Talk:Droṇācārya
By Swami Harshananda
Droṇa, In Mahābhārata[edit]
Bhīṣma and Droṇa or Droṇācārya were the two greatest warriors that fought for Duryodhana in the Kurukṣetra war of the Mahābhārata. Droṇācārya's teacher was Paraśurāma. Like his teacher, Droṇācārya too was a brāhmaṇa by birth, but a kṣattriya (warrior) by profession.
He was the son of the sage Bharadvāja. He got his early education, including the training in dhanurvidyā or archery from the ṛṣi Agniveśa. Drupada, the king of Pāñcāla, was a fellow-student. After completing his training under sage Agniveśa, he once approached the king Drupada for financial help. The king arrogantly humiliated him. Enraged by this, he approached Paraśurāma for higher training in archery and warfare so that he could take revenge on the king.
After accomplishing this, he was by chance appointed as the teacher of the Kaurava and the Pāṇḍava princes by Bhīṣma. Arjuna, one of the five Pāṇḍava princes, proved to be his worthiest and best disciple. With his help, he imprisoned Drupada and usurped half of his kingdom. He then let him go.
Once, the Pāṇdava princes discovered the hunter-boy Ekalavya in a forest by accident and found him to be a better archer than Arjuna. Ekalavya also claimed to be a disciple of Droṇācārya himself. Droṇācārya then demanded and got his thumb as his gurudakṣiṇā or fee just to please Arjuna!
Throughout the conflict between the Kauravas and the Pāṇdavas, Droṇācārya and Bhīṣma, tried his best to advise Duryodhana to desist from his evil ways and make peace with the Pāṇḍavas. But his advice fell on deaf ears.
In the Kurukṣetra war he fought fiercely, first under Bhīṣma and later as the commander-in-chief. Then as per the advice of the sages like Vasiṣṭha and Gautama, he retired from the battle and sat in yoga. At that time he was killed by Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the son of Drupada.
Droṇa, A king[edit]
Two more Droṇas are mentioned in the purāṇas. One was a Vasu (a kind of a demigod) who along with his wife Dharā, performed austerities in the Gandha-mādana hill for long time to get the Lord as their son. They were reborn as Nanda and Yaśodā in their next life. Lord Kṛṣṇa, as their foster child, gave them great happiness and bliss through his childish pranks.
Droṇas, A Sage[edit]
The sage Sārṅgaka, the son of the sage Mandapāla and Jaritā when they had assumed the bodies of birds, was also known as Droṇa and was considered a brahmarsi.
Droṇa, A Mountain[edit]
Droṇa is also the name of a mountain mentioned in some purāṇas.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore