his car adorned with gold, pursued that
warrior. Stringing his formidable bow and drawing it with great force,
Sahadeva, filled with rage, pursued the son of Subala and vigorously
struck him with many shafts equipped with vulturine feathers and whetted
on stone, even like a person striking a mighty elephant with pointed
lances. Endued with great energy of mind, Sahadeva, having afflicted his
foe thus, addressed him, as if for calling back to mind (his past
misdeeds), in these words, "Adhering to the duties of a Kshatriya, fight
(with me) and be a man! Thou hadst, O fool, rejoiced greatly in the midst
of the assembly, while gambling with dice! Receive now, O thou of wicked
understanding, the fruit of that act! All those wicked-souled ones that
had ridiculed us then have perished! Only that wretch of his race,
Duryodhana, is still alive, and thyself, his maternal uncle! Today I
shall slay thee, striking off thy head with a razor-headed arrow like a
person plucking a fruit from a tree with a stick!" Saying these words, O
monarch, Sahadeva of great strength, that tiger among men, filled with
rage, rushed impetuously against Shakuni. Approaching his enemy, the
invincible Sahadeva, that foremost of warriors, forcibly drawing his bow
and as if burning his foe with wrath, pierced Shakuni with ten arrows and
his steeds with four. Then cutting off his umbrella and standard and bow,
he roared like a lion. His standard and bow and umbrella thus cut off by
Sahadeva, Subala's son was pierced with many arrows in all his vital
limbs. Once again, O monarch, the valiant Sahadeva sped at Shakuni an
irresistible shower of arrows. Filled with rage, the son of Subala then,
single-handed, rushed with speed against Sahadeva in that encounter,
desirous of slaying the latter with a lance adorned with gold. The son of
Madri, however, with three broad-headed arrows, simultaneously cut off,
without losing a moment, that uplifted lance as also the two well-rounded
arms of his enemy at the van of battle, and then uttered a loud roar.
Endued with great activity, the heroic Sahadeva then, with a broad-headed
arrow, made of hard iron, equipped with wings of gold, capable of
penetrating every armour, and sped with great force and care, cut off
from his trunk his enemy's head. Deprived of his head by the son of Pandu
with that gold-decked arrow of great sharpness and splendour like the
sun's, Subala's son fell down on the earth in that battle. Indeed, the