The days passed after the unpleasant incident of the tournament, and the course of study of the princes could already be considered practically concluded. Drona felt satisfied with everyone, especially with Pandu’s children, who had truly become exceptional fighters. Now his dream could come true.
One day he gathered his disciples to himself.
“You have taught us everything we know,” Yudhisthira told him, “and you have done so much for us that anything will be insufficient to repay you. But tradition has it that the disciple, at the end of his studies, tries to repay his guru offering him what he wants. We are in debt with you. Tell us, is there anything we can do for you?”
“Yes, there is one thing you can do for me,” Drona replied, “but first promise me that you will not hesitate to do what I ask of you.”
At those words everyone hesitated for a moment, fearing that they would not be able to satisfy his requests. Only Arjuna answered without delay.
“Whatever you ask, I’ll do it.”
Drona embraced and blessed Arjuna. Then he said:
“I want you to take king Drupada captive here to Hastinapura.”
Drona then told the story of the dissent with Drupada, and as he was narrating it, the warrior enthusiasm of the young people grew more and more. They hadn’t imagined that they could find themselves so soon on a battlefield.
Not wanting to waste time, everyone prepared for the expedition with great diligence, and in a few days the large group of Drona’s disciples found themselves at the gates of the enemy kingdom.
But Drupada’s spies were always on the alert, so the king had already made preparations for battle when he was informed of the expedition.
As soon as Duryodhana saw the enemy army coming towards them in the distance, his spirit flared up and he decided to attack immediately, certain of his military superiority. And without taking any precautions, guided mainly by his ardor, he ordered the others to follow him. But the Pandavas, who had heard of Drupada and his warriors as soldiers of unrivaled value, did not share that strategy.
“Cousin, Drupada is not a soldier to be underestimated,” said Yudhistihira, “as are not the generals of his army. We must plan some prudent strategy and not launch an attack in this way.”
“To defeat this enemy we do not need strategies. We just have to attack and defeat him. But if you are afraid, you can wait here. We will conquer the guru-dakshina to satisfy our master.”
Offended, the Pandavas declared that they would only return from the battlefield after Duryodhana’s defeat.
In a short time the predictions of Pandu’s sons came true: the young Kuravas were vanquished.
Seeing Duryodhana and the others return hurt and frightened, the five brothers concocted a plan and then went on the attack. After a fierce battle, they overpowered and captured the mighty and brave king.
Then they returned to Hastinapura.
The two, Drona and Drupada, found themselves facing each other again. It had been a long time since they had last met, but now the situation had changed: the king was no longer on the throne, and the Brahmana was no longer poorly dressed or begging for alms. Circumstances had reversed. It was Drona who broke the silence.
“As kids, we were great friends; we played together and we shared everything we had. How did you forget about it and treated me the way you did? Look, now you are my prisoner, I could kill you and take everything you own, but I will not. To show you that I remember our old friendship, I will take only what is due to me: you promised me half of your kingdom, and that’s what I will take. The rest will still be yours.”
Drupada was set free. But he was never able to forgive the humiliation he suffered and always sought a way to get his own revenge.
This is a section of the book “Maha-Bharata, English Edition, Vol. 1”.
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