son of Sini rushed with great speed against that
animal. With their shafts they speedily checked the impetuosity of the
advancing beast. Thus received by those car-warriors and checked by them
in battle, the elephant began to waver. Meanwhile, king Salwa began to
shoot his shafts like the sun shedding his rays on all sides. Struck with
those shafts, the (Pandava) car-warriors began to fly away. Beholding
that feat of Salwa, the Pancalas, the Srinjayas, and the Matsyas, O king,
uttered loud cries of "Oh!" and "Alas!" in that battle, all those
foremost of men, however, encompassed the animal on all sides. The brave
Pancala king then, taking up his mace which resembled the lofty crest of
a mountain, appeared there. Fearlessly, O king, that hero, that smiter of
foes, rushed with speed against the elephant. Endued with great activity,
the prince of the Pancalas approached and began to strike with his mace
that animal which was huge as a hill and which shed its secretions like a
mighty mass of pouring clouds. Its frontal globes suddenly split open,
and it uttered a loud cry; and vomiting a profuse quantity of blood, the
animal, huge as a hill, suddenly fell down, even as a mountain falling
down during an earthquake. While that prince of elephants was falling
down, and while the troops of thy son were uttering wails of woe at the
sight, that foremost of warriors among the Sinis cut off the head of king
Salwa with a sharp and broad-headed arrow. His head having been cut off
by the Satwata hero, Salwa fell down on the Earth along with his prince
of elephants, even like a mountain summit suddenly riven by the
thunderbolt hurled by the chief of the celestials.'"

21

"Sanjaya said, 'After the heroic Salwa, that ornament of assemblies, had
been slain, thy army speedily broke like a mighty tree broken by the
force of the tempest. Beholding the army broken, the mighty car-warrior
Kritavarma, possessed by heroism and great strength, resisted the hostile
force in that battle. Seeing the Satwata hero, O king, standing in battle
like a hill pierced with arrows (by the foes), the Kuru heroes, who had
fled away, rallied and came back. Then, O monarch, a battle took place
between the Pandavas and the returned Kurus who made death itself their
goal. Wonderful was that fierce encounter which occurred between the
Satwata hero and his foes, since he resisted the invincible army of the
Pandavas. When friends were seen to accomplish the most