Dronacharya (द्रोणाचार्यः)

In the great literature, Mahabharata, guru Droṇa (Samskrit: द्रोण,) or Droṇacharya was the son of Bharadwaja Muni. He was a great devotee of Brahma and was royal preceptor to the Kauravas and Pandavas. He was also the teacher to the Vrishnis, the Andhakas and other famous and powerful dynasties. He is said to be an expansion of Brihaspati, the celestial seer and preceptor of the gods. His wife was Kripi who was the sister of Kripacharya. He had a son named Asvatthama. Although a brahmana, Droṇa was inclined toward martial arts. While living in his father’s hermitage he had learned the science of arms from Agnivesha, another powerful rishi. He had also received knowledge of the celestial weapons from the great Parasurama.

Birth and Early life

The sage Bharadwaja had once seen Gritachi, a divinely beautiful Apsara, and as a result he had dropped his vital seed. He caught his seed in a pot and from that seed Droṇa was born. As a child Droṇa had been friends with Drupada, who had come to study at Bharadwaja's hermitage. (MBK 1.9)

Guru Parasurama

Some time after Drupada left the hermitage, Droṇa heard that the invincible Brahmana-warrior Parasurama was retiring to the forest and was giving away all his possessions in charity. However, by the time he was approached by Drona, Parasurama only had his weapons left to give away. He offered to give Droṇa the weapons as well as the knowledge of how to use them. This is how Droṇa obtained the greatest weapons in his possession. (MBK 1.9)

Life in poverty

Despite having such great learning, however, Droṇa remained a poverty-stricken brahmana. He could hardly maintain his family. He could not even afford cow’s milk for his son – Asvatthama. His son was drinking water mixed with wheat flour and had to impose the understanding that it was milk that he was drinking.

As a Teacher

As a teacher he did not teach anything other than warfare. He taught skills, archery, mace fighting, little politics but along with that he did not give his students the purpose behind all these teachings. He did not develop their character. Therefore even though kauravas and Pandavas studied under the same teacher both families did not change. Their character remained the same. The Pandavas remained righteous as what they had grasped from their mother and the sages. On the contrary, the kauravas remained the same as what they had assimilated from their parents which was to be envious and arrogant.

Guru with an agenda

Drona was poverty-stricken and was hoping to be engaged as the princes’ teacher at Hastinapur. He expected good living conditions for his family and revenge from King Drupada. Drona had an extreme degree of ambition and was imposing friendship on someone who has out rightly rejected him. So when Bhisma approached Drona for training the princes, he clearly told Bhishma that when their training is complete, he will want them to capture Drupada alive. Bhishma was more eager for kids to learn so he agreed. The teachers with an agenda mold the personality of their students based upon their agenda. Drona taught the other basic skills to all his students but focused mainly on Arjuna for his agenda and on his son because of fatherly attachment.

Favorite Student

Among all the boys Arjuna excelled at Droṇa's lessons. He remained always at his side, eager to learn any little skill or extra tips. His ability, speed, perseverance and determination were unequalled by the other princes. Arjuna became foremost; Droṇa felt none could match his skills. He was so ardent a student that he used to practise bowmanship even at night and for all these reasons Dronacharya determined to make him the topmost bowman of the world. He passed very brilliantly in the examination of piercing the target and Dronacharya was too much pleased. Because of his devotion to studies and his guru, he became Droṇa's favorite student.

He saved Dronacharya from the attack of a crocodile and the acharya being pleased with him rewarded him with a weapon of the name Brahmasira. The confidential treatment of the weapon Brahmasira being explained to Arjuna, Dronacharya got it promised by Arjuna that he would use the weapon if necessary when he (Dronacharya) personally became an enemy of Arjuna. By this the Acharya forecasted the future battle of Kurukshetra where Droncharya was on the opposite party.

Baised to son

Out of his natural fatherly affection, Droṇa also wished to impart extra lessons to his own son, Asvatthama. He gave all the princes narrow-mouthed water pots and asked them to fill them at the river, but to his own son he gave a wide-mouthed pot so he could return first and receive extra teaching.

Treatment with Eklavya

A prince of the Nishada tribe of forest dwellers, Ekalavya, once approached and asked Droṇa to teach him. Droṇa replied that his school was only for kings and princes. Ekalavya went away dismayed. He practiced alone in the woods desiring greatness in martial sciences. He built an effigy of Droṇa and worshiping and praying to him for skills at weaponry. Gradually he became an expert archer.

As he was practicing, a dog began to bark loudly and disturb him. Immediately he released seven arrows, even without seeing the dog, and sealed the animal’s mouth. Arjuna and his brothers who were in the woods at the time witnessed this incredible feat of Ekalavya and reported to guru Droṇa.

Droṇa was surprised. He recalled the day the forest prince had come to him and been turned away. Droṇa was angered that he was now claiming to be his student. Generally the lower caste tribes people lacked the virtuous qualities of royalty, and they did not follow the Vedic religion. To give a low-class man great martial power could be dangerous. Droṇa had been especially concerned about Ekalavya, as the Nishadha tribe did not cooperate with the Kuru’s virtuous rule. Droṇa would not accept any princes into his school if they belonged to races antagonistic to the Kurus.

Droṇa thought his first assessment of Ekalavya had obviously been correct. The Nishadha had shown himself to be lacking in virtue by falsely posing as his disciple. Clearly he desired only to be great, known as a student of the famous teacher, but not to actually obey him.

Dronacharya said to him that the disciple should be prepared to give anything to his guru and asked his right thumb. Droṇa knew that this was asking a lot from Ekalavya. The loss of his thumb would impair his skill at bowmanship. But if he wanted to be known as Droṇa's disciple, he could not refuse. Droṇa also wanted to show that one cannot please his teacher and achieve perfection by dishonest means.

Although he had been unable to accept Droṇa's first order, the prince did not want to be considered at fault for failing to give dakshina to his guru. And he knew that all his knowledge and skills would be nullified if he refused Droṇa's request. Without the least hesitation, he cut off his thumb and handed it to Droṇa. With his firm action, Droṇa thus upheld religious principles.