The Broken Promise: The Tale of Revenge Between Drona and Drupada – 11
The story of Drona and Drupada’s friendship goes back to their days as students in the ashram of Sage Bharadwaja. Drona was a poor but talented boy, while Drupada was a prince of the Panchala kingdom. Despite their different backgrounds, they became the best of friends and made a promise to help each other whenever needed.
As they grew up, Drupada became the king of Panchala, while Drona became a sage and teacher. Drona had a son named Ashwatthama, but he remained poor and struggled to provide for his family. One day, when Ashwatthama was playing with his friends, he saw them drinking milk and asked for some. However, his friends gave him a mixture of flour and water instead. When Drona found out, he was furious and remembered Drupada’s promise to help him.
Drona went to Drupada’s palace and asked him to provide a cow for his son to get milk. But Drupada, who had become proud and vain as a king, refused to help his old friend and insulted him by calling him a beggar. This made Drona angry and he decided to seek revenge.
After completing the training of the Kuru princes, Drona demanded that they invade Panchala and capture Drupada as their Gurudakshina (a traditional offering given to a guru at the end of his teaching). Arjuna, one of the Kuru princes, succeeded in defeating Drupada and brought him as a captive to Drona. Drona reminded Drupada of their old friendship and his promise to help him, before taking half of the Panchala kingdom as his reward.
Drona made his son Ashwatthama the king of the annexed half of the Panchala kingdom. This action made Drupada angry and he performed a sacrificial yagna (fire ritual) to beget a son who would kill Drona. The yagna yielded a son named Dhrishtadyumna and a daughter named Draupadi.
Years later, during the Kurukshetra War between the Pandavas and Kauravas, Drona fought on the side of the Kauravas. On the 15th day of the war, Drona killed many Pandava soldiers, including Virat, in a fierce battle. Enraged by the death of his father and fellow Panchala warriors, Dhrishtadyumna saw an opportunity to take revenge and beheaded Drona, in a gross violation of the rules of war. Krishna justified the act by pointing out Drona’s role in the killing of Abhimanyu.
The story of revenge between Drona and Drupada teaches us that revenge is not the answer to our problems. Drupada’s refusal to help Drona led to a series of events that ultimately caused the destruction of both sides. Revenge only leads to more pain and suffering, and it is always better to forgive and move on. It also highlights the importance of keeping promises and not taking friendships for granted. The story shows that broken promises and betrayals can have severe consequences and can cause irreparable damage to relationships. Therefore, we should always be honest and loyal to our friends and keep our promises.