Sanjaya said, “Listen, O Lord of the Earth. When Śalya was carried away from the battlefield, the righteous Dharmarāja, swelling with noble pride, roared like a victorious lion and drove the Kaurava forces before him with irresistible fury. Yet the mighty king of Madra soon recovered, mounted another splendid chariot, and returned to the field with renewed determination. Showering countless arrows upon Dharmarāja, he challenged him once again. The foremost warriors of the Pāṇḍava army hastened to confront him, but Śalya struck Sātyaki with ten keen shafts, while Bhīmasena, Nakula, and Sahadeva were each pierced with three arrows. Inflamed by martial pride, he stood upon the field like an unconquerable hero.
The irresistible advance of Śalya resembled a rogue elephant trampling a tranquil lotus lake, a ravenous lion leaping upon unsuspecting herds of deer, or a raging forest fire consuming mighty woods without restraint. His destructive prowess evoked the fierce majesty of Rudra when He destroyed the mighty Tripurāsuras. Like a war elephant crushing its rival and a lion driven by relentless fury, Śalya’s assault swept through the four divisions of Dharmarāja’s army, leaving devastation in its wake. Countless warriors fell beneath his weapons as he pressed forward to confront the son of Dharma himself.
Bhīma, Nakula, Sahadeva, and Sātyaki rushed to support their king. Dharmarāja answered Śalya’s attack with sharp and well-directed arrows that greatly distressed the Madra monarch. Their encounter resembled the terrible combat of enraged elephants, roaring lions, and ferocious tigers locked in a struggle for supremacy. Śalya pierced Dharmarāja’s broad chest with a formidable shaft, but the son of Dharma instantly retaliated, striking Śalya with a keen arrow that caused him to lose consciousness for a brief moment. Recovering with astonishing speed, Śalya’s eyes blazed crimson with wrath as he discharged another powerful arrow. Undeterred, Dharmarāja shattered Śalya’s armour with six piercing shafts and drove nine more deep into his chest.
Seized with fury, Śalya hurled a mighty spear that shattered Dharmarāja’s bow. Without the slightest hesitation, the son of Dharma seized another bow and resumed his deadly rain of arrows. Bhīmasena also struck Śalya with tremendous force, while Kṛpācārya entered the fray to rescue the Madra king. Their combat became fierce and evenly matched. Donning fresh armour, Śalya shattered Dharmarāja’s protective mail with nine arrows and pierced the sinews of his body with two more. Kṛpa slew Dharmarāja’s charioteer, while Śalya swiftly killed his four noble horses, leaving the righteous king momentarily deprived of his chariot.
Standing amidst the turmoil of battle, Dharmarāja reflected within himself. “Śrī Kṛṣṇa commanded me to slay Śalya. By the grace of the Supreme, His divine words can never prove false. It is my sacred duty to fulfil His command.” With unwavering devotion, he turned his thoughts to Lord Śiva, the Three-Eyed One, bearer of the sacred trident, the One who transcends the three guṇas, who is the Creator, Sustainer, and Destroyer of the universe, the Lord of the three worlds, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. “O Mahādeva,” he prayed silently, “I seek refuge at Your lotus feet. As I behold You invisibly destroying the enemies who flee before Arjuna, bless me also with victory through Your boundless grace.”
Holding Rudra firmly within his heart, Dharmarāja resumed the battle with profound concentration. Calmly he discharged arrows against Śalya, who dismissed them as feeble and ineffective, preparing to retaliate with greater force. At that very moment Bhīmasena, the mighty son of Vāyu, shattered Śalya’s bow with unerring precision, pierced him with two powerful shafts, slew his horses, severed the head of his charioteer, and smashed his armour. Finally, with a tremendous spear, Bhīma hurled Śalya from his shattered chariot to the earth.
Bereft of chariot and armour, Śalya rose undaunted. Seizing a gleaming sword and shield, he rushed upon Dharmarāja like Yama, the Lord of Death himself. Bhīmasena, with faultless aim, shattered both sword and shield before they could strike. Yet Śalya’s indomitable spirit remained unbroken. Arming himself with a massive mace, clad once more in armour, and surrounded by warriors skilled in every science of warfare, he advanced with astonishing agility. Though assailed by the arrows of Sātyaki, Śikhaṇḍi, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and the valiant sons of Draupadī, he evaded them all and pressed steadily toward Dharmarāja, leaping with the fierce majesty of a lion.
Then Dharmarāja’s righteous anger blazed forth. He reflected, “Śrī Kṛṣṇa entrusted Śalya’s destruction to me. My sacred obligation must now be fulfilled.” Gazing upon the radiant Śakti weapon bestowed through divine grace and sanctified by Lord Śiva, he offered a final prayer. “O Lord, fulfiller of every devotee’s aspiration, let Your grace remain with me. May victory arise through my unwavering devotion.” Filled with celestial confidence and divine strength, Dharmarāja grasped the blazing Śakti in his powerful hand. His eyes shone with fiery determination as he hurled the irresistible weapon with flawless mastery toward the mighty Śalya, whose skill in battle was second to none.
The divine Śakti tore through Śalya’s breast, pierced his shoulder, and passed completely through his body before falling upon the blood-soaked earth. Sanjaya continued, “O King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, blood streamed from Śalya’s mouth, ears, and nostrils, covering his body like crimson rain. Stretching out his arms, he fell with his head turned toward Dharmarāja, resembling a lofty mountain struck down by Indra’s thunderbolt. Thus the heroic king of Madra met his glorious end in a righteous battle at the hands of Dharmarāja. Like the sacred fire of a sacrifice, blazing brilliantly when nourished with clarified butter and then gradually subsiding into silence, Śalya’s life came to its destined conclusion.”
As Śalya breathed his last, an overwhelming sorrow descended upon the Kaurava ranks. The final pillar of hope supporting Duryodhana’s cause had fallen. Dhṛtarāṣṭra listened in speechless grief as Sanjaya narrated the tragic end of his faithful commander. The battlefield itself seemed to mourn, for with Śalya’s fall the fate of the Kaurava kingdom stood irrevocably sealed.
