The Gurus of Hastinapur - Part 11

Drupada searched the entire kingdom for a warrior powerful enough fight Drona. But Drupada’s search was futile. Drona was almost as powerful as Parashurama the warrior sage and no one was willing to stand up against him. Drupada realized that the only option he had to avenge his humiliation was to perform a yagna for an offspring who could kill Drona.

Yaja, a powerful sage performed a yagna and from the yagna emerged not one but two children. First was a son who was physically strong and looked ferocious. As soon as the boy emerged, a voice from the heavens announced: ‘This boy is born to slay Drona and he shall spread the renown of Panchala and remove the sorrow of the king.’

The entire kingdom was delirious with joy watching the handsome face of the young warrior. But then the yagna was not over. Before the people could even blink, from the fire emerged a dark, exceedingly beautiful girl. The people let out a gasp as the voice from the heaven announced: ‘She is born to carry out the purposes of the Gods! She will bring the downfall of the Kauravas and be responsible for the death of many warriors!’

Because the boy was born with a natural armour, he was called Dhrishtadyumna (Dyumna means armour in Sanskrit) and because the girl was dark-complexioned, she was called Krishna (the Dark one)

Drupada was joyous that he would now have revenge he had waited for so long. All the ceremonies for making Dhrishtadyuma the heir apparent of Panchala started....

There is however another rather strange thing mentioned in Veda Vyasa’s Mahabharatha. It states that Drishtadyumna was taught the science of arms, by none other than Dronacharya! Dronacharya taught the very man who was born to kill him because it is said that Drona accepted the inevitability of fate and accepted that Death would eventually come to him….

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Meanwhile back in Hastinapur, it is said that Dhirdarashtra seeing the firmness, fortitude, benevolence, frankness and honesty of Yudhishtara made him the heir apparent to the throne of Hastinapur.

Bheema continued to receive mace lessons from Balarama and became more and more powerful harnessing his power and learning to use it to afflict maximum damage to the enemy.

Sahadeva focused himself in the science of morality and duties and Nakula because a skillful warrior.

Now that Drona had given Arjuna the Brahmasira, as a precaution, Drona demanded a promise from Arjuna in public, that Arjuna would never use the Brahmasira against a weak enemy. Arjuna happily promised his teacher, never to misuse the Brahmasira.

This was probably when Drona had another premonition. Because at that time he said words to Arjuna which proved prophetic. ‘Son! There will be a time when you will fight against me! Promise me that you will fight to the best of your abilities, at that time!’

Whether Arjuna understood the gravity of the promise or not, Arjuna promised his teacher this too….

The Pandavas then set about to extend the kingdom of Hastinapur with sheer military brilliance and their expertise in weapons.

Though now the kingdom of Hastinapur extended all over the country….this was the time when Dhirdarashtra started getting worried. He realized that his brother’s sons were no ordinary warriors and could subjugate anyone….That was when Dhirdarashtra started feeling insecure about his own rule.

This feeling was further fanned by Kanika, a minister of Dhirdarashtra, Shakuni, Duryodhana, Duhshana and Karna.

With Dhirdarashtra’s permission, Shakuni and the others hatched a plot to get rid of the Pandavas. Duryodhana had a man called Purochana build a house of lac in the place of Varanavata. Shakuni's plan was to have Purochana burn the Pandavas when the Pandavas were asleep in the house of lac…

However the wise Vidura warned the Pandavas. The Pandavas while staying in the palace of Varanavata, with the help of a miner sent by Vidura, built an underground tunnel leading away from the palace towards the river Ganga. 

When the escape route was completed, the Pandavas themselves set fire to the Palace of lac and escaped through the underground tunnel.  

Purochana was killed in the fire. A Nishada woman with her five sons were also killed in the fire.

The whole kingdom grieved because now they all assumed that the burnt body of the Nishada woman and her sons were actually Kunti and the Pandavas. 

Now the people kingdom also turned against Duryodhana because they realized that the young prince was in over his head with ambition and would do anything for the throne of Hastinapur….