On the first day of the Kurukshetra War, fierce fighting erupted as the two vast armies tested each other’s strength. Among the Kaurava champions stood Shalya, king of Madra, a warrior famed for his power and mastery of weapons. During the early clashes, Prince Uttara of Matsya, the brave but inexperienced son of King Virata, entered the battlefield to support the Pandava alliance. Though courageous, Uttara lacked the battlefield maturity to face a veteran like Shalya.
Shalya confronted the young prince directly and, after a brief but intense exchange, struck Uttara down, killing him in combat. The fall of Uttara deeply shook the Matsya forces. Enraged by the death of his son, King Virata rushed forward to challenge Shalya. The two kings engaged in a fierce duel, exchanging volleys of arrows and testing each other’s resolve. Virata fought with desperate courage, driven by grief and honor, but Shalya’s superior strength, experience, and composure gave him the advantage.
Shalya wounded Virata and shattered his chariot, forcing the Matsya king to withdraw from the battlefield. Though Virata survived this encounter, the first day ended with heavy loss for Matsya, marking Shalya’s dominance and foreshadowing the tragic fate that would later befall Virata himself in the war.**
