‘The great-souled son336 of Jamadagni was a conqueror of enemies. O king! He337 heard that he was giving away all his wealth to Brahmanas. Bharadvaja’s son spoke to him when Rama338 was already leaving for the forest. He said, “I have come in search of riches. Know that I am Drona, a bull among Brahmanas.” Rama replied, “O one blessed with the power of austerities! Nothing is left of the gold or other riches that I possessed. I have given it all away to Brahmanas. I have given to Kashyapa, the goddess earth, right up to the boundaries of the ocean, with all her settlements and garlands of cities. Now I only have this body with me, weapons and many precious weapons. O Drona! Tell me quickly what you want. I will give it to you.” Drona said, “O descendant of the Bhrigu lineage! Give me all your arms and weapons of destruction, especially the knowledge of releasing them and withdrawing them.” Agreeing to this, the descendant of the Bhrigu lineage gave him all his weapons, especially all the mysteries of Dhanur Veda. Having received this, that supreme among Brahmanas became accomplished in the use of weapons and happily went to see his beloved friend Drupada.’
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Vaishampayana said, ‘O king! Bharadvaja’s powerful son went to Prishata’s son and said, “Recognize me.” Drupada replied, “O Brahmana! Your wisdom is lacking and inferior, if you suddenly begin to address me as your friend. O one with a dull mind! No great king can ever be a friend with men like you. You have no prosperity, nor do you have riches. Time decays everything, including friendship. It is true that we were friends once, but that was based on a relationship of equality. No friendship can be found in the world that does not age; desire and anger both destroy it. Do not therefore talk about a friendship that has died out. O best of Brahmanas! Find a fresh friendship. I was friends with you because it served my purpose. The poor cannot be a friend to the rich. The fool cannot be a friend to the learned. The weak cannot a friend of the strong. Who wants an old friendship? Those of similar wealth and similar lineage can have marriages and friendship together, not one who is rich with one who is poor. One who is learned in the Vedas339 cannot be a friend to one who is not learned. One with chariots cannot be a friend to one who has no chariots. A king cannot be a friend to one who is not a king. Who wants this old friendship?” Thus addressed by Drupada, Bharadvaja’s powerful son was full of wrath and reflected for a while. The wise one thought about a course of action for Panchala340 and made his way to Gajasahrya341, the chief city of the Kurus.
‘One day, all the Kuru princes came out of Gajasahrya together. The brave ones wandered around, playing with a wooden ball.342 While they were playing, the ball fell into a well. With all their efforts, they couldn’t find a way to recover the ball. The valorous Drona saw that the princes were unsuccessful in their attempts. He laughed at them a little and then softly told them, “Shame on your Kshatriya prowess! Shame on your knowledge of weapons! You have been born in the Bharata lineage and yet you cannot recover a ball. Here is a handful of reeds343 that I have invested with the mantra of my weapons. Look at their power, unmatched by that of anything else. I will pierce the ball with one of these reeds and that reed with another one and that one with another. With the chain of reeds, I will bring the ball up into my hands.” On seeing this, the eyes of the princes widened with wonder. They saw him pull up the ball and spoke to the one who had pulled the ball up. “O Brahmana! We pay homage to you. No one else has the knowledge to do that. Who are you? We wish to know your lineage. What can we do for you?” Drona replied, “Go to Bhishma and tell him of my appearance and qualities. He has great intelligence and will know what should be done.” The princes agreed. They went to Bhishma, the grandfather, and told him exactly what the Brahmana had said and done. On hearing this from the princes, Bhishma immediately recognized Drona. He thought that this would be the right preceptor. He went to him in person and paid him the highest of respects. Bhishma, the greatest of those who wielded arms, then skilfully asked Drona about the reason why he had come there and he told him the entire reason.
‘Drona said, “Desiring to learn the science of Dhanur Veda, I earlier went to maharshi Agniveshya. I lived there for a long time, as a humble brahmachari with matted hair, desiring to learn Dhanur Veda. The powerful Yajnasena, son of the king of Panchala, hardworking and dedicated, also studied with me under that teacher. There he became my friend and was always willing to do what brought me happiness. I also loved his company. O descendant of the Kuru lineage! We studied together from the time we were boys. He would come to me and do things that were pleasurable for me. O Bhishma! He used to say things that brought me pleasure: ‘I am the favourite son of my great-souled father. O friend! When I am instated by the king of Panchala in the kingdom, it will be yours to enjoy. I swear truthfully on this. My pleasures, riches and happiness will all be yours.’ This is the way he spoke to me then. Having become skilled in use of weapons, I set out in search of riches. When I heard that he had been instated, I remembered those words. Happily, I went to see my old friend in his kingdom. O lord! Remembering those words, I went to my old friend Drupada and told him, ‘O tiger among men! Recognize me as your friend.’ But he laughed at me, as if I was a person who was unimportant. He said, ‘O Brahmana! Your wisdom is lacking and inferior. O Brahmana! Why have you suddenly come to me, claiming to be my friend? O one with a dull mind! No great king can ever be a friend with men like you. You have no prosperity, nor do you have riches. The poor cannot be a friend to the rich. The fool cannot be a friend to the learned. The weak cannot a friend of the strong. The king cannot be a friend to one who is not a king. Who wants an old friendship?’ O Bhishma! I was flooded with anger at Drupada’s words and I made my way to the land of the Kurus, in search of disciples who might have the right qualities.”’
Vaishampayana said, ‘Bhishma and Pandu’s sons accepted him as a preceptor. O king! With all kinds of riches, he handed over his grandsons as disciples to Drona, in accordance with the prescribed manner. Delighted, that great archer accepted the Kouravas as his disciples. Having accepted them, Drona called all of them together and told them privately, when they were seated at his feet, “O unblemished ones! There is a special task in my heart. You must promise me that you will give it to me when you have become skilled in the use of arms.” O lord! When they heard him, the Kouravas remained silent. But Arjuna, the scorcher of enemies, gave him a complete promise and he then inhaled the scent of Arjuna’s forehead repeatedly, embracing him delightedly and shedding tears of joy.
‘Then the valorous Drona taught Pandu’s sons the use of many weapons, human and divine. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Other princes also came to Drona, supreme among Brahmanas, to learn the use of arms—the Vrishnis, the Andhakas, kings from many countries and Radheya,344 the son of the suta. They made Drona their preceptor. The suta’s son was envious of Partha and always competed with him. With Duryodhana’s support, he showed his contempt for the Pandavas.’
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Vaishampayana said, ‘Arjuna took a great deal of care in worshipping his preceptor and showed the greatest devotion in learning the art of weapons. He became a great favourite of Drona’s. Drona summoned the cook and told him secretly, “Never give Arjuna any food when it is dark.” One day, when Arjuna was eating, a wind arose and blew out the lamp and its light. Arjuna continued to eat in the dark, his hand moving to his mouth from force of habit. The Pandava then began to practise in the night. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Drona heard the twang of his bowstring and came to him and embraced him. He said, “I promise you that I will do my utmost to ensure that you are the best archer in this world and there is no one equal to you.” Then Drona taught Arjuna the art of fighting from horses, elephants, chariots and on the ground. Drona taught the Pandava how to fight in narrow confines345 with clubs, swords, spears, javelins and lances. On witnessing his skills, thousands of kings and princes assembled to learn the science of Dhanur Veda.
‘O king! Ekalavya was the son of Hiranyadhanu, the king of the nishadas. He came to Drona. However, since he wa
s the son of a nishada,346 Drona, who was learned in dharma, thought about it and refused to accept him as a student of archery, out of consideration for the others. That conqueror of enemies touched Drona’s feet with his head. He went to the forest and used clay to make Drona’s image. He began to worship and treat this as his preceptor, devoting his mind to learning archery in accordance with the proper disciplines. As a consequence of his exceptional faith and supreme devotion, he acquired great dexterity in fixing an arrow to the string of the bow, aiming and then releasing it. One day, with Drona’s permission, all the Kurus and the Pandavas, conquerors of their enemies, went out on their chariots for a hunt. O king! A servant followed the Pandavas, carrying the required objects with him and he had a dog with him. They wandered around in the forest, their hearts set on what they wished to do. The dog also wandered off in the forest, got lost and came upon the nishada. On seeing the dark nishada in the forest, his body covered with dirt and clad in a dark deerskin, the dog began to bark. When it kept on barking, he displayed great dexterity. In one instant, he shot seven arrows into its mouth. The dog dashed back to the Pandavas, its mouth full of arrows. On seeing this, the brave Pandavas were extremely surprised. At this supreme and dextrous feat of shooting blind,347they praised the person who had done this, but were also ashamed of their own skills. O king! The Pandavas went out to search for the forest-dweller who had done this and found him, tirelessly shooting arrows. They did not know him and his appearance wasn’t handsome. They asked him, “Who are you and whose son are you?” Ekalavya replied, “Know me to be the son of Hiranyadhanu, the king of the nishadas. I am Drona’s student and I am trying to become skilled in Dhanur Veda.” The Pandavas ascertained the details of everything that had happened.
‘On return, they told Drona the entire story. O king! Kounteya Arjuna kept thinking about Ekalavya. He went to Drona and affectionately told him, “In your affection, you embraced me and told me that no pupil of yours would ever be my equal. How is it that you have another valorous pupil in this world, the son of the nishada king, who is better than everyone else?” Thereupon, Drona thought for a moment and arrived at a decision. He took Savyasachi348 with him and went to the nishada. He found Ekalavya, his body covered with filth. His hair was matted and he was attired in rags. However, with a bow in his hand, he was ceaselessly shooting arrows. On seeing Drona approach, Ekalavya went up to him. He prostrated himself on the ground and touched his feet with his head. After worshipping Drona in the prescribed way, the nishada’s son told him that he was his student and stood before him with joined hands. At this, Drona told Ekalavya, “If you are my student, give me my fee.” On hearing this, Ekalavya happily asked, “O illustrious one! What can I give you? Command me. O you who know the brahman! There is nothing that cannot be given to the preceptor.” Drona said, “Give me your right thumb as a fee.” On hearing Drona’s terrible words, Ekalavya kept his promise. Always devoted to the truth, he cheerfully cut off his own right thumb, with happiness on his face and peace in his heart, and gave it to Drona. O lord of men! After that, when he pulled the bowstring with his other fingers, the nishada found that he was no longer as swift as earlier. Arjuna was pleased and his fever went away. Drona’s words, that no one would be able to surpass Arjuna, came true.
‘Among all the Kurus who were Drona’s students, two became particularly skilled in fighting with clubs—Duryodhana and Bhima. Ashvatthama excelled in the use of all secret weapons. The twins were better than all other men in the use of the sword. Yudhishthira was supreme in fighting with chariots. However, Dhananjaya349 was the best in fighting with every weapon. The Pandava was famous on earth, right up to the frontiers of the ocean, for his intelligence, perseverance, strength and enterprise in all weapons. He was thus the foremost among all warriors. Arjuna was special, not just in his knowledge of weapons, but also in his devotion to his preceptor, though the instructions were the same for everyone. Alone among all the princes, Arjuna became an atiratha.350 O lord of men! Dhritarashtra’s evil-souled sons could not stand Bhimasena’s great strength and Arjuna’s great skill and hated them.
‘O bull among men! When they became skilled in all knowledge, in a desire to examine their skill with weapons, Drona assembled them together. He got an artisan to construct an artificial bird and placed it on top of a tree. The princes could hardly see it and it was to be used as a target. Drona said, “Quickly pick up your bows, all of you. Fix arrows to the string of the bow, stand here and aim at that bird in the tree. O sons! When I give you permission, one after another, slice off the bird’s head.” The greatest of Angirasa’s descendants first addressed Yudhishthira. “O invincible one! Aim with your arrow and let it go, as soon as I have asked you to.” Yudhishthira first picked up a bow that made a loud noise. Then, as instructed by his preceptor, he stood, aiming at the bird. The descendant of the Kuru lineage stood there, with his bow stretched. O, bull among the Kuru lineage! After a short time, Drona asked, “O prince! Can you see that bird on the top of the tree?” “I can see it,” Yudhishthira replied to his preceptor. After some time, Drona again asked, “Can you see the tree? Can you see me? Can you see your brothers?” In reply to each question, Kounteya351 answered, one after the other: “I can see the large tree. I can see you. I can see the bird.” Drona was displeased at these words and reproachfully told him, “This is not for you. You will not be able to hit the target.” Then the immensely illustrious one placed Duryodhana in the same position and Dhritarashtra’s other sons, one after another, so as to test them. Bhima and the other students and the kings who had come from other countries were also asked. All of them said that they could see everything and were scolded.
‘Smilingly, Drona then summoned Dhananjaya. “This target is for you to shoot down. Listen. As soon as I ask you to, you must shoot. O son! Stand here for a moment, with your bow taut.” Thus addressed, Savyasachi drew his bow into a semicircle, aimed at the target and stood there, as his preceptor had instructed. After a while, Drona asked him in the same way. “O Arjuna! Do you see the bird seated there? Do you see the tree? Do you see me?” Arjuna replied, “I can only see the bird. I cannot see the tree. Nor can I see you.” Pleased, the invincible Drona waited again for a moment. Then he again addressed the Pandava, bull among warriors. “If you can see the bird, describe it to me.” Arjuna replied, “I can only see the bird’s head. I cannot see its body.” At Arjuna’s words, Drona was delighted and his hair stood up. He told Partha, “Shoot,” and he let the arrow go. The Pandava sliced off the head of the bird on the tree with his sharp arrow and brought it down on the ground. When Phalguna352 succeeded in this task, Drona embraced him and deduced that Drupada and his relatives had already been vanquished in battle.
‘O bull among the Bharata lineage! A few days later, the best of those of the Angirasa lineage went with his students to the Ganga to bathe. When Drona entered the water, a powerful crocodile grabbed him by the thigh, as if sent by destiny itself. Though quite capable of saving himself, Drona told his students, “Kill the crocodile and quickly save me.” Even before he had finished speaking, Bibhatsu353 let loose five sharp arrows that killed the crocodile under the water. The others were still standing around, looking confused. On seeing the Pandava’s swiftness in action, Drona was extremely pleased and decided that he was the best of his students. The crocodile was chopped into many pieces through Partha’s arrows. It let go of the great-souled one’s thigh and returned to the five elements. Bharadvaja’s son told the great-souled maharatha, “O mighty-armed one! Receive this invincible and supreme weapon, named brahmashira, with the knowledge of releasing it and withdrawing it. You must never use it against human beings. If it is used against an enemy whose energy is inferior, it will burn up the entire universe. O son! It is said that there is nothing superior to this weapon in the three worlds. Therefore, preserve it carefully and listen to my words. O brave one! If a superhuman enemy ever fights with you, use this weapon to kill him in battle.” With joined hands, Bibhatsu promised that
he would do as he had been asked and received the supreme weapon. His preceptor again told him, “No man in the world will be a greater archer than you.”’
Section Eight
Jatugriha-daha Parva
This parva has 373 shlokas and fifteen chapters.
Chapter 124: 33 shlokas
Chapter 125: 32 shlokas
Chapter 126: 39 shlokas
Chapter 127: 24 shlokas
Chapter 128: 18 shlokas
Chapter 129: 18 shlokas
Chapter 130: 20 shlokas
Chapter 131: 18 shlokas
Chapter 132: 19 shlokas
Chapter 133: 30 shlokas
Chapter 134: 28 shlokas
Chapter 135: 21 shlokas
Chapter 136: 19 shlokas
Chapter 137: 23 shlokas
Chapter 138: 31 shlokas
Jatu is lac and griha is house. This parva is about the burning down of the house of lac.
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Vaishampayana said, ‘O descendant of the Bharata lineage! On seeing that the sons of Dhritarashtra and Pandu had become masters in the use of arms, Drona spoke to King Dhritarashtra, lord of men, in the presence of Kripa, Somadatta, Bahlika, the wise son of Ganga,1 Vyasa and Vidura, “O king! O supreme among the Kurus! The princes have now completed their learning. O king! With your permission, let them now display what they have learned.” The great king replied with gladness in his heart, “O best of the Brahmanas! O Bharadvaja!2 You have accomplished a great task. You should yourself order me about how to arrange the display, the time and the place and about the rules to be followed. Today, I grieve for my blindness and envy men who possess eyesight. They will now be able to witness the prowess of my sons with weapons. O kshatta!3 O one who is devoted to dharma! Follow the instructions of this teacher and preceptor. I can’t think of anything that will be more agreeable to me.” Thereupon, Vidura excused himself from the king’s presence and went out.
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