O king. Exceedingly wonderful was this feat.

With another broad-headed arrow, that great car-warrio; then, O sire, cut off the stringed bow, of Dharma's son in that battle.

Taking up another bow, that great carwarrior, viz., the son of Dharma, covered Shalya, his horses and driver and standard and car, with many arrows.

Thus covered in that battle by the son of Dharma with his arrows Shalya struck the former with ten keen arrows.

Then Satyaki, enraged upon beholding the son of Dharma thus assailed with arrows, obstructed the heroic king of the Madras with clouds of arrows.

At this, Shalya cut off with a razor-faced arrow the terrible bow of Satyaki and cut each of the other Pandava warriors with three arrows.

Enraged, O king, the highly powerful Salyaki then discharge at Shalya a golden lance set with many jewels and gems.

Bhimasena shot at him a cloth-yard shaft that looked like a blazing snake; Nakula discharged at him a dart, Sahadeva an excellent mace and the son of Dharina a Sataghni, all actuated by the desire of killing him.

The king of the Madras, however speedily counteracted in that battle all those weapons, shot off the arms of those five warriors at him, as these proceeded towards his car.

With a number of broad-headed arrows Shalya cut off the lance shot by Satyaki. Endued with valour and great lightness of hand, he cut off into two pieces the gold decked arrows shot at him by Bhima.

He then resisted with arrows the terrible gold-handled dart, that Nakula shot at hiin and the mace also that Sahadeva had hurled.

With a couple of other arrows, O Bharata, he cut off the Shataghni shot at him by the king, in the very presence of the sons of Pandu and uttered a loud leonine roar. The grandson of Shini, however, could not bear the defeat of his weapon in that battle.

Beside himself with age Satyaki took up another bow and cut the king of the Madras with two arrows and his driver with three.

At this, Shalya, O king, worked up with rage, deeply struck all of them with ten arrows, like persons piercing mighty elephants with sharp pointed lances.

Thus thwarted in that battle by the king of the Madras, O Bharata, those slayers of foes could not stand in front of Shalya.

Witnessing the prowess of Shalya, king Duryodhana considered the Pandavas, the Panchalas and the Srinjayas as already killed.

Then, O king, the mighty-armed Bhimasena, determined to kill him, encountered the king of the Madras.

Nakula and Sahadeva and the powerful Satyaki, encompassing Shalya, shot their arrows at him from all sides.

Though surrounded by those four great bowmen and powerful car-warriors of the Pandavas, the valiant king of the Madras still fought with them.

Then, O king, the son of Dharma, in that dreadful encounter, quickly cut off with a razor-headed arrow one of the guards of Shalya's car-wheels.

When that brave and mighty car-warrior, the protector of Shalya's car-wheel, was thus killed, Shalya enshrouded the Pandava warriors with showers of arrows.

Beholding his troops covered with arrows, O king, king Yudhishthira began to think Verily, how shall those weighty words of Madhava become true. I hope, the king the Madras, worked up with ire, will not destroy my army in battle.

Then the Pandavas, elder brother of Pandu, with cars and elephants and horses approached the king of the Madras and began to assail him from all sides.

Like the wind scattering masses of clouds, the king of the Madras, in that battle, dispersed the shower of arrows and various other weapons.

We then saw the downpour of gold-winged arrows shot by Shalya, passing through welkin like as warm of locusts.

Indeed, those arrows, discharged by the king of the Madras from the rear of the battle, were seen to fall like a flight of birds.

With the golden shafts shot off the bow of the Madra king, the sky, O king, was so covered that there was not an inch of empty space.

Then a thick darkness was caused by the arrows shot by the powerful king of the Madras in that dreadful battle.

And when they saw the vest host of the Pandavas agitated by that hero, the gods and the Gandharvas were stricken with great wonder.

Assailing vigorously all the Pandava heroes with his with his arrows from every side, O sire, Shalya covered king Yudhishthira and roared repeatedly like a lion.

Thus covered by Shalya in that battle the great car-warriors of the Pandavas could not proceed against that great hero for fighting with him.

Those amongst thein that were led by Bhimasena and king Yudhishthira did not fly away from the brave Shalya the ornament of battle.