09.016
Core and Pancharatra: Enabled by Bhima, Yudhishthira kills Shalya, his brother, and also defeats Kritaverma, Kripa and Ashwatthama.
Sanjaya said:
Then, the king of Madra, after taking another strong and swift bow, pierced Yudhishthira and roared like a lion.
Then he, with an immeasurable soul, showered the warriors with a rain of arrows, like a cloud, being the bull among warriors.
He attacked Satyaki with ten arrows, Bhimasena with three, and Sahadeva with three, causing distress to Yudhishthira.
The best of charioteers killed those other great archers along with horses, chariots, elephants, elephant riders, horse riders, and charioteers.
He severed the arms and banners of the armed ones, and the earth was strewn with warriors as an altar is with kusa grass.
In this way, the Pandavas, Panchalas, and Somakas, filled with intense anger, surrounded him as he was destroying the enemy forces, resembling death itself at the end of time.
Bhimasena and the grandson of Sini, along with the sons of Madri, who were heroes among men, gathered with the king's strength, filling each other with challenges.
Then the valiant warriors, having reached the king, the lord of Madra, who was the best among warriors, surrounded him in battle and killed him with arrows that were feathered and flew with fierce speed.
The king, protected by Bhimasena, along with the sons of Madri and Madhava, struck down the king of Madra with swift arrows in the chest.
Then, in the battle, observing the king of Madras suffering from arrow wounds, the finest of your chariots encircled him from all directions with Duryodhana's approval.
Then, in the tumultuous battle, the king of Madras quickly pierced Yudhishthira with seven arrows; and Arjuna, the great soul, also pierced him with nine arrows, O King.
In the battle, the great charioteers, the king of Madra and Yudhishthira, engaged in a fierce duel, covering each other with arrows that were fully drawn, aimed, and smeared with oil.
Then, the two great charioteers, observing each other's gap, quickly pierced each other intensely with arrows in battle. They were the best of kings, mighty and invincible by their enemies.
The great sound of the bowstrings of those two warriors, like the thunderbolt of Indra, echoed as they showered arrows at each other, the noble Madra king and the Pandu heroes.
They both roamed the vast forests like shining tiger cubs, eager for prey; like the finest elephants with horns, they engaged in battle, filled with pride born from combat.
Then, the noble king of Madra, with great force, struck Yudhishthira, the valiant hero with the strength of Bhima, in the heart with an arrow that shone like the sun and fire.
Then, even though deeply pierced, Yudhishthira, with a well-aimed arrow, killed the king of Madra, and the great soul, the bull of the Kurus, found joy, O king.
Then, as if after a moment, the king regained his senses, his eyes reddened with anger, and swiftly struck Arjuna with a hundred arrows, possessing a glory akin to that of the thousand-eyed Indra.
The noble son of Dharma, filled with anger, quickly attacked Shalya with nine arrows, piercing his golden chest armor, and then struck him with six more arrows.
Then the delighted king of Madra drew his bow and released arrows. With two razors, he similarly cut off the bow of the foremost of the Kurus.
Then the great king, a noble soul, took up another new and more dreadful bow in the battle and pierced Śalya from all sides with sharp arrows, just as Mahendra pierced Namuci with sharp points.
Then, Śalya, with nine arrows, cut through the golden armor of Bhīma and King Yudhiṣṭhira, piercing their arms, demonstrating his great prowess.
Then, with another blazing like the sun, the king's bow was severed by a razor. Kṛpa also killed his charioteer with six arrows, and he fell facing him.
The king of Madra, with four arrows, killed the horses of Yudhishthira. After killing the horses, the noble soul caused the destruction of Yudhishthira's warriors.
Thus, when the king was dealt with, Bhimasena, the great soul, quickly cut the bow of the king of Madra with the speed of an arrow and severely pierced the king with two arrows.
Then, in his fury, Bhimasena swiftly decapitated the charioteer and took his head along with the armor from the body, and also killed the four horses.
Bhima, the foremost among all archers, moved swiftly in the battle, scattering arrows by the hundreds, and Sahadeva, the son of Madri, did the same.
Seeing Śalya bewildered by the arrows, Bhima attacked and cut his armor. The king of Madra, with his armor cut by Bhimasena, appeared as if adorned with a thousand stars.
The great warrior, having seized his sword, leaped over the chariots and charged at the son of Kunti. After cutting down Nakula's chariots, he then advanced towards Yudhishthira with the might of Bhima.
Then, seeing the king rising in anger like death itself, Dhrishtadyumna, the sons of Draupadi, Shikhandi, and the grandson of Shini suddenly rushed towards him.
Then Bhima, the great warrior, joyfully cut through his unmatched shield with ten arrows and severed the sword in his hand with arrows, roaring amidst your army.
Upon witnessing Bhima's deed, the foremost charioteers of the Pandavas, filled with joy, made a loud noise and, smiling, blew their conches that shone like the moon.
Then, by the sound of Vibhishana, your tormented army appeared unhappy, overcome by sweat, with bodies smeared with blood, as if unconscious and thus dejected.
The king of Madra, suddenly encircled by Bhima and the chief Pandava warriors, rushed towards Yudhishthira with the swiftness of a lion pursuing its prey.
Dharmaraja, filled with intense anger, saw the king of Madra whose horses and charioteer were slain. Like a blazing fire, he swiftly charged at his enemy with great force.
Upon quickly contemplating Govinda's words, Dharmaraja resolved to destroy Shalya. Standing on the chariot with his horses and charioteer slain, he earnestly sought power.
Having heard of Śalya's deeds, the great soul remembered the remaining part of his duty in the killing of Śalya, and with a self-controlled mind, acted as instructed by the younger brother of Indra.
Dharmaraja, with a sudden fierce gaze, seized the gem-studded golden staff and the shining golden spear, and with eyes blazing, he turned his wrathful attention to the king of Madra.
O King, it is indeed observed by the pure-souled and sinless king that it did not turn to ashes, O King of Madra; that seems wonderful to me, O King.
Then, the great soul forcefully hurled the beautiful and fierce spear, adorned with shining gems and coral, towards the king of Madra, the chief among the Kurus, with great speed.
Then all the assembled Kurus saw this shining object, with great force and sparks, suddenly falling, like a great meteor at the end of an age.
Dharmaraja, with full attention in battle, created her to be like Kalaratri, holding a noose, resembling the fierce nurse of Yama, and akin to the infallible staff of Brahma.
The sons of Pandu, with great effort, worshipped her with fragrances, garlands, excellent seats, drinks, and foods. She blazed like the destructive fire, resembling the terrible witchcraft of Atharva Angirasa.
For the purpose of the lord, Tvaṣṭṛ recreated that which devours the lifeless bodies of enemies, to forcibly destroy the beings of earth, sky, and water bodies.
The weapon, adorned with bells, flags, jewels, and thunderbolts, variegated with cat's eye gems and a golden staff, was meticulously crafted by Tvashta. It is an infallible destroyer of the enemies of Brahma.
With great effort and strength, he mounted the swift vehicle, enchanted it with fierce mantras, and then released it by another path to kill the king of Madra.
Rudra, roaring 'he is killed', extended his very strong arm with good hands like a destroyer to the end-maker, as if Dharmaraja was dancing with anger.
Shalya, with a mighty roar, accepted the power sent by Yudhishthira, which was unstoppable in strength, just as fire eagerly receives a stream of ghee properly offered.
She, having torn apart the vital parts of the white demon Mura and his vast armor, entered the earth like water, unattached, burning the vast fame of the king.
He was drenched in blood flowing from his nose, eyes, ears, and mouth, as well as from his wounds, resembling a Krauncha bird struck down by Skanda, the great mountain.
He stretched out his arms and descended from the chariot to the ground, his armor shattered by the joy of the Kurus. Like the great soul resembling the carrier of Mahendra, he was struck down like a mountain peak hit by a thunderbolt.
The king of Madra, with his arms stretched out, faced Dharmaraja and then fell to the ground like a raised banner of Indra.
He, the best among men, lay there with all his limbs broken and smeared with blood, as if embraced lovingly by the earth.
The beloved, as if falling on the chest of the dear one, having enjoyed the earth for a long time, the lord embraced with all his limbs and seemed to fall asleep, like a beloved dear one.
In the righteous battle, the son of Dharma, a righteous soul, killed the enemy, and like a properly offered sacrifice, the fire was extinguished in the ritual.
Fortune never abandoned the king of Madra, even though his heart was pierced by power, and his weapons and banner were scattered, and he was pacified.
Then Yudhishthira, wielding a bow that shone like Indra's, attacked his enemies in battle with the swiftness and precision of Garuda attacking serpents, annihilating them with his sharp arrows in no time.
Then, your soldiers, overwhelmed by Arjuna's arrows, stood with closed eyes, destroying each other in great confusion, having discarded their armor, and lay lifeless, deprived of weapons.
Then, after Śalya had fallen, the young brother of the Madra king, who was equal to his brother in all virtues, approached the Pāṇḍava as a charioteer.
The best of men, in his battle arrogance, quickly pierced with many arrows, wishing to honor his slain brother.
Dharmaraja, in a swift action, pierced him with six arrows and cut off his bow and standard with razor-sharp arrows, as if in a hurry.
Then, with a bright and sharp arrow, he severed the head of the one standing in front.
He saw the head adorned with earrings falling from the chariot, resembling a celestial being descending after losing his merit.
His head was severed, and his body fell from the chariot. Seeing the blood-smeared limbs, the army was shattered.
When the younger brother of the Madra king, clad in strange armor, was slain, the Kauravas cried out in distress and fled.
Upon witnessing the death of Śalya's younger brother, your soldiers, having given up hope of survival, were struck with terror by the Pandavas and were greatly covered in dust.
O best of the Bharatas, Satyaki, the grandson of Shini, advanced towards the terrified Kauravas, showering them with arrows as they were being broken.
Hārdikya quickly and fearlessly received the approaching great archer, who was irresistible and difficult to approach, O king.
Hārdikya and Sātyaki, the undefeated descendants of Vṛṣṇi, came together as if they were two mighty lions, full of pride and strength.
They covered each other with arrows that shone with pure brilliance, like the sun's rays, both equally radiant.
We observed the arrows of the Vṛṣṇi heroes, propelled by the force of their bows, soaring through the sky like swift birds.
Kritavarma, with a bent-joint arrow, pierced Satyaki with ten arrows and his horses with three, then cut his bow with one.
The best of the Shinis, having discarded the cut-off best bow, swiftly took another more powerful weapon.
The most skilled archer, having taken the finest bow, shot ten arrows into Hārdikya's chest.
Then, with precise arrows, he severed the yokes of the chariot and swiftly killed the horses and both the rear charioteer.
O king, when the Madra king was slain and Kritavarma was left without a chariot, all of Duryodhana's forces retreated once more.
Then, covered by the dust raised by the army, they could not perceive anything. The force, however, was mostly destroyed and turned away.
Then, after a moment, they observed the dust rising from the earth, which was calmed by various streams of blood, O best of men.
Then Duryodhana, seeing his army broken nearby, swiftly approached the sons of Pritha alone and halted them all.
Upon seeing the Pandavas with their chariots, along with Dhrishtadyumna, the son of Prishata, and the formidable Anarta, he launched a barrage of sharp arrows.
The others did not dare to approach him, as if he were death itself. Then, Hārdikya, having mounted another chariot, also turned back.
Then King Yudhishthira, eager and skilled in battle, swiftly killed Kritavarma's horses with four arrows and also struck Gautama with six sharp arrows.
Then Ashwatthama, having lost his horse and chariot by the king's actions, was taken away by Kritavarma in his own chariot from Yudhishthira.
Then Śāradvata shot eight arrows at Yudhishthira and also struck his horses with eight sharp arrows.
Thus, O great king, the remainder of the battle continued due to your ill-advised actions, along with your son's, O descendant of Bharata.
When the great archer was slain in the midst of battle by the best of the Kurus, the sons of Pritha gathered with great joy and blew their conches upon seeing Shalya defeated.
Yudhishthira was praised by the king, just as the gods once praised Indra during the slaying of Vritra. Various kinds of musical instruments resounded all around the earth.
