How Droṇa, A Driven Warrior, Became Kuru’s Preceptor to Avenge An Insult

Stories Of India Retold

** Additional Notes:

**At first, the book says Drona and Drupada become friends when the latter visited Bharadvaja with his father, later in the book Drona tells Bhishma that they became friends when they attended Agnivehsya’s school together.

**Drona tells Bhishma that when they were young Drupada promised to share with him his wealth when he became king, this detail is not mentioned at first. Also, from Drona’s words to Drupada after defeating him, it seems like it was more about the insult and not really about the wealth. For the sake of simplicity these details were omitted in this retelling.

Drona was an elite warrior, the preceptor to the Kauravas and Pandavas and largely credited for training Arjuna to be the greatest warrior ever known.

Drona was incredibly skilled at Dhanurveda–one could say it was in his blood as his father Bharadvaja and his son Ashwatthama were also renowned warriors; through his marriage to Kripi he was also related to Sharadvat and Kripa, who were also renowned warriors and teachers of the Kurus.

What made Drona stand out was the fact that he was as driven as he was talented. He pursued any opportunity he got to further his career; he sought training from the great Parashurama himself. When his old friend King Drupada humiliates him, Drona makes it his life’s mission to exact revenge from Drupada and pursues it with the intense dedication and focus he does everything else.

#mahabharat #bharat #ancientindia #history #drona #ashwatthama #kripa

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References:

The Illustrated Mahabharata: The Definitive Guide to India’s Greatest Epic. (2017). Dorling Kindersley India.

The Mahabharata 1: Complete and Unabridged; translated by Bibek Debroy. (2015). Penguin Random House India. (Original work published 2010)