Though encompassed by those four great bowmen and mighty car-warriors among the Pandavas, the valiant ruler of the Madras still fought with them.  Then, O king, the royal son of Dharma, in that dreadful battle, quickly cut off with a razor-headed arrow one of the protectors of Shalya’s car-wheels.  When that brave and mighty car-warrior, that protector of Shalya’s car-wheel, was thus slain, Shalya of great strength covered the Pandava troops with showers of arrows.  Beholding his troops shrouded with arrows, O monarch, in that battle, king Yudhishthira the just began to reflect in this strain, “Verily, how shall those grave words of Madhava become true?  I hope, the rider of the Madras, excited with rage, will not annihilate my army in battle.’  Then the Pandavas, O elder brother of Pandu (Dhritarashtra), with cars and elephants and steeds, approached the ruler of the Madras and began to afflict him from every side.  Like the wind dispersing mighty masses of clouds, the king of the Madras, in that battle, dispersed that risen shower of arrows and diverse other kinds of weapons in profusion.  We then beheld the downpour of gold-winged arrows shot by Shalya coursing through the welkin like a flight of locusts.  Indeed, those arrows shot by the ruler of the Madras from the van of battle were seen to fall like swarms of birds.  With the gold-decked shafts that issued from the bow of the Madra king, the welkin, O monarch, became so filled that there was not an inch of empty space.  When a thick gloom appeared, caused by the arrows shot by the mighty ruler of the Madras owing to his extreme lightness of hands in that dreadful battle, and when they beheld the vast host of the Pandavas thus agitated by that hero, the gods and the Gandharvas became filled with great wonder.  Afflicting with vigour all the Pandava warriors with his shafts from every side, O sire, Shalya shrouded king Yudhishthira the just and roared repeatedly like a lion.  The mighty car-warriors of the Pandavas, thus shrouded by Shalya in that battle, became unable to proceed against that great hero for fighting with him.  Those, however, amongst the Pandavas, that had Bhimasena at their head and that were led by king Yudhishthira the just, did not fly away from that ornament of battle, the brave Shalya.’”

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“Sanjaya said, ’Meanwhile Arjuna, in that battle, pierced with many arrows by the son of Drona as also by the latter’s followers, the heroic and mighty car-warriors among the Trigartas, pierced Drona’s son in return with three shafts, and each of the other warriors with two.  Once again, the mighty-armed Dhananjaya covered his enemies with showers of shafts.  Though struck with keen arrows and though they looked like porcupines in consequence of those arrows sticking to their limbs, still thy troops, O bull of Bharata’s race, fled not from Partha in that battle.  With Drona’s son at their head, they encompassed that mighty car-warrior and fought with him, shooting showers of shafts.