Shalya

Quick Facts

About Shalya

King of Madra and brother of Madri, uncle to Nakula and Sahadeva. Tricked into fighting for Duryodhana through lavish hospitality, he served as Karna's charioteer - undermining him with barbed words - and commanded the Kaurava army on its final day before falling to Yudhishthira.

In Their Words

My word was bought with a feast - but my heart rides with my nephews.

Shalya

Traits

• Mighty
• Tricked
• Sharp-tongued
• Reluctant

Story Appearances

• The Impossible ChallengeFails to string the bow❧ 21 min
• The Valiant SonDefeated by young Abhimanyu❧ 16 min
• Eighteen Days of DestructionKarna's charioteer, final commander❧ 31 min

Stories Featuring Shalya

106 further tales on this site name Shalya, in canonical reading order.

• Draupadi's SwayamvaraThe Choosing of Her HusbandAdi Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Weighing of the BharataThe gods put the epic in a balance against the four Vedas, and Sauti recites the eighteen booksAdi Parva ‧ 24 min
• Madri, the Second QueenThe overshadowed wife who chose the fireAdi Parva
• Madra, Kingdom of Shalya and MadriThe uncle's land between two loyaltiesAdi Parva
• What the Blind King Was ToldDuryodhana's inventory of the rajasuya, and the quarrel it startedSabha Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Errand Vidura Did Not WantCarrying the invitation to the dice game he had begged the king not to sendSabha Parva ‧ 13 min
• Nakula, the BeautifulThe overshadowed twin's own accountSabha Parva
• The Conquest of the WestNakula's road for the rajasuyaSabha Parva
• The Eve of BattleLast Embassies Before KurukshetraUdyoga Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Choice at DwarakaTen crore soldiers on one side of the bed, one unarmed man on the otherUdyoga Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Cities of TentsTwo capitals raised on Kurukshetra before a single arrowUdyoga Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Consecration of the GrandsireBhishma takes command on two conditions, and the sky rains bloodUdyoga Parva ‧ 16 min
• Arjuna's Message to the KurusSanjaya recites the message in open court, and names every man who will dieUdyoga Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Sacrifice of BattleDuryodhana makes the coming war his own rite, and his father disowns him for itUdyoga Parva ‧ 23 min
• The Mortal Who Sat on Indra's ThroneA warning tale for a king about to winUdyoga Parva
• The Race for AlliesHow eighteen armies were bought before a shot was firedUdyoga Parva
• The Reckoning of the WarriorsBhishma prices every man on the field, and Karna walks outUdyoga Parva
• The Eighteen DaysWar spares no one - neither the righteous nor the wicked. The Mahabharata war ended with Pandava victory, but the price...Bhishma Parva ‧ 24 min
• Kurukshetra Day 1: The Conches SoundThe First Royal DeadBhishma Parva
• Kurukshetra Day 7: Mandala and VajraThe Day of a Hundred DuelsBhishma Parva
• The Walk Across the FieldThe king who laid down his armour before the first arrowBhishma Parva ‧ 20 min
• Shveta Against the GrandsireThe Matsya prince who broke Bhishma's bow again and againBhishma Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Grandsire Names the GodDuryodhana asks why he keeps losing and gets a theology insteadBhishma Parva ‧ 18 min
• Kurukshetra Day 8: The Rakshasa's HourIravan falls and Ghatotkacha answers for himBhishma Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Herb in the Grandsire's HandA wounded Duryodhana asks Bhishma for reassurance and is given honesty, a pledge, and medicineBhishma Parva ‧ 16 min
• Omens and the Ten Kings Around BhimaDrona reads the signs of Bhishma's last day and sends his son to fightBhishma Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Grandsire Chooses His HourBhishma remembers Santanu's boon and refuses to die in the wrong seasonBhishma Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Ten Kinsmen Against the Ten SonsDay six: Dhrishtadyumna kills two princes, ten Pandavas duel ten Kauravas, and Bhima goes into the elephants on footBhishma Parva ‧ 14 min
• Six Duels on the Eighth DayShikhandi with a broken sword, Duryodhana on foot, and a mace that missedBhishma Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Three ColumnsAt midday on the eighth day the Pandava army splits into three attacking bodies, Arjuna's son Iravan is killed, and Bhishma sends twelve warriors to pull Duryodhana out of the fire.Bhishma Parva ‧ 21 min
• Ghatotkacha and the Javelin of BhagadattaDuryodhana asks to kill a Rakshasa, and a Rakshasa breaks a javelin on his kneeBhishma Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Shield Around BhishmaNinth day: Satyaki trades darts with the grandsire, Abhimanyu unhorses Chitrasena, and Duryodhana orders a wall of men built round BhishmaBhishma Parva ‧ 14 min
• The Last Push on the Tenth DayTenth day: Bhishma asks Yudhishthira to kill him, and the champions of both armies pair off across the field while Dushasana alone stands between him and ArjunaBhishma Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Pairings of the Second DayArjuna goes at the grandsire, and the field breaks into nine duelsBhishma Parva ‧ 11 min
• The Guard Drona Had To KillSatyajit of Panchala, and the promise Arjuna left behind himDrona Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Night the Sindhu King Asked to LeaveJayadratha wants his horses saddled, and Drona tells him the truthDrona Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Cart, the Lotus and the NeedleDrona builds an array forty-eight miles deep to hide one manDrona Parva ‧ 16 min
• Kurukshetra Day 14: The Longest DaySunset Vow, False Dusk, and a Battle That Would Not Stop at NightfallDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• Three Men and a Drawn SwordKarna boasts, Kripa answers, and Ashwatthama draws on his own sideDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Night They Lit the FieldDuryodhana's order that turned a battlefield into a lamp-lit hallDrona Parva ‧ 16 min
• Kurukshetra Day 15: The Day the Teacher DiedFrom the Dawn Prayers to the Half-Truth at NoonDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• Held Back by Bhima's ArmsSatyaki and Dhrishtadyumna nearly finish the war for the KauravasDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Sword That Broke on the ShieldAbhimanyu strips a king of everything, and Jayadratha comes down off his car to stop himDrona Parva ‧ 13 min
• The Two MacesBhima sends Abhimanyu aside and meets the king of Madra blow for blow until both men fallDrona Parva ‧ 14 min
• The Guard at the WheelKumara of Panchala checks Drona in front of Yudhishthira's chariot, and pays for itDrona Parva ‧ 14 min
• The Stake on the TableDrona tells Duryodhana that the dice in the sabha were arrows, and that Jayadratha is what they are playing forDrona Parva ‧ 14 min
• Seven Bows Against OneDhrishtadyumna rides at Drona in the night battle and answers seven champions with three arrows apieceDrona Parva ‧ 12 min
• The King Put Off His ChariotSatyaki kills Duryodhana's horses and driver, cuts his bow at the handle, and the king escapes on Kritavarma's carDrona Parva ‧ 13 min
• The Telling in the RoutAshwatthama rides back through a fleeing army to ask what happened, and Kripa has to tell him how Drona was killedDrona Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Mouth of the GarudaDrona draws his host as a bird and comes for Yudhishthira on the twelfth morningDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Blind King Is AnsweredDhritarashtra laments the night after Abhimanyu's death, and his own messenger tells him whose fault it isDrona Parva ‧ 15 min
• The Road to JayadrathaArjuna breaks through the head of Drona's array on the fourteenth morning, from the omens at dawn to the river of bloodDrona Parva ‧ 23 min
• The Stones and the Golden KingSatyaki kills Sudarsana on the road to Arjuna, and cuts the mountaineers' stones out of the airDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Field Krishna Showed HimArjuna is driven at a walk over the ground he has won, and Yudhishthira answers with a hymnDrona Parva ‧ 22 min
• The Night Falls on the Fourteenth DayAshwatthama breaks the Panchalas after dark, Drona looses the wind weapon, and Krishna pulls Yudhishthira out of a fight he is winningDrona Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Guard at Drona's Right WheelYudhishthira orders his whole army against Drona, and never gets past KritavarmaDrona Parva ‧ 15 min
• Duels by TorchlightSix single combats fought by lamplight on the road to Drona's carDrona Parva ‧ 20 min
• Kurukshetra Day 16: The Sun-Born CommanderKarna Keeps His Word to KuntiKarna Parva
• Karna and ShalyaThe War of Words on the ChariotKarna Parva
• The Death of KarnaThe chariot wheel, the curses, and the fall of the sunKarna Parva ‧ 11 min
• The Fallen SunKarna's life is the greatest tragedy of the Mahabharata. Born a prince, raised a charioteer's son, cursed by fate at...Karna Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Fallen SunKarna's story is the Mahabharata's deepest meditation on the cruelty of fate and the power of loyalty. He was denied...Karna Parva ‧ 28 min
• Kurukshetra Day 17: The Earth Takes the WheelKarna's Last Morning to Karna's Last HourKarna Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Word Brought to HastinapuraSanjaya rides through the night with the news of KarnaKarna Parva ‧ 21 min
• Arjuna Against the Preceptor's SonThe duel Ashvatthama could not win twiceKarna Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Calf and the WheelKarna tells his charioteer the curse that will kill himKarna Parva ‧ 16 min
• Karna Spares the KingThe armour cut away, and a hand laid on Yudhishthira's shoulderKarna Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Brothers Bhima CountedDuryodhana's kin fall in handfuls on the seventeenth dayKarna Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Bhargava WeaponKarna spends his teacher's last gift on the PancalasKarna Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Field After the Sun FellShalya counts the dead and the Kauravas walk awayKarna Parva ‧ 18 min
• The King Names the PairsYudhishthira assigns each Pandava his enemy as Karna's array comes onKarna Parva ‧ 16 min
• How Parashurama Won Shiva's WeaponsYears of penance, a war fought with empty hands, and the arsenal that reached KarnaKarna Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Night After DronaThe sleepless camp, four men in a tent, and the thread tied round Karna's wristsKarna Parva ‧ 14 min
• The First Duels of the Sixteenth DayBhima kills a king off an elephant, Satyaki kills two brothers, and Draupadi's sons kill two moreKarna Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Price on Arjuna's HeadKarna offers everything he owns to any man who will point out ArjunaKarna Parva ‧ 13 min
• The Gates of Heaven Stand OpenDuryodhana tells his kings that dying well is winning, and Krishna drives Arjuna through what that costsKarna Parva ‧ 20 min
• Arjuna Rides Out for KarnaThe car is yoked again, the omen birds go on ahead, and the field between Arjuna and Karna breaks into duelsKarna Parva ‧ 23 min
• Arjuna Cuts His Way to KarnaAn army ordered to tire one man before Karna kills himKarna Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Vows Before the Final DuelKarna, Shalya, Krishna and Arjuna each say what they will do when the other man diesKarna Parva ‧ 24 min
• Karna's Tales of the MadrakasThe abducted woman's curse, the rakshasa's ranking of dirt, and a driver who cannot get off the chariotKarna Parva ‧ 21 min
• The King of MadraA good man bound by a rash promise to the wrong sideShalya Parva ‧ 10 min
• The Fall of ShakuniSahadeva Keeps His VowShalya Parva
• Duryodhana's Last StandShalya, the Twins, and a King in a LakeShalya Parva ‧ 28 min
• The Fourth CommanderA nephew's water poured on an uncle's head at the foot of HimavatShalya Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Sons of the Sun Go DownNakula's one great hour, and the end of Karna's lineShalya Parva ‧ 16 min
• Shalya Alone Against FiveThe last commander's one unanswerable morningShalya Parva ‧ 20 min
• The King on the Mountain of FleshOne elephant breaks an army, and two men bring it downShalya Parva ‧ 16 min
• Where the Carnage Did Not CeaseArjuna counts every point at which the war should have stoppedShalya Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Last of the HundredBhima closes an eighteen-year account in a single afternoonShalya Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Oath Comes DueSusharman, his thirty-five sons, and the last of the sworn menShalya Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Duel on the Southern BankTwo pupils of one teacher settle a war with clubsShalya Parva ‧ 21 min
• Duryodhana Rises from the LakeTaunted in the water, the last Kaurava comes up armed and asks for one man at a timeShalya Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Last Words of DuryodhanaBroken-thighed on the field, the Kuru king laments his dead, sends his last words home, and names a general with a dying man's hand.Shalya Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Eighteenth MorningChekitana takes a lance, Suratha takes a single arrow, and Duryodhana is carried off his own field by bolting horsesShalya Parva ‧ 22 min
• The Seventeen HundredShalya's followers charge against orders, and Duryodhana's army breaks twice before he turns it roundShalya Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Afternoon of the Eighteenth DaySatyaki takes Kritavarma's car again, Duryodhana holds the field alone, and the last elephants fallShalya Parva ‧ 22 min
• The Muster of the Eighteenth DayAn oath never to fight alone, and the count of what was left of both armiesShalya Parva ‧ 15 min
• Kripa's Last ArgumentThe morning after Karna, somebody finally says stopShalya Parva
• The Gem on Ashwatthama's HeadDraupadi sits down to starve until the stone is brought to herSauptika Parva ‧ 15 min
• The Queens Who Came a Long WayWhat the Kuru quarrel cost the kingdoms that were only alliesStri Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Count of the DeadKrishna's blunt answer, and a king who could see where they had goneStri Parva ‧ 16 min
• Gandhari Shows Krishna the FieldWith the sight Vyasa gave her, the blindfolded queen walks Krishna through the dead of KurukshetraStri Parva ‧ 21 min
• What Gandhari SawThe blind queen, given sight for one afternoon, walks Kurukshetra naming the dead of both armiesStri Parva ‧ 21 min
• Karna at RajapuraA bride carried off, a hundred kings unhorsed, and the city a rival gave awayShanti Parva ‧ 15 min
• The News Krishna Held BackA grandfather is spared until his daughter refuses itAshvamedhika Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Night the Dead ReturnedVyasa Calls the Fallen Out of the GangaAshramavasika Parva ‧ 20 min

Character Arc

1. 1The TrickBound to Duryodhana by hospitality
2. 2The Last DayCommands and falls on day eighteen

Key Relationships

• Sister➝Queen Madri
• Nephew➝Nakula
• Charioteer to➝Karna

Places in Shalya's Story

Drawn from the stories Shalya appears in.

• Kurukshetraकुरुक्षेत्र
• Kampilyaकाम्पिल्य
• Ekachakraएकचक्र
• Hastinapurहस्तिनापुर
• Gandhamadanaगन्धमादन
• Angaअंग
• Indra's Pillarइंद्र कील
• Madraमद्र
• Madra Kingdomमद्र देश
• Mount Shatashringaशतशृङ्ग
• Indraprasthaइंद्रप्रस्थ
• Sindhu Kingdomसिंधु

Related Characters

Others counted among the Kauravas.

• ⚔︎Duryodhana
• ☠︎Dushasana
• ⚄Shakuni
• ☀︎Karna
• ☮︎Yuyutsu
• ❖Bhagadatta