Drupad

Drupad was the King of Paanchaal Desh. His wife's name was Prishataa. His capital was Kaampilya Nagaree. He was known as Yagyasen also.

Birth of Shikhandee
In due course of time Drupad had got a daughter named Shikhandinee. People told him that later she would change into a man, so he brought her up like a prince and later married her to a princess. But till then she was not changed into a man. When the Princess came to her she found out that she was not a man, so she went back to her father and complained about this deception. Her father also got very angry to hear this and asked the explanation from Drupad, but Drupad clearly refused his blame.

This incident troubled Shikhandinee, so she ran away with shame and unnecessary blame on her father. In a jungle she met a Yaksh whom she asked his manhood. He gave it to her, but took promise that she would give it back to him after her purpose was served. She promised so and got his manhood. After becoming a man she came back to her home.

Meanwhile the father of the Princess thought to examine his daughter's husband, so he sent some girls to test him. They came and found the husband all right. The Princess father did not understand what to do - to believe his daughter or to believe his girls. Thus Shikhandinee, now known as Shikhandee, became the eldest son of Drupad.

Drupad and Drone
Drupad and Done got the education from the same Guru. They were very good fiends, so one day Drupad told drone that "whatever was his, its half was his too". Drone kept quiet but kept this in his mind. They finished their education and went back to their homes. Drupad was a prince so he became a King and Drone was a Braahman so he struggled for money. Meanwhile both got married and had children. Drone was married to Kripee, Kripaachaarya's sister, and had a son from her named Ashwatthaamaa.

He had a great enmity with Drupad. They got educated together from one Guru. There Drupad once said to Drone that "we are friends and whatever I have, its half is yours." Drone didn't say anything at that time but kept it in his mind. They grew up, finished their education and went to their respective homes, got married, had children etc. Drupad was the Prince, he became the King of Paanchaal Desh.

Once Kripee didn't have milk for the child, so she was giving him the solution of flour and water saying that it was milk and the child was saying that it was not milk. Drone came from outside and saw this. He felt very bad that he couldn't even arrange some milk for his child. He said to Kripee - "I am going to bring a cow for my son and when I will get it. then only I will return home." Kripee tried to stop him but he didn't stop and went away.

Drone couldn't find anything for living. So first he thought to go to Parashuraam Jee. When he reached there, he found that he was ready to go to forest. But Parashuraam Jee didn't consider proper to return him empty-handed, so he said - "If you want to learn some weaponry and warfare, I can teach you some tips." Drone got ready, so he taught him the use of some weapons and other warfare tricks. Soon Drone became the unrivaled master of military arts.

Then he remembered Drupad so he went to Drupad and reminded his statement "Whatever I have, its half is yours" and asked for a cow from his share. Drupad laughed and said - "It was the childhood talks. I am a King. We cannot be equal. How is it possible that what I have its half is yours?" Drone got very angry at this. He behaved politely for some time but then left the place carrying the feeling of revenge. Later he went to Hastinaapur with the hope to get some work and stayed there with his brother-in-law Kripaachaarya.

Once he showed his skills to Kaurav princes. They reported that to Bheeshm and Bheeshm appointed him as their Guru. When the time came for Guru Dakshinaa, he only wished to win Drupad, so he asked both Kaurav and Paandav to bring Drupad tied with rope. Kaurav could not bring him, but Paandav brought him to their Guru. At that time the way Arjun fought with Drupad, he wished for a girl, that if he had a daughter, he could have married her to Arjun. At the same time he wanted to take revenge from Drone also of his insult, so he wanted a son to kill him.

Birth of Draupadee and Dhrishtdyumn
After Drupad was defeated from Drone, he thought to take revenge from Drone and desired a son so that he can kill him. For this he decided to do a Yagya. When the time came to offer Aahuti, the Rishi asked Drupad to call the queen. The maid informed them that the queen was taking bath. The Rishi could not wait and offered Aahuti to get a girl. In a little while a girl appeared from the Havan Kund. The girl was very beautiful, clad in Divine clothes with long black hair. Drupad did not want a girl, but she was so beautiful that he accepted her as his daughter. She was named as Krishnaa. Being the daughter of Drupad she was called Draupadee.

But then Drupad asked Rishi to offer another Aahuti to get a son. The Rishi offered another Aahuti and this time appeared a man along with the military outfit and carrying a sword and a bow and arrows. Seeing him Drupad got very happy. He was named Dhrishtdyumn. Thus this Yagya fulfilled Drupad's both the wishes - a daughter to marry to Arjun, and a son to kill Drone.

Draupadee's Marriage
Because her father wanted to marry her to Arjun, he built a mechanism in which a fish was revolving at the top of a pillar. Below its shadow was falling in an oil pond. One had to pierce its eye looking at the shadow of the fish in the oil below. By then the news of the death of Paandav and their mother Kuntee had spread throughout, so Drupad was worried about her marriage as who could fulfill the condition of her marriage.

Many kings, including Duryodhan, Karn, Dushaasan etc came to marry Draupadee, but nobody could pierce the eye of the fish. Krishn and Balaraam were also present there. Once Karn got up to try his luck, he had picked up the bow also, but as he was about to aim it, Krishn told Draupadee by signs that she should not let him participate in this competition. So she said - "I will not marry a Soot Putra." Karn felt very much insulted and got very angry at all this.

Paandav also came there in disguise of Braahman. Krishn asked Arjun to come forward and try his luck. Arjun picked the bow and pierced the eye of the fish. Everybody got very surprised to see that in spite of many Kshatriya present there, a Brahman pierced the eye of the fish. Lots of fighting took place but Arjun and Bheem defeated all of them and they took Draupadee to their home.

Now Drupad was very much worried. Although he could not say anything because his condition of marriage was fulfilled, but he was not ready to marry her to a Braahman; so he asked his son Dhrishtdyumn to follow them and find out what happened to his daughter. he followed them and reported back that those were Paandav, thus Paandav were alive, and who pierced the eye of the fish, he was none other than Arjun. But his sister became the wife of all the Paandav just on the words of Kuntee. Drupad was happy to know that Draupadee was married to Arjun, but got sad to know that she became the wife of all the five Paandav just on the words of Kuntee. Later he married her properly to them.

Dhrishtdyumn Kills Drone
Although Dhrishtdyumn was born to kill Drone but he was so tough that it was really difficult to kill him. After the fall of Bheeshm, he was the Chief Commander of the Kaurav army for full 5 days. During those days he really troubled Paandav so much that they had to plan for his death. Krishn suggested that once He heard Drone saying that "if I heard in the battlefield that my son is dead, I will just die." So if somebody can convince him that Ashwatthaamaa had died, he would die. Bheem took the responsibility to announce and Yudhishthir was forced to confirm this statement. After hearing hearing from Yudhishthir the news of Ashwatthaamaa's death he kept his weapons and just sat down and left his mortal body by Yog. At that time only Dhrishtdyumn shot his arrows at him. That is how Drone was killed.