Drupada- Hindu FigureMortal"King of Panchala"

The Broken Friendship

Drupada and Drona studied together as boys at the hermitage of Bharadvaja. In the warmth of youth, Drupada promised that when he became king, he would share half his kingdom. Years later, Drona, impoverished and unable to provide milk for his infant son, traveled to Panchala to claim the promise. Drupada denied it. Friendship could not exist between a king and a beggar. He had Drona thrown from court.

Drona became weapons instructor to the Kuru princes. As guru-dakshina he asked his students to capture Drupada. Arjuna led the attack, defeated the king's forces, and dragged Drupada before his former friend in bonds. Drona divided Panchala in two, kept the northern half, and returned the rest. Now they were equals, he said. Now they could be friends. Drupada's hatred hardened.

The Fire-Born Children

Drupada sought revenge beyond his own martial reach. He found the brahmins Yaja and Upayaja and persuaded them to perform a fire sacrifice. From the flames, two figures emerged: a fully armed youth radiant as fire, and a dark-complexioned maiden. Dhrishtadyumna was destined to slay Drona. Draupadi's marriage to the Pandavas would bind Panchala to the army that challenged the Kuru throne.

Death

Drupada fought in the Pandava army while his son Dhrishtadyumna served as supreme commander. Drona killed Drupada on the battlefield. Days later, when Drona laid down his weapons in grief over his son Ashvatthama's reported death, Dhrishtadyumna beheaded him. The prophecy of the fire was fulfilled. Both men who began as friends lay dead on the same field.