Shalya was the maternal uncle to the youngest Pandavas,
Nakula and Sahadeva. But he was tricked to joining the Kauravas. Shalya, brave
and immensely energetic, was like a lion and elephant in valour and only
Yudhishthira could kill Shalya in the Kurukshetra war in the Mahabharata.
On the eighteenth day of Mahabharata war, Sri Krishna saw
that Shalya, the king of Madra, was at the helm of the Kaurava army. He then
told Pandavas that Yudhishthira was the best suited to fight Shalya.
Why Was Yudhishthira Chosen To Kill Shalya?
Within Shalya there lived a demon who fed on bitterness,
animosity, hate and violence show to the king. The more aggression the demon was faced with, the
more its power increased. The demon fed on the aggression, animosity and anger
directed at Shalya.
Yudhishthira was not naturally aggressive at all and when
faced by his uncle, he found it difficult to summon up even the small feeling
of anger or animosity. Thus even on the battlefield, Yudhisthira was filled
with peace and love for his uncle, rather than hate and violence.
Confronted with such love, the demon in Shalya lost its
power. The gentle demeanor of Yudhishthira overwhelmed the demon, its power
kept dwindling instead of multiplying. Finally, the demon ceased to exist.
During the course of the battle, Yudhishthira picked up his
spear and hurled it at Shalya with not a shred of anger or hatred. Shalya was
killed on the spot.
On the same topic
Why Shalya Uncle Of Pandavas Had To Join The Kauravas?