from his trunk. The steeds of Duryodhana’s
car, deprived of their driver, ran wildly on all sides,
O Bharata, dragging the car after them, at which loud
wails arose (in the Kuru army). Then the mighty
car-warrior Ashvatthama, and Kripa and Kritavarma,
followed that car, desirous of rescuing thy son.
The (Kaurava) troops (at sight of this) became exceedingly
agitated. The followers of Duryodhana became
terrified. At that time, the wielder of Gandiva,
drawing his bow, began to slay them with his arrows.
Then Yudhishthira, excited with rage, rushed against
the ruler of the Madras, himself urging his steeds
white as ivory and fleet as thought. We then
saw something that was wonderful in Yudhishthira,
the son of Kunti, for though very mild and soft, he
then became exceedingly fierce. With eyes opened
wide and body trembling in rage, the son of Kunti
cut off hostile warriors in hundreds and thousands
by means of his sharp shafts. Those amongst the
soldiers against whom the eldest Pandava proceeded,
were overthrown by him, O king, like mountain summits
riven with thunder. Felling cars with steeds and
drivers and standards and throwing down car-warriors
in large numbers, Yudhishthira, without any assistance,
began to sport there like a mighty wind destroying
masses of clouds. Filled with rage, he destroyed
steeds with riders and steeds without riders and foot-soldiers
by thousands in that battle, like Rudra destroying
living creatures (at the time of the universal dissolution).
Having made the field empty by shooting his shafts
on all sides, Yudhishthira rushed against the ruler
of the Madras and said, “Wait, Wait!”
Beholding the feats then of that hero of terrible
deeds, all thy warriors became inspired with fear.
Shalya, however, proceeded against him. Both
of them filled with rage, blew their conchs.
Returning and challenging each other, each then encountered
the other. Then Shalya covered Yudhishthira with
showers of arrows. Similarly, the son of Kunti
covered the ruler of the Madras with showers of arrows.
Then those two heroes, the ruler of the Madras and
Yudhishthira, mangled in that battle with each other’s
arrows and bathed in blood, looked like a Salmali
and a Kinsuka tree decked with flowers. Both possessed
of splendour and both invincible in battle, those
two illustrious warriors uttered loud roars.
Beholding them both, the soldiers could not conclude
which of them would be victorious. Whether the
son of Pritha would enjoy the Earth, having slain
Shalya, or whether Shalya having slain the son of
Pandu would bestow the Earth on Duryodhana, could not
be ascertained, O Bharata, by the warriors present
there. King Yudhishthira, in course of that battle,
placed his foes to his right. Then Shalya shot
a hundred foremost of arrows at Yudhishthira.
With another arrow of great sharpness, he cut off
the latter’s bow. Taking up another bow,
Yudhishthira pierced Shalya with three hundred shafts
and cut off the latter’s bow with a razor-faced


