Dronacharya is a very important character in Mahabharata. He had vital parts to play in many parts of the saga. Here is a brief story about his life and the events that marked importance in his life.
Dronacharya was born to Sage Bharadwaja who saw Apsara Ghritachi and his seed fell into a pot. The seed then developed into a strong boy named Drona. He was taught martial arts and bestowed the knowledge of Agneya weapon by Agnivesa. He had still a lot to learn and he went to the greatest warrior then- Parshurama. Parshurama taught him everything about warfare and martial arts. Drona impressed him so much that Parshurama asked him what would he like in return, his body or his weapons. Drona chose the former and got the sword of Brahma from him along with several other weapons.
While growing up, Drona found a friend in Drupada, the king of Panchala. However, Drona was not interested in material wealth and soon lived a life of an ascetic. During the same period, Kripi, the adopted daughter of Shantanu and the sister of Kripa fell in love with him and they both married. They gave birth to a son- Ashwathama. One day, Ashwathama was playing with his friends and they drank milk. He asked for the same but was given water mixed with flour. Enraged by this, Drona went to Drupada who insulted him saying he would never be friends with a beggar like this. This sowed seeds of hatred in their friendship.
Drona once saw some children playing with a ball in a field and their ball had fallen into a deep puddle. He helped them by taking out the ball through the grass. The children were so impressed by his skills that they went home and told their father about this incident. The father was none other than Bhishma and the children were Pandavas and the Kauravas. He immediately made Drona their teacher. Drona was biased towards Arjuna and taught him everything he knew. He also made sure that Eklavya could not beat him in archery. In his Gurudakshina, he desired the kingdom of Panchala from Drupada which was won over by the Pandavas and he got his revenge.
Drona was always against the tortures and the abuses that the Kauravas put on Pandavas and he even requested them to prevent the war. However, they were adamant about it and Drona had to side with the Kauravas as he was a servant to Hastinapur. He was also the commander in chief of the side after Bhishma’s death. His various attempts to corner Yudhisthir failed and on the 15th day, Krishna played a trick where he would let Drona hear that Ashwathama is dead. This trick made him lose his spirit and he was captured by the Pandavas and ultimately beheaded by Drishtadyumna. The trick was that they would kill the elephant named Ashwathama and declare him dead deceiving Drona to think that his son is dead.
Thus, Dronacharya was a noble servant of Hastinapur who tried to fight for his kingdom and followed his duties.
Click here to read about Kripacharya – The Immortal Teacher Of Hastinapur.
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