The ruler of the Madras, however, quickly baffled in
that battle all those weapons, hurled from the arms of those five
warriors at him, as these coursed towards his car. With a number of
broad-headed arrows Shalya cut off the lance hurled by Satyaki. Possessed
of valour and great lightness of hand, he cut off into two fragments the
gold-decked shaft sped at him by Bhima. He then resisted with clouds of
shafts the terrible dart, equipped with a golden handle, that Nakula had
sped at him and the mace also that Sahadeva had thrown. With a couple of
other arrows, O Bharata, he cut off the Sataghni sped at him by the king,
in the very sight of the sons of Pandu, and uttered a loud leonine roar.
The grandson of Sini, however, could not endure the defeat of his weapon
in that battle. Insensate with rage, Satyaki took up another bow and
pierced the ruler of the Madras with two shafts and his driver with
three. At this, Shalya, O monarch, excited with rage, deeply pierced all
of them with ten arrows, like persons piercing mighty elephants with
sharp-pointed lances. Thus checked in that battle by the ruler of the
Madras, O Bharata, those slayers of foes became unable to stay in front
of Shalya. King Duryodhana, beholding the prowess of Shalya, regarded the
Pandavas, the Pancalas, and the Srinjayas as already slain. Then, O king,
the mighty-armed Bhimasena, possessed of great prowess and mentally
resolved to cast off his life-breaths, encountered the ruler of the
Madras.
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