Enmity Between Drona and Draupada – Stories from Adi Parva

The enmity between Drona and Draupada is an interesting situation caused by childhood promises and differences in their approaches to life. After all, Drona was a Brahmin and Draupda was a king.

Drona was the son of Rishi Bharadwaja. He studied Vedas, Vedeangas, and Shastras under his father. Bharadwaja had a friend, King Prishata, whose son was Draupada. When young, Drona and Draupada played and studied together as the rishi trained them in various arts and skills. 

Though they were friends during their childhood and teen years, their paths took them in different directions. When Prishata passed away, Draupada became the king of Panchala. Drona was married to Kripi, the twin sister of Kripa. Drona and his wife had a son called Ashvatthaman. 

Years passed. Drona lived with his wife and son in a humble ashram. They didn’t have enough money and struggled to even have milk at home. When Drona heard that Parasurama was giving away his wealth, he approached the rishi for some donation. However, Parasurama had already given away everything he had. Then, Drona asked Parasurama for his knowledge of weaponry and warfare. The rishi gladly shared it and taught him about Dhanur Veda. 

One day, Drona decided to renew his acquaintance with his childhood friend, King Draupada. He went to Panchala and tried to remind the king about their younger days. Draupada’s response was lukewarm. While he was willing to give some donations, he didn’t show interest in renewing their friendship. An angry Drona left the place and went towards Kuru where he caught the attention of the young princes. Soon, Bhishma found out and made Drona the teacher of the Kauravas and Pandavas. Bhishma gave houses to Drona and Kripa and ensured they had enough wealth to live comfortably. 

However, Drona wasn’t one to forget the insults by Draupada. When the princes finished their training, he asked them to attack Panchala and defeat Draupada as a guru dakshina. The Kauravas, Pandavas, and Karna did what their master wanted. Arjuna showed his prowess, which impressed everyone, including Draupada. When Draupada lost, Drona said he would take only half the kingdom and leave the other half for Draupada to continue ruling. 

This act made Draupada resent Drona. He wanted a powerful son who would one day defeat and kill Drona. Eventually, Draupada found a way to have this son, Dhristadhyumna. Draupadi was also born from the same yagna.