09.012
Pancharatra and Core: As Shalya displays his valour and tactics, Yudhishthira kills the Madra prince Chakraraksha.
Sanjaya said.
When Dharmaraja was troubled by the king of Madra, Satyaki, Bhimasena, and the sons of Madri, the Pandavas, encircled Shalya with their chariots and attacked him in the battle.
When they saw him, the one being oppressed by many great charioteers, a great applause arose, and the perfected beings were delighted. The assembled sages also exclaimed in wonder.
In the battle, Bhimasena pierced Shalya, who was a formidable obstacle, with one arrow and then struck him again with seven arrows.
Satyaki, with a force of a hundred warriors, protected Yudhishthira by overwhelming the king of Madra and then roared like a lion.
Nakula and Sahadeva attacked him, Nakula with five arrows and Sahadeva with seven. Then, quickly, they pierced him again with seven arrows.
But he, the hero, though afflicted by those great charioteers, engaged in battle, drew his terrible and swift bow, capable of bearing great burdens.
Shalya attacked Satyaki with twenty-five arrows, O lord; Bhimasena with seventy-three arrows, and Nakula with seven arrows as well.
Then, the archer Sahadeva's bow was cut with an arrow, and he was pierced in battle with twenty-one arrows.
Sahadeva, in the battle, struck his uncle Bhūrivarcasam with another bow, using five arrows that were like snakes and resembled blazing fire.
The extremely enraged warrior pierced his charioteer in battle with a straight-shafted arrow, and then struck him again with three more arrows.
Bhimasena shot seventy-three arrows, Satyaki shot nine arrows, and Dharmaraja also shot sixty arrows, all targeting Shalya's body.
Then, O great king, Śalya, pierced by the great charioteers, bled from his limbs, the blood red like ochre, resembling a mountain.
O king, he forcefully pierced all those great archers with five arrows each; it seemed as if a miracle had occurred.
Then, O lord, the great chariot-warrior cut the bow of Dharmaputra in battle with another arrow.
Then, Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma and a great chariot-warrior, took up another bow and showered Śalya, along with his horses, charioteer, flag, and chariot, with arrows.
He was being covered by the arrows of the son of Dharma in the battle, and then he pierced Yudhishthira with ten sharp arrows.
Satyaki, angered by seeing Dharmaputra afflicted by arrows, confronted the heroic king of the Madras with a barrage of arrows.
He severed Satyaki's great bow with a razor-sharp arrow and struck Bhimasena and his companions with three arrows each.
The great king Satyaki, known for his true valor, in his anger, sent forth a highly valuable spear adorned with a golden shaft.
Then Bhimasena took a blazing arrow resembling a serpent, Nakula wielded a spear in the battle, Sahadeva held an auspicious mace, and Dharmaraja, desiring to kill, aimed a missile at Shalya in the battle.
As they quickly approached, the five spears discharged from the arms, sent by Satyaki, were cut off by Shalya with his arrows.
The mighty and skilled warrior cut the golden-adorned arrow sent by Bhima into two during the battle.
Sahadeva warded off the fearsome spear with a golden shaft sent by Nakula and the mace using a multitude of arrows.
With arrows and a mighty weapon, the king's weapon was cut off, O Bharata, as the sons of Pandu watched. The lion's roar echoed, but the son of Sini could not tolerate the enemy's victory in battle.
Then Satyaki, in a fit of rage, picked up another bow and shot two arrows at the Madra king and three at the charioteer.
Then, O great king, Śalya, in his anger, fiercely pierced all of them with ten arrows, just as one would goad great elephants.
The great charioteers, although restrained by the king of Madra in battle, could not stand against his formidable warriors who were destroyers of enemies.
Then King Duryodhana, observing Shalya's valor, believed that the Pandavas, Panchalas, and Srinjayas had been defeated.
Then, O King, the mighty-armed and valiant Bhimasena, resolved to sacrifice his life, engaged in battle with the king of Madra.
Nakula, Sahadeva, and Satyaki, the great warriors, surrounded Shalya from all directions and showered him with arrows.
The powerful king of Madra, surrounded by four great archers and the great charioteers of the Pandavas, engaged them in battle.
In the great battle, the son of Dharma swiftly killed Chakraraksha, the prince of the king of Madra, with a razor-sharp weapon, O king.
But when the heroic Chakraraksha, the great charioteer, was slain, the very powerful king of Madra covered the soldiers with arrows.
Then, O king, seeing those soldiers covered, Dharmaraja Yudhishthira pondered over the situation in the battle.
"How could the great words of Madhava not be true? Surely, when the king is angry in battle, he would not destroy my army."
Then, the Pandavas, along with their chariots, elephants, and horses, and led by the elder brother of Pandu, surrounded and harassed the king of Madra from all directions.
O king, the wind dispersed the abundant flood of various weapons that had arisen in battle, just as it would disperse great clouds.
Then we observed the golden-feathered arrows, shot into the sky, appearing like a swarm of locusts.
The arrows dispatched by the king of Madra are observed descending upon the battlefield like swarms of locusts.
The king of Madra released arrows adorned with golden ornaments, making the sky appear continuously filled.
In the great darkness created by the arrows, neither the Pandavas nor we could see anyone there, and it caused great fear.
The gods, Gandharvas, and Danavas were utterly amazed to see the ocean of strength of the Pandavas being agitated by the strong king of Madra with swift showers of arrows.
But he, like a lion, roared repeatedly after oppressing them from all sides with arrows and covering Dharmaraja, O gentle one.
The great charioteers of the Pāṇḍavas were unable to counter the great charioteer in battle, as they were covered by him.
The chariots led by Yudhishthira, with Bhimasena at the forefront, bravely faced Shalya, who was resplendent in the battle.
