मद्रेश्वरस् तु समरे यमाभ्यां सह संगतः ॥
स्वस्रीयौ छादयां चक्रे शरौघैः पाण्डुनन्दनौ ॥
सहदेवस् तु समरे मातुलं वीक्ष्य संगतम् ॥
अवारयच् छरौघेण मेघो यद्वद् दिवाकरम् ॥
छाद्यमानः शरौघेण हृष्टरूपतरो ऽभवत् ॥
तयोश् चाप्य् अभवत् प्रीतिर् अतुला मातृकारणात् ॥
ततः प्रहस्य समरे नकुलस्य महारथः ॥
अश्वान् वै चतुरो राजंश् चतुर्भिः सायकोत्तमैः ॥
प्रेषयाम् आस समरे यमस्य सदनं प्रति ॥
हताश्वात् तु रथात् तूर्णम् अवप्लुत्य महारथः ॥
आरुरोह ततो यानं भ्रातुर् एव यशस्विनः ॥
एकस्थौ तु रणे शूरौ दृढे विक्षिप्य कार्मुके ॥
मद्रराजरथं क्रुद्धौ छादयाम् आसतुः क्षणात् ॥
स च्छाद्यमानो बहुभिः शरैः संनतपर्वभिः ॥
स्वस्रीयाभ्यां नरव्याघ्रो नाकम्पत यथाचलः ॥
प्रहसन्न् इव तां चापि शरवृष्टिं जघान ह ॥
सहदेवस् ततः क्रुद्धः शरम् उद्यम्य वीर्यवान् ॥
मद्रराजम् अभिप्रेक्ष्य प्रेषयाम् आस भारत ॥
स शरः प्रेषितस् तेन गरुत्मान् इव वेगवान् ॥
मद्रराजं विनिर्भिद्य निपपात महीतले ॥
स गाढविद्धो व्यथितो रथोपस्थे महारथः ॥
निषसाद महाराज कश्मलं च जगाम ह ॥
तं विसंज्ञं निपतितं सूतः संप्रेक्ष्य संयुगे ॥
अपोवाह रथेनाजौ यमाभ्याम् अभिपीडितम् ॥
दृष्ट्वा मद्रेश्वररथं धार्तराष्ट्राः पराङ्मुखम् ॥
सर्वे विमनसो भूत्वा नेदम् अस्तीत्य् अचिन्तयन् ॥
निर्जित्य मातुलं संख्ये माद्रीपुत्रौ महारथौ ॥
दध्मतुर् मुदितौ शङ्खौ सिंहनादं विनेदतुः ॥
अभिदुद्रुवतुर् हृष्टौ तव सैन्यं विशां पते ॥
यथा दैत्यचमूं राजन्न् इन्द्रोपेन्द्राव् इवामरौ ॥
madreśvaras tu samare yamābhyāṃ saha saṃgataḥ ||
svasrīyau chādayāṃ cakre śaraughaiḥ pāṇḍunandanau ||
sahadevas tu samare mātulaṃ vīkṣya saṃgatam ||
avārayac charaugheṇa megho yadvad divākaram ||
chādyamānaḥ śaraugheṇa hṛṣṭarūpataro 'bhavat ||
tayoś cāpy abhavat prītir atulā mātṛkāraṇāt ||
tataḥ prahasya samare nakulasya mahārathaḥ ||
aśvān vai caturo rājaṃś caturbhiḥ sāyakottamaiḥ ||
preṣayām āsa samare yamasya sadanaṃ prati ||
hatāśvāt tu rathāt tūrṇam avaplutya mahārathaḥ ||
āruroha tato yānaṃ bhrātur eva yaśasvinaḥ ||
ekasthau tu raṇe śūrau dṛḍhe vikṣipya kārmuke ||
madrarājarathaṃ kruddhau chādayām āsatuḥ kṣaṇāt ||
sa cchādyamāno bahubhiḥ śaraiḥ saṃnataparvabhiḥ ||
svasrīyābhyāṃ naravyāghro nākampata yathācalaḥ ||
prahasann iva tāṃ cāpi śaravṛṣṭiṃ jaghāna ha ||
sahadevas tataḥ kruddhaḥ śaram udyamya vīryavān ||
madrarājam abhiprekṣya preṣayām āsa bhārata ||
sa śaraḥ preṣitas tena garutmān iva vegavān ||
madrarājaṃ vinirbhidya nipapāta mahītale ||
sa gāḍhaviddho vyathito rathopasthe mahārathaḥ ||
niṣasāda mahārāja kaśmalaṃ ca jagāma ha ||
taṃ visaṃjñaṃ nipatitaṃ sūtaḥ saṃprekṣya saṃyuge ||
apovāha rathenājau yamābhyām abhipīḍitam ||
dṛṣṭvā madreśvararathaṃ dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ parāṅmukham ||
sarve vimanaso bhūtvā nedam astīty acintayan ||
nirjitya mātulaṃ saṃkhye mādrīputrau mahārathau ||
dadhmatur muditau śaṅkhau siṃhanādaṃ vinedatuḥ ||
abhidudruvatur hṛṣṭau tava sainyaṃ viśāṃ pate ||
yathā daityacamūṃ rājann indropendrāv ivāmarau ||
The lord of the Madras, in the battle, engaged the two twins and covered his nephews, the sons of Pandu, with streams of arrows. Sahadeva, seeing his uncle bearing down on him, checked him with a rain of arrows, as a cloud checks the sun. Covered by the shower of arrows, Shalya only looked the more delighted, and there was unmatched affection between them because of their mother. Then, smiling in the battle, this maharatha sent the four horses of Nakula to the abode of Yama with four excellent arrows. Nakula swiftly leapt down from his horseless chariot and mounted the chariot of his glorious brother. Standing together upon a single chariot, the two enraged heroes drew their strong bows and in an instant covered the chariot of the king of the Madras with arrows. But this tiger among men, though covered by many well-fashioned arrows from his two nephews, did not tremble, like a mountain, and, as if smiling, broke that rain of arrows. Then valiant Sahadeva, enraged, raised an arrow, took aim at the king of the Madras, and loosed it, O Bharata. That arrow, swift as Garuda, sent by him, pierced through the king of the Madras and fell to the ground. Deeply pierced and in agony, the maharatha sank down upon the seat of his chariot and fell into a swoon, great king. Seeing him fallen senseless and hard-pressed by the two twins, his charioteer drove him away from the battle in his chariot. When the Dhartarashtras saw the chariot of the lord of the Madras turned away in retreat, they all grew dejected and thought: "This cannot be." Having conquered their uncle in battle, the two sons of Madri, the maharathas, joyfully blew their conches and let out a lion's roar. Then, exultant, the two of them charged at your army, lord of men, as the two immortals Indra and Upendra charge at the army of the daityas.
afa573ce3753 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:38:21 PM UTC
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The struggle of Nakula and Sahadeva against Shalya is especially difficult: the enemy here is not a faceless foe but their own uncle, for whom affection still remains. Yet kinship does not annul the kshatriya's duty; rather it makes the victory outwardly glorious and inwardly heavy.