SHALYA PARVA: Chapter 15

The fight between Duryodhana and Dhrishtadyumna. The encounter between Shalya and Nakula and Satyaki

संजय उवाच दुर्योधनो महाराज धृष्टद्युम्नश्च पार्षतः। चक्रतुः सुमहद् युद्धं शरशक्तिसमाकुलम्॥
Sanjaya said Duryodhana, O king and Dhrishtadyumna, the son of Prishata, fought a dreadful fight with enough arrows and darts.

तयोरासन् महाराज शरधारा: सहस्रशः। अम्बुदानां यथा काले जलधाराः समन्ततः॥
Both of them, O king shot arrows like showers of rain poured by the clouds in the rainy season.

राजा च पार्षतं विद्ध्वा शरैः पञ्चभिराशुगैः। द्रोणहन्तारमुरेषु पुनर्विव्याध सप्तभिः॥
Having struck with five arrows the slayer of Drona, viz., Prishata's son the Kuru king again struck him with seven arrows.

धृष्टद्युम्नस्तु समरे बलवान् दृढविक्रमः। सप्तत्या विशिखानां वै दुर्योधनमपीडयत्॥
The powerful and steady Dhrishtadyumna, in that battle, assailed Duryodhana with seventy arrows.

पीडितं वीक्ष्य राजानं सोदर्या भरतर्षभ। महत्या सेनया सार्धं परिवः स्म पार्षतम्॥
Seeing the king thus assailed, O foremost of Bharatas, his brothers, accompanied by a large force, surrounded the son of Prishata.

स तैः परिवृतः शूर सर्वतोऽतिस्थैर्भृशम्। व्यचरत् समरे राजन् दर्शयन्नस्त्रलाघवम्॥
Surrounded by those great warriors on every side, the Panchala hero, O king, moved in the battle-field, displaying his quickness in the use of weapons.

शिखण्डी कृतवर्माणं गौतमं च महारथम्। प्रभद्रकैः समायुक्तो योधयामास धन्विनौ॥
Helped by the Prabhadrakas, Shikhandin fought with the two Kuru bowmen, Kritavarman and the great car-warrior Kripa.

तत्रापि सुमहद् युद्धं घोररूपं विशाम्पते। प्राणान् सन्त्यजतां युद्धे प्राणद्यूताभिदेवने॥
Then, O king, that battle became fierce and awful because the warriors were all bent upon sacrificing their lives.

शल्यः सायकवर्षाणि विमुञ्चन् सर्वतोदिशम्। पाण्डवान् पीडयामास ससात्यकिवृकोदरान्॥
Discharging arrows on all sides Shalya assailed the Pandavas with Satyaki and Vrikodara amongst them.

तथा तौ तु यमौ युद्धे यमतुल्यपराक्रमौ। योधयामास राजेन्द्र वीर्येणास्त्रबलेन च॥
O king, with patience and great strength, the king of the Madras at the same time fought with the twins Nakula and Sahadeva, each of whom was powerful like the Destroyer himself.

शल्यसायकनुन्नानां पाण्डवानां महामृधे। त्रातारं नाभ्यगच्छन्त केचित्तत्र महारथः॥
The great car-warriors among the Pandavas who were wounded in that great battle with the arrows of Shalya, could not find a protector.

ततस्तु नकुलः शूरो धर्मराजे प्रपीडते। अभिदुद्राव वेगेन मातुलं मातृनन्दनः॥
Seeing the just king Yudhishthira greatly assailed the heroic Nakula, the son of Madri, rushed with force against his maternal uncle.

संछाद्य समरे शल्यं नकुलः परवीरहा। विव्याध चैनं दशभिः स्मयमानः स्तनान्तरे॥ सर्वपारसवैर्बाणैः कर्मारपरिमार्जितैः। स्वर्णपुङ्खः शिलाधौतैर्धनुर्यन्त्रप्रचोदितैः॥
Covering Shalya in that batile Nakula, that slayer of hostile heroes, smiling struck him in the breast with ten other arrows, made entirely of iron, polished by the smith, equipt with wings of gold whetted on stone and discharged from his bow with great force.

शल्यस्तु पीडितस्तेन स्वस्रीयेण महात्मना। नकुलं पीडयामास पत्रिभिर्नतपर्वभिः॥
Assailed by his illustrious nephew, Shalya struck him in return with many straight arrows.

ततो युधिष्ठिरो राजा भीमसेनोऽथ सात्यकिः। सहदेवश्च माद्रेयो मद्रराजमुपाद्रवन्॥
Then king Yudhishthira, Bhimasena, Satyaki and Sahadeva the son of Madri, all rushed against the king of the Madras.

तानापतत एवाशु पूरयाणान् रथस्वनैः। दिशश्च विदिशश्चैव कम्पयानांश्च मेदिनीम्॥ प्रतिजग्राह समरे सेनापतिरमित्रजित्। युधिष्ठिरं त्रिभिर्विद्ध्वा भीमसेनं च पञ्चभिः॥
That vanquisher of foes, the commander of the Kuru army, received in that battle all those heroes that rushed towards him vehemently filling the cardinal and the subsidiary points of the compass with the rattle of their cars and causing the Earth to tremble.

सात्यकिं च शतेनाजौ सहदेवं त्रिभिः शरैः। ततस्तु शसरं चापं नुकलस्य महात्मनः॥
Striking Yudhishthira with three arrows and Bhima with seven, Shalya pierced Satyaki with a hundred arrows in that battle and Sahadeva with three.

मद्रेश्वरः क्षुरप्रेण तदा मारिष चिच्छेिदे। तदशीर्यत विच्छिन्नं धनुः शल्यस्य सायकैः॥
Then the king of the Madras, O sire, cut off, with a razor-headed arrow, the bow with arrow fixed on it of the great Nakula.

अथान्यद् धनुरादाय माद्रीपुत्रो महारथः। मद्रराजरथं तूर्णं पूरयामास पत्रिभिः॥
Taking up another bow, Madri's son quickly covered the king of the Madras with winged arrows.

युधिष्ठिरस्तु मद्रेशं सहदेवश्च मारिष। दशभिर्दशभिर्बाणैरुरस्येनमविध्यताम्॥
Then Yudhishthira and Sahadeva, each struck the king of the Madras with ten arrows on the breast.

भीमेसेनस्तु तं षष्ट्या सात्यकिर्दशभिः शरैः। मद्रराजमभिद्रुत्य जघ्नतुः कङ्कपत्रिभिः॥
Rushing at the ruler of the Madras Bhimasena and Satyaki both struck him with Kanka-feathered arrows, the former with sixty and the latter with ten.

मद्रराजस्ततः क्रुद्धः सात्यकि नवभिः शरैः। विव्याध भूयः सप्तत्या शराणां नतपर्वणाम्॥
Enraged at this, the ruler of the Madras struck Satyaki with nine arrows and again with seventy straight arrows.

अथास्य सशरं चापं मुष्टौ चिच्छेद मारिष। हयांश्च चतुरः संख्ये प्रेषयामास मृत्यवे॥
Then O king, he cut off at the handle the bow, with arrow fixed on it, of Satyaki and then killed the four horses of the latter.

विरथं सात्यकि कृत्वा मद्रराजो महारथः। विशिखानां शतैनैनमाजघान समन्ततः॥
Having made Satyaki carless, that great carwarrior, the king of the Madras, struck him with a hundred arrows from all sides.

माद्रीपुत्रौ च संरब्धौ भीमसेनं च पाण्डव। युधिष्ठिरं च कौरव्य विव्याध दशभिः शरैः॥
He next struck the two angry sons of Madri and Bhimasena the son of Pandu and Yudhishthira, O Kuru chief, with ten arrows each.

तत्राद्भुतमपश्याम मद्रराजस्य पौरुषम्। यदेनं सहिताः पार्था नाभ्यवर्तन्त संयुगे॥
The prowess of the king of the Madras was highly wonderful, since the Parthas, even in a body, could not approach him in that battle.

अथान्यं रथमास्थाय सात्यकिः सत्यविक्रमः। पीडितान् पाण्डवान् दृष्ट्वा मद्रराजवशंगतान्॥ अभिदुद्राव वेगेन मद्राणामधिपं बलात्।
Riding then upon another car, the mighty and powerful Satyaki, seeing the Pandavas assailed and yielding to the king of the Madras, rushed quickly against him.

आपतन्तं रथं तस्य शल्यः समितिशोभनः॥ प्रत्युद्ययौ रथेनैव मत्तो मत्तमिव द्विपम्।
Shalya rushed, on his car, against the car of Satyaki, like one infuriate elephant against another.

स संनिपातस्तुमुलो बभूवाद्भुतदर्शनः॥ सात्यकिश्चैव शूरस्य मद्राणामधिपस्य च। यादृशो वै पुरा वृत्तः शम्बरामरराजयोः॥
The encounter between Satyaki and the heroic king of the Madras, became fierce and wonderful to look at like that which had taken place in the days of yore between the Asura Shambara and Indra.

सात्यकिः प्रेक्ष्य समरे मद्रराजमवस्थितम्। विव्याध दशभिर्बाणैस्तिष्ठ तिष्ठेति चाब्रवीत्॥
Seeing the king of the Madras stay before him in that battle, Satyaki struck him with ten arrows.

मद्रराजस्तु सुभृशं विद्धस्तेन महात्मना। सात्यकिं प्रतिविव्याध चित्रपुङः शितैः शरै॥
Deeply struck by that great warrior, the king of the Madras struck Satyaki in return with sharp arrows adorned with beautiful feathers.

ततः पार्था महेष्वासाः सात्वताभिसृतं नृपम्। अभ्यवर्तन रथैस्तूर्णं मातुलं वधकाझ्या॥
Beholding the king of the Madras struck by Satyaki those great bowmen the Parthas, quickly rushed towards him with a view to kill him.

तत आसीत् परामर्दस्तुमुलः शोणितोदकः। शूराणां युध्यमानानां सिंहानामिव नर्दताम्॥ तेषामासीन्महाराज व्यतिक्षेपः परस्परम्। सिंहानामामिषेप्सूनां कूजतामिव संयुगे॥
The encounter, between those struggling heroes marked by a great flow of blood, was highly dreadful like that which takes place between a number of roaring lions fighting for a piece of meat.

तेषां बाणसहस्रौघैराकीर्णा वसुधाभवत्। अन्तरिक्षं च सहसा बाणभूतमभूत्तदा॥
With the thick downpour of arrows shot by them, the Earth was entirely covered and the sky was converted into one mass of arrows.

शरान्धकारं सहसा कृतं तत्र समन्ततः। अभ्रच्छायेव संजज्ञे शरैर्मुक्तैर्महात्मभिः॥
Indeed, with the arrows shot by those illustrious warriors a shadow, like that of the clouds was caused there.

तत्र राजशरैर्मुक्तैर्निर्मुक्तैरिव पन्नगैः। स्वर्णपुङ्खः प्रकाशद्भिर्व्यरोचन्त दिशस्तदा।॥
Then, O king, with those shining and gold winged arrows shot by warriors, that resembled snakes that had just cast off their sloughs, the points of the horizon were as if ablaze.

तत्राद्भुतं परं चक्रे शल्यः शत्रुनिबर्हणः। यदेकः समरे शूरो योधयामास वै बहून्॥
Shalya, that slayer of foes, performed a wonderful deed because that hero, Alone, unaided, fought with many arrows in that battle.

मद्रराजभुजोत्सष्टैः कङ्कबर्हिणवाजितैः। सम्पतद्भिः शरैोरैरवाकीर्यत मेदिनी॥
The Earth was covered with the dreadful Kanka and peacock feathered arrows that fell from the hands of the king of the Madras.

तत्र शल्यरथं राजन् विचरन्तं महाहवे। अपश्याम यथापूर्वं शक्रस्यासुरसंक्षये॥
Then, O king, we behalf the car of Shalya moving about in that dreadful battle like the car of Shakra in days of yore on the occasion of the destruction of the Asuras.