Droṇa–Drupada Yuddha

The Droṇa–Drupada Yuddha is the campaign the Kaurava and Pāṇḍava princes made against Drupada, king of Pāñcāla. Their teacher Droṇācārya asked for it as guru-dakshiṇā (the teacher’s fee) when their training was done. It is told in the Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva, Sambhava Parva, Chapter 138.

It came in two parts. The Kauravas attacked first and were driven back. Then the Pāṇḍavas attacked, and Arjuna captured Drupada alive and brought him to Droṇa. Droṇa took the northern half of Pāñcāla, with Ahicchatra as its capital, and gave the southern half, with Kāmpilya as its capital, back to Drupada. In this way Droṇa made himself Drupada’s equal as a king. Drupada, shamed, vowed to find a son who could kill Droṇa.

The background: Droṇa and Drupada as boys

Droṇa and Drupada had studied together as boys in the āśrama of the ṛshi Agniveśa. As young men they were close friends. In the warmth of that friendship the young Drupada, still a prince, said to Droṇa: “When I become king, half of my kingdom is yours.”

Drupada became king of Pāñcāla. Droṇa was now poor, and his wife and son were suffering for lack of food. He remembered the promise and went to Drupada’s court. He named himself, recalled their friendship and the old promise, and asked that it be kept.

Drupada was now a powerful king with his court around him, and he looked at the poor brāhmaṇa with contempt. He said that friendship from school days meant nothing. Friendship was possible between equals, he said, but a king could not be the friend of a poor man. He gave Droṇa a meal and sent him away. The insult was complete and deliberate.

Droṇa left with quiet anger and a firm resolve to find the means to repay it.

Droṇa at Hastināpura and the secret dakshiṇā

Bhīshma appointed Droṇa as the teacher of the Kaurava and Pāṇḍava princes. Droṇa now had the best young warriors in the world as students, and he gave them all his knowledge. When their training was complete, he called all the princes to him in private and said: “After you have received my teaching, you must fulfil one request of mine as guru-dakshiṇā. This is my condition. Those who agree may continue.”

All the others stayed silent. Arjuna alone promised at once. Droṇa embraced Arjuna with great affection.

The Kaurava attack fails

Droṇa then told them the dakshiṇā: “Capture Drupada, the king of Pāñcāla, and bring him alive before me. That is all I ask.”

The Kaurava princes, Duryodhana, Karṇa, Vikarṇa, Duḥśāsana and others, were eager. They rushed to Pāñcāla with a large force, sure that together they could overcome any king. They attacked the Pāñcāla capital.

Drupada was a strong and experienced warrior. He met the Kaurava attack with a storm of arrows and drove them back. His champion Satyajit, a very skilled warrior, led the defence of Pāñcāla. The Kauravas, for all their numbers and their courage as single warriors, could not break through. They were driven back and returned beaten.

Arjuna’s campaign

Arjuna had held the Pāṇḍavas back while he watched the Kauravas try. When the Kauravas came back, he told Droṇa that the Pāṇḍavas were ready and led them into battle.

Bhīmasena went ahead of the main force and wrecked the Pāñcāla elephant corps with his gadā (mace). Nakula and Sahadeva guarded the wheels of Arjuna’s chariot.

Arjuna fought Drupada’s champion Satyajit in a fierce duel. He destroyed Satyajit’s bow, killed his horses and cut down his charioteer, until Satyajit had to leave the battle. Then Arjuna faced Drupada himself. They traded storms of arrows. In the end Arjuna broke Drupada’s bow and killed his horses and charioteer. He did not kill Drupada. He leaped onto Drupada’s chariot and seized him by force.

With Drupada in his grip and the Pāñcāla army running, Arjuna’s capture of the king, by himself, was complete. He brought Drupada before Droṇa.

Droṇa’s settlement

Droṇa looked at Drupada, who had shamed him in open court and was now a captive. Droṇa did not rage at him. He smiled slightly and said:

“You once said that a king cannot be a friend to a commoner, and that old friendships do not survive the difference in rank. You were right. So I have taken steps to make us equals again. I am now taking the northern half of Pāñcāla, with Ahicchatra as my seat, as my own kingdom. I give the southern half, with Kāmpilya on the Gaṅgā, back to you. Now we are both kings. Now we can be friends again.”

He released Drupada.

Drupada’s vow

Drupada accepted the settlement, but he was not at peace. Shame filled him. A boy had captured him and handed him to a brāhmaṇa who had once been his equal, and that brāhmaṇa had now taken half of all he had built.

Drupada resolved to take revenge. He would find a son, through tapas (austerity), through yajña, or by any means needed, who would grow up to kill Droṇācārya. He began to look for ṛshis and priests who could perform such a yajña. This vow led in time to the great Putrakāmeshṭi yajña from which Dhṛshṭadyumna and Draupadī were born. Those events come later in the Ādi Parva.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva, Sambhava Parva, Chapter 138