Dhṛshṭadyumna

Dhṛshṭadyumna was the son of Drupada, king of Pāñcāla. His name joins dhṛshṭa (bold, fearless) and dyumna (glory), so it means one of fearless glory. He was born straight from the fire of a great yajña (fire ritual) that the ṛshis Yāja and Upayāja performed. He came out of the fire fully grown, wearing armour, with a bow and arrows already in his hand. He was born with one purpose, to kill Droṇācārya, and this was declared when he was born. The Draupadī born from the same fire was his twin sister. Dhṛshṭadyumna became the senāpati (commander-in-chief) of the Pāṇḍava army at Kurukshetra.

Birth from the yajña fire

Drupada, king of Pāñcāla, had been shamed. The Kuru princes, who were Droṇa’s students, had captured him as the teacher’s fee (guru-dakshiṇā) and divided his kingdom, giving half to Droṇa. Drupada burned to take revenge. He performed a great yajña under the guidance of the ṛshis Yāja and Upayāja. He wished for children who could kill Droṇa.

From the sacred fire Dhṛshṭadyumna came out, fully formed, in armour, with a bow and arrows, already a warrior. Draupadī came out of the same fire right after him. Both were agni-sambhava, born of fire.

A divine voice declared at their birth that Dhṛshṭadyumna would be the death of Droṇa. Droṇa took Dhṛshṭadyumna as his student in archery, though he knew of this declaration. A teacher cannot refuse a student. The Nīlakaṇṭha commentary points out the strangeness that Droṇa taught the very man who was fated to kill him. (Mahābhārata, Sabhā Parva; Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva)

Droṇa’s fear

In Chapter 80 of the Anudyūta Parva, the Pāṇḍavas have left for their forest exile. Droṇa then speaks to the Kaurava assembly at length about Dhṛshṭadyumna. He says:

“The son of Pṛshata (Drupada), Dhṛshṭadyumna, was born from the fire for the purpose of killing me. He was born with armor and bow already in place. The prophecy of his birth has named me as his victim. This is the common word among men, that he was born to kill Droṇa. In battle he came for my life even as a human, and this fills me with the greatest fear I know.”

Droṇa knows that his death is fated and that Dhṛshṭadyumna is the means of it. This knowledge does not change his course. He stays bound to the Kauravas even though he knows the end. (Mahābhārata, Sabhā Parva, Anudyūta Parva, Chapter 80)

Relation to the Pāṇḍavas

Dhṛshṭadyumna is Draupadī’s twin brother, so he is the brother-in-law of all five Pāṇḍavas. By kinship he stood firmly with the Pāṇḍava cause. He brought them his strength in war and his fated purpose. This made him a strong ally and a special cause of dread for the Kaurava commanders.

At Draupadī’s svayaṃvara

Draupadī’s svayaṃvara (the ceremony where she chose her husband) was held. Arjuna, in the guise of a brāhmaṇa, won the contest, and the Pāṇḍavas left with Draupadī. Dhṛshṭadyumna followed them in secret. He hid himself and watched where they went, how they lived and what they said to their mother.

He went back to Drupada and told him all he had seen. The brāhmaṇa who had won was Arjuna, the son of Pāṇḍu, and the others were his Pāṇḍava brothers. Drupada had hoped that Draupadī would marry Arjuna and had planned the contest for this very aim. He was greatly relieved and glad at the news. (Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva)

Bhīshma Parva: senāpati in the Vajra Vyūha

In the Bhīshma Parva, Dhṛshṭadyumna is the Pāṇḍava senāpati in the Vajra Vyūha (the “thunderbolt” battle formation). He stands in the front section (agra-bhāga) of the formation, under the protection of Bhīmasena. Bhīma acts as his shield, so that the senāpati can lead the advance while Bhīma’s fury clears the way.

Sañjaya’s account in Chapter 22 says: “The front section contained Dhṛshṭadyumna, protected by Arjuna’s protection; Bhīmasena protected him.” In the heart of the formation, Yudhishṭhira is described as protected by Dhṛshṭadyumna. So the senāpati guards the king. (Mahābhārata, Bhīshma Parva, Chapters 19, 22)

Droṇa Parva: the killing of Droṇa

Dhṛshṭadyumna fulfilled his birth-purpose on the fifteenth day of the Kurukshetra war. Droṇācārya was fighting with overwhelming fury and threatening to destroy the whole Pāṇḍava army. Kṛshṇa advised that Droṇa could be stopped only if his spirit was broken, and that news of Aśvatthāmā’s death would do this.

Bhīmasena killed an elephant named Aśvatthāmā and announced loudly that “Aśvatthāmā has been killed.” Droṇa would not believe it unless Yudhishṭhira confirmed it. Yudhishṭhira was the one man in the world who had never been known to speak an untruth. He said, “Aśvatthāmā has been killed — an elephant.” He said the second part so softly that Droṇa could not hear it. Droṇa heard only the first part. He took it as the end of all he was fighting for, laid down his weapons and sat in yoga-samādhi (deep absorption in yoga) on his chariot.

At that moment Dhṛshṭadyumna leapt on to the chariot and killed Droṇa with his sword. The man who had been born from the yajña fire for this one purpose had fulfilled it. The Pāṇḍava army broke into cheers, and the Kaurava army was shattered. (Mahābhārata, Droṇa Parva, Chapters 164–198)

The quarrel with Sātyaki

After the killing, Dhṛshṭadyumna defended what he had done in a speech. This led to a fierce quarrel with Sātyaki. Sātyaki said that killing an unarmed man in yoga-samādhi was the gravest adharma, brahma-hatyā, the killing of a brāhmaṇa. He rushed at Dhṛshṭadyumna with his gadā (mace).

Dhṛshṭadyumna answered that Sātyaki’s own killing of Bhūriśravas was an equal or greater adharma. Bhūriśravas had been sitting in a death-fast vow with one arm cut off. The quarrel grew until Bhīmasena seized Sātyaki with his own hands, and Sahadeva spoke for peace. (Mahābhārata, Droṇa Parva, Chapters 164–198)

Death in the Sauptika Parva

The night after Duryodhana fell in the mace fight became the last night of Dhṛshṭadyumna’s life. Aśvatthāmā had the direct entry (āveśa) of Mahādeva into him and a divine sword. He walked into the sleeping Pāñcāla camp in the dark. The Sauptika Parva says that Dhṛshṭadyumna died first of all the men Aśvatthāmā killed that night.

Dhṛshṭadyumna was asleep when Aśvatthāmā reached him. He woke, but too late to reach his weapons. Aśvatthāmā seized him with his hands and killed him by trampling and crushing. The text says plainly that he was denied even a death by weapon. As he was crushed he called out to Bhīmasena for help, but nobody came. He died at the force of Aśvatthāmā’s hands and feet, as a wild animal is brought down. Aśvatthāmā took this as fitting payment for Dhṛshṭadyumna’s killing of Droṇācārya, an unarmed teacher slain in yoga-samādhi. (Mahābhārata, Sauptika Parva, Chapter 8)

Strī Parva: Gāndhārī names him

In Chapter 25 of the Strī Parva (the Strī Vilāpa section), Gāndhārī speaks to Kṛshṇa about the fallen. She has mourned the warriors of both sides. She now names those on the Pāṇḍava side who had fallen, and Dhṛshṭadyumna is among them. He had killed Droṇācārya and had himself been killed by Aśvatthāmā in the night attack. Born to kill Droṇa, he had fulfilled that purpose, and the son of Droṇa then destroyed him in turn. (Mahābhārata, Strī Parva, Chapter 25)

Āśramavāsika Parva: revealed as a portion of Agni

At the Gaṅgā, Vyāsa told that Dhṛshṭadyumna had risen out of Agnideva together with Draupadī when they were born. He was a śubha aṃśa (an auspicious portion) of Agni. In the same roll-call Śikhaṇḍī was named as a rākshasa.

Dhṛshṭadyumna rose out of the sacred waters among the host of the fallen. He was young again and free of enmity. He stayed for one night of reunion and then went back to his loka (world). (Mahābhārata, Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapter 31)

Svargārohaṇa Parva: the voice in naraka and the return to Agni

Yudhishṭhira was led along the fearful southern road shown to him in svarga. Pitiful voices rose out of the darkness and begged him to stay. Among them was the voice of Dhṛshṭadyumna, who cried out his own name together with Draupadī, Karṇa and the sons of Draupadī. For love of these dear ones the righteous king would not leave the place of torment. Then Indra and Dharma in bodily form showed him that the whole sight was a brief device.

When his allotted karma was spent, Dhṛshṭadyumna went back to his source. He had come out of the yajña fire of Agni at his birth, and he merged again into Agni, of whom he was a shining portion. This was foreshadowed at the Gaṅgā in the Āśramavāsika Parva, and it is confirmed in the great roll of the heroes who were taken back into their divine origins. (Mahābhārata, Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapters 2, 5)

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva
• Mahābhārata, Sabhā Parva, Anudyūta Parva, Chapter 80
• Mahābhārata, Bhīshma Parva, Chapters 19, 22
• Mahābhārata, Droṇa Parva, Chapters 164–198
• Mahābhārata, Sauptika Parva, Chapter 8
• Mahābhārata, Strī Parva, Chapter 25
• Mahābhārata, Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapter 31
• Mahābhārata, Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapters 2, 5