13. DRONA :

 
DRONA, the son of a brahmana named

Bharadwaja, after completing his study of

the Vedas and the Vedangas, devoted

himself to the art of archery and became a

great master.

　

Drupada, the son of the king of Panchala,

who was a friend of Bharadwaja, was a

fellow-student of Drona in the hermitage

and there grew up between them the

generous intimacy of youth.

　

Drupada, in his boyish enthusiasm, used

often to tell Drona that he would give him

half his kingdom when he ascended the

throne. After completing his studies,

Drona married the sister of Kripa, and a

son Aswatthama was born to them.

Drona was passionately attached to his

wife and son, and, for their sake, desired

to acquire wealth, a thing that he had

never cared for before. Learning that

Parasurama was distributing his riches

among the brahmanas, he first went to

him. But he was too late as Parasurama

had already given away all his wealth and

was about to retire to the forest.

But, anxious to do something for Drona,

Parasurama offered to teach him the use

of weapons, of which he was supreme

master.

　

Drona joyfully agreed, and great archer as

he already was, he became unrivalled

master of the military art, worthy of eager

welcome as preceptor in any princely

house in that warlike age.

　

Meanwhile, Drupada had ascended the

throne of Panchala on the death of his

father. Remembering their early intimacy

and Drupada's expressions of readiness to

serve him, even to the extent of sharing

his kingdom, Drona went to him in the

confident hope of being treated

generously.

　

But he found the king very different from

the student. When he introduced himself

as an old friend, Drupada, far from being

glad to see him, felt it an intolerable

presumption.

　

Drunk with power and wealth, Drupada

said: "O brahmana, how dare you address

me familiarly as your friend? What

friendship can there be between a throned

king and a wandering beggar? What a fool

must you be to presume on some long past

acquaintance to claim friend ship with a

king who rules a kingdom? How can a

pauper be the friend of a wealthy man, or

an ignorant boor of a learned scholar, or a

coward of a hero? Friendship can exist

only between equals. A vagrant beggar

cannot be the friend of a sovereign."

Drona was turned out of the palace with

scorn in his ears and a blazing wrath in his

heart.

　

He made a mental vow to punish the

arrogant king for this insult and his

repudiation of the sacred claims of early

friendship. His next move in search of

employment was to go to Hastinapura,

where he spent a few days, in retirement,

in the house of his brother-in-law

Kripacharya.

　

One day, the princes were playing with a

ball outside the precincts of the city, and

in the course of the game, the ball as well

as Yudhishthira's ring fell into a well. The

princes had gathered round the well and

saw the ring shining from the bottom

through the clear water. But could see no

way of getting it out. They did not

however, notice that a brahmana of dark

complexion stood nearby watching them

with a smile.

　

"Princes," he surprised them by saying,

"you are the descendants of the heroic

Bharata race. Why cannot you take out the

ball as anyone skilled in arms should

know how to do? Shall I do it for you?"

Yudhishthira laughed and said in fun: "O

brahmana, if you take out the ball, we will

see that you have a good meal in the

house of Kripacharya." Then Drona the

brahmana stranger, took a blade of grass

and sent it forth into the well after reciting

certain words of power for propelling it as

an arrow.

　

The blade of grass straightway sped and

stuck into the ball. Afterwards he sent a

number of similar blades in succession

which clinging together formed a chain,

wherewith Drona took out the ball.

　

The princes were lost in amazement and

delight and begged of him to get the ring

also. Drona borrowed a bow, fixed an

arrow on the string and sent it right into

the ring. The arrow rebounding brought

up the ring and the brahmana handed it to

the prince with a smile.

　

Seeing these feats, the princes were

astonished and said: "We salute you, O

brahmana. Who are you? Is there anything

we can do for you?" and they bowed to

him.

　

He said: "O princes, go to Bhishma and

learn from him who I am."

From the description given by the princes,

Bhishma knew that the brahmana was

none other than the famous master Drona.

He decided that Drona was the fittest

person to impart further instruction to the

Pandavas and the Kauravas. So, Bhishma

received him with special honor and

employed him to instruct the princes in

the use of arms.

　

As soon as the Kauravas and the Pandavas

had acquired mastery in the science of

arms, Drona sent Karna and Duryodhana

to seize Drupada and bring him alive, in

discharge of the duty they owed to him as

their master.

　

They went as ordered by him, but could

not accomplish their task. Then the master

sent forth Arjuna on the same errand. He

defeated Drupada in battle and brought

him and his minister captives to Drona.

Then Drona smilingly addressed Drupada:

"Great king, do not fear for your life. In

our boyhood we were companions but you

were pleased to forget it and dishonor me.

You told me that a king alone could be

friend to a king. Now I am a king, having

conquered your kingdom. Still I seek to

regain my friendship with you, and so I

give you half of your kingdom that has

become mine by conquest. Your creed is

that friendship is possible only between

equals. And we shall now be equals, each

owning a half of your kingdom."

　

Drona thought this sufficient revenge for

the insult he had suffered, set Drupada at

liberty and treated him with honor.

Drupada's pride was thus humbled but,

since hate is never extinguished by

retaliation, and few things are harder to

bear than the pangs of wounded vanity,

hatred of Drona and a wish to be revenged

on him became the ruling passion of

Drupada's life.

　

The king performed tapas, underwent

fasts and conducted sacrifices in order to

win the gratified gods to bless him with a

son who should slay Drona and a daughter

who should wed Arjuna.

　

His efforts were crowned with success

with the birth of Dhrishtadyumna who

commanded the Pandava army at

Kurukshetra and, helped by a strange

combination of circumstances, slew the

otherwise unconquerable Drona, and birth

of Draupadi, the consort of the Pandavas.