शल्य पर्व — सहदेव शकुनि से युद्ध कर उसका वध करते हैं

Sanjaya said During the course of that battle which was so destructive of men and horses and elephants, Subala's son Shakuni, O king, proceeded against Sahadeva.

The valiant Sahadeva, as Shakuni rushed quickly towards him, discharged shower of quick-coursing arrows at that warrior like a swarm of insects. At that time Uluka also met Bhima and struck him with ten arrows.

O king, having struck Bhima with three arrows, Shakuni, meanwhile, covered Sahadeva with ninety.

Indeed, O king, encountering one another in that battle, those heroes, struck one another with many Kanka and peacock feathered keen arrows winged with gold, whetted on stone and shot off the bow-string drawn to their ears.

Those showers of arrows discharged from their bows and arms, O monarch, covered all the points of the horizon like a thick downpour of rain poured from the clouds.

Then Bhima, worked up with rage and the brave Sahadeva, both very powerful, moved about in that battle making a great onslaught.

That army, O Bharata, was shrouded with hundreds of arrows by those two warriors and the sky, on many parts of the field, was shrouded with darkness.

The horses struck with arrows, dragging after them as they ran a large number of killed warriors the passage in the battle-field was entirely blocked up.

Covered with horses slain with their riders, with broken shields and lances and with swords and darts and spears all around the earth appeared to have been strewn with flowers.

The warriors, O king, meeting one another, moved about in battle exercised with wrath and killing one another.

Soon the field was covered with heads, beautiful as the filaments of the lotus, bedecked with ear-rings and having faces set with eyes upturned in wrath and lips bit in rage.

Covered also, O king, with the arms of warriors resembling the trunks of huge elephants, that were bedecked with Angada and coated in leathern fences and that still held swords and lances and battle-axes and with headless bodies standing on their feet and bleeding and dancing on the field and abounding with various carnivorous animals, the earth, O king, appeared exceedingly terrific.

After the Bharata army had bcen reduced to a small number, the Pandavas, filled with delight in that dreadful battle, began to slay the Kauravas.

Meanwhile the heroic and brave son of Subala forcibly struck Sahadeva in the head with a lance.

Greatly exercised, O king, for that blow, Sahadeva sat down on the terrace of his car.

Beholding Sahadeva in that condition the valiant Bhima, worked up with rage, O Bharata, obstructed the entire Kuru army.

With his cloth-yard shafts he struck hundreds and thousands of hostilo warriors and having struck them so, that chastiser of foes sent up a leonine roar.

Terrified at that roar, all the followers of Shakuni, with their horses and elephants immediately fled away in fear.

Seeing them routed, king Duryodhana said to them-"Stop, you immoral Kshatriyas! fight! What is the use of fight?

That hero, who unretreatingly sacrifices his life in battle, achieves fame here and enjoyes blissful regions hereafter!"-Thus exhorted by the king, the followers of Subala's son once more proceeded against the Pandavas, determined upon ineeting with death.

O monarch, the noise made by those rushing warriors was terrible and resembled that of the agitated ocean. Thereat the field of battle was agitated all around.

Beholding those followers of Subala's son thus proceeding to battle, the victorious Pandavas, O monarch rushed against them.

Relieved a little, the invincible Sahadeva, O monarch, struck Shakuni with ten arrows and his horses with three. He, without the slightest exertion, then cut off the bow of Subala's son with a number of other arrows.

Invincible in battle, Shakuni, however, took up another bow and struck Nakula with sixty arrows and then Bhimasena with seven.

Uluka also, O king, desirous of rescuing his father in that battle, struck Bhima with seven arrows and Sahadeva with seventy.

Bhimasena, in that battle, struck Uluka with many keen arrows and Shakuni with four and sixty and each of the other warriors who fought around them with three arrows.

Struck by Bhimasena with arrows steeped in oil, the Kauravas, exercised with rage in that battle, covered Sahadeva with showers of arrows like clouds accompanied with lightnings pursing rain on a mountain breast.

The heroic and brave Sahadeva then, O king, cut off, with a broad-headed arrow, the head of Uluka as the latter proceeded against him.

Killed by Sahadeva, Uluka, cheering the Pandavas in that battle, dropped down on the earth from his car, covered with blood.

Seeing his son slain, Shakuni, O Bharata, with voice suppressed in tears and sighing heavily, recollected the words of Vidura.

Having thought for a moment with tearful eyes, Shakuni, breathing heavily, approached Sahadeva and struck him with three arrows.

Counteracting those arrows shot by Subala's son with another downpour the brave Sahadeva, O king, sundered his antagonist's blow in that battle.

Seeing his bow sundered, O king, Shakuni, the son of Subala, took up a formidable scimitar and discharged it at Sahadeva.

The latter, however, O king, easily cut off in twain that terrible scimitar of Subala's son as it went towards him in that skirmish.

Beholding his sword cut in two parts Shakuni took up a dreadful mace and discharged it at Sahadeva. That mace also dropped down on the earth unsuccessful.

After this, Subala's son, worked up with rage threw at the son of Pandu a dreadful dart resembling an imminent death-night.

With great facility Sahadeva, in that battle, cut off, with his golden arrows, that dart into three pieces as it went swiftly towards him.

Cut off into piece that golden dart fell down on the earth like a burning thunder-bolt from the sky sending forth many flashes.

Seeing that dart unsuccessful and Subala's so possessed by fear, all your soldiers fled away. Subala's son also joined them.

The Pandavas then, anger for victory, sent up loud war-cries. As regards the Dhartarashtras, almost all of them fled away from the field.

Seeing them so dispirited the brave son of Madri, with many thousand arrows, opposed them in that battle.

Then Sahadeva attacked Subala's son as the latter, who was still sanguine of success, was flying away guarded by the picked cavalry of the Gandharas.

Recollecting, O king, that Shakuni, who had to be slain by him, was still alive, Sahadeva, on his car adorned with gold, pursued that warrior.

Stringing his formidable bow and drawing it vehemently Sahadeva, in rage, pursued the son of Suvala and struck him with many arrows winged with vulturine feathers and whetted on stone, like a person striking a powerful elephant with pointed lances.

The energetic Sahadeva, having assailed his foes thus, addressed him, recollecting (his past misdeeds), in these words:-"Observing the duties of a Kshatriya, fight with me and show yourself to be a man! You, O fool, rejoiced greatly in the midst of the assembly, while gambling with dice. Receive now, O wicked man, the fruit of the act.

All those wicked men, that had ridiculed us then, have died. Only that vile wretch of his family viz., Duryodhana still and you his maternal uncle survive.

Today I shall kill you cutting off your head with a razor-headed arrow like a person plucking a fruit from a tree with a struck." Saying these words, O king, powerful Sahadeva, that foremost of men, filled with anger, rushed against Shakuni.

Approaching his enemy, the invincible Sahadeva, that best of warriors, forcibly drawing his bow and as if consuming his enemy with anger.

Struck Shakuni with ten arrows and his horses with four. Then cutting off his umbrella and standard and bow, he roared like a lion.

His standard and bow and umbrella being thus cut off by Sahadeva, Subala's son was struck with many arrows in all his vital parts.

Again, O king, the brave Sahadeva discharged at Shakuni an irresistible shower of arrows.

Filled with anger the son of Subala, then single-handed, rushed, impetuously against Sahadeva in that encounter, desirous of killing the latter with lance adorned with gold.

However with three broad-headed arrows, the son of Madri cut off at the same time without losing a moment that uplifted lance as also the two plump arms of his enemy and then sent up a loud war-cry.

The heroic and active Sahadeva then, with a broad-headed arrow made of hard iron, adorned with wings of gold, capable of cutting every arinour and shot with great force and care, cut off from his trunk his enemy's head.

Deprived of head by the son of Pandu with that gold-decked and sharp arrow, effulgent like the Sun, Subala's son dropped down on the earth in that battle.

Indeed, the son of Pandu, worked up with rage, struck off that head which was the root of the evil policy of the Kurus, with that powerful arrow winged with gold and whetted on stone.

Beholding Shakuni lying headless on the ground and all his limbs bathed in blood your warriors, insert with fear, fled away on all sides with weapons in their hands.

At that time your sons, with cars, elephants, horse and foot, entirely routed, heard the twang of Gandiva and fled away with dried faces, possessed by fear and senseless.

Having thrown down Shakuni from his car, the Pandavas, were filled with joy. Rejoicing with Keshava amongst them, they blew their conchs in that battle, cheering up their troops.

All of them, gladly worshipped Sahadeva and said-"By good luck, O hero, the wicked Shakuni, that one of evil policy, has, with his son, been killed by you."