by
Pandu, encompassing Shalya with their cars, began to afflict him in that
battle. Beholding the unsupported Shalya thus afflicted by those great
car-warriors (and seeing him successfully repel those attacks), loud
sounds of applause were heard, and the Siddhas (who witnessed the
encounter) became filled with delight. The ascetics, assembled together
(for witnessing the battle), declared it to be wonderful. Then Bhimasena
in that encounter, having pierced Shalya who had become (as his name
implied) an irresistible dart in prowess, with one arrow, next pierced
him with seven. Satyaki, desirous of rescuing the son of Dharma, pierced
Shalya with a hundred arrows and uttered a loud leonine roar. Nakula
pierced him with five arrows, and Sahadeva with seven; the latter then
once more pierced him with as many. The heroic ruler of the Madras,
struggling carefully in that battle, thus afflicted by those mighty
car-warriors, drew a formidable bow capable of bearing a great strain and
of imparting great force to the shafts sped from it, and pierced Satyaki,
O sire, with five and twenty shafts and Bhima with three and seventy and
Nakula with seven. Then cutting off with a broad-headed arrow the bow,
with shaft fixed on the string of Sahadeva, he pierced Sahadeva himself,
in that battle, with three and seventy shafts. Sahadeva then, stringing
another bow, pierced his maternal uncle of great splendour with five
shafts that resembled snakes of virulent poison or blazing fire. Filled
with great rage, he then struck his adversary's driver with a straight
shaft in that battle and then Shalya himself once more with three. Then
Bhimasena pierced the ruler of the Madras with seventy arrows, and
Satyaki pierced him with nine, and king Yudhishthira with sixty. Thus
pierced, O monarch, by those mighty car-warriors, blood began to flow
from Shalya's body, like crimson streams, running down the breast of a
mountain of red chalk. Shalya, however, quickly pierced in return each of
those great bowmen with five arrows, O king, which feat seemed
exceedingly wonderful. With another broad-headed arrow, that mighty
car-warrior then, O sire, cut off the stringed bow of Dharma's son in
that encounter. Taking up another bow, that great car-warrior, the son of
Dharma, covered Shalya, his steeds, and driver, and standard, and car,
with many arrows. Thus shrouded in that battle by the son of Dharma with
his shafts, Shalya struck the former with ten keen arrows