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1. Drone's Personal Life
2. Drone in Mahaabhaarat War

Who Was Drone?
Drone is a Mahaabhaarat character. Drone means a pot (Droon). He is named Drone because he was not born from a human body but was born outside it from a pot.

Drone was the son of Maharshi Bharadwaaj. His birth story is given in MBH, G-1-Beginning/10 (Aadi Parv, Ch CXXXI). Once Bharadwaaj Muni was going to Gangaa River, that he saw Ghritaachee Apsaraa who came there to take bath. The sage was overcome by desire to have her, so his semen fell which Bharadwaaj collected in a vessel (a vessel is called Drone also) and from that fluid was born a son. Since he was born from the vessel, he was called Drone.

After studying four Ved and Vedaang, he devoted his life to archery and became a very good archer. He was married to Kripee, sister of Kripaachaarya and the daughter of Maharshi Shardwaan and the Apsaraa Urvashee. After giving birth to them Urvashee left both children - Kripaa and Kripee, in a forest. Raajaa Shaantanu saw them lying there and brought them home and gave them to his Kul Guru to bring them up. Then Kripee was married to Drone. They had a son named Ashwatthaamaa. He was Amar (immortal).

Enmity with Drupad
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 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. At that time he was retiring from his kingly life so he was distributing his wealth and Prithvi. But Drone found that he was very late for it because he had already distributed his riches, donated Prithvi to Kashyap Jee and was ready to go to forest. But Parashuraam  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. So he wandered around in search of work for some time.

Drone As the Disciple of Parashuraam
While Drone was looking for some work, he heard that Parashuraam was giving his everything in donation. He went there in the expectation of some wealth, but when he reached there he had already donated all his wealth including Prithvi. He said to him - "I have now only my body and my weapons. Tell me quickly what do you want to take." Drone immediately said - "Please teach me your weapons with all their methods - to hurl them, to call them back etc etc." Then Drone stayed with him for some time and learnt his weapons. Later he went to Hastinaapur with the hope to get some work and stayed there with his brother-in-law Kripaachaarya. One day he was identified by Bheeshm and was appointed as the Guru of Kaurav and Paandav.

Drone learnt Brahmshir Astra from Agnivesh (a disciple of Agastya Muni). He later sent his favorite disciple Arjun to Agnivesh to learn it from hism and took the Guru Dakshinaa for this - "You must fight with me when I fight with you". Arjun indeed fought with him when he fought with him

Appointed as Guru of Kaurav and Paandav
Once Duryodhan and Paandav etc were playing ball in a jungle. Their ball fell in a dry well. Yudhishthir tried to take it out but could not take it out. In this process his ring also fell in the well. They could not take it out in spite of several efforts and they did not know what to do. So they were just wandering around the well, that Drone happened to be there. He asked, "What has happened that makes you sad."  They told that their ball had fallen in the well, and they were unable to take it out. Drone said, "OK let me take it out for you."

Yudhishthir said laughing - "If you will take out our ball then we will make sure that you get a hearty meal in Kripaachaarya's house." So first Drone threw a blade of grass uttering some words. It went like an arrow at the ball, then he sent the next, and the next, and the next; thus making a chain to get stuck in the back of the previous blade of grass, until they made a long stick. Then he pulled the ball out by holding the long stick made of arrows. Children were very amazed to see it.

Then they requested him to take out Yudhishthir's ring also. Drone borrowed a bow and set an arrow on the string and shot it right into the ring, it rebounded and brought the ring out of the well. All got very obliged to him and said - "Who are you and what can we do for you?" He said - "Go to Bheeshm and ask him who am I."

When they came home Arjun told this incident to Bheeshm. Bheeshm understood that Drone is in the town. He regarded Drone very highly. Once he expressed that if his childhood were back then he would learn some weapons from Drone. So he then invited Drone and appointed him as the teacher of Kaurav and Paandav to teach them various weapons. He taught archery and other weapons to them. His most favorite student was Arjun. To see him best in archery, he asked the thumb of right hand of Eklavya in Guru Dakshinaa. (see the following) And he did not allow Karn to display his skills in archery with Kaurav and Paandav.

Guru Dakshinaa From Eklavya
Once Drone was teaching archery by killing an animal, that an arrow came from somewhere and killed that animal. Guru Jee got surprised to see that arrow and looked for the person who shot that arrow. They found a boy practicing archery. On asking his introduction, he told his own name as Eklavya and his Guru's name as Dronaachaarya. Drone was surprised to hear that Drone was his Guru, because he had never seen him, and he had never trained him. Then he showed the statue of Drone and said - "I have been learning all this from your statue, and whenever I get opportunity I watch you teaching these princes."

Drone saw a brilliant archer in him. He never wanted anybody competitive of Arjun, so he thought something and said - "If you have learned archery from me then you have to give Guru Dakshinaa to me?" Bowing his head to Guru Jee, he said - "Ask me, what can I give to you?" Drone cunningly asked for his right hand thumb. Eklavya immediately cut it with a sword and offered it to Guru Jee.

Even today that tribe does not use right thumb while using bow and arrow.

Drone and Karn
When Karn expressed his wish to learn weapons, Adhirath took him to Drone, but Drone refused to teach him on the basis that he was not a Kshatriya or a prince. Then Karn had to go to Parashuraam Jee and he showed himself to him as a Braahman, because Parashuraam Jee was a great enemy of Kshatriya and he taught only to Braahman. Bheeshm and Karn were the exceptions.

Guru Dakshinaa From Kaurav and Paandav
When the education of Paandav and Kaurav came to the end and they were ready to go home, the time came to give Guru Dakshinaa to Guru Jee. Drone asked them to bring Drupad tied with rope. He first asked Duryodhan (Kaurav) to do that. Duryodhan went with his army. Drupad thought that Hastinaapur had attacked the kingdom so he fought and defeated Duryodhan. Duryodhan came back defeated without bringing Drupad. On the contrary Paandav went alone and brought Drupad tied with rope after defeating him.

Now Drone said - "Raajan, Do not fear for your life. Now I am the king of your kingdom, but still I want to maintain our promise made in childhood. I give you half of this kingdom, since now it is mine, by defeating you. You did not keep your promise of your childhood, but I will keep your promise, so that kingdom is half yours and half mine. Now from my share I take only one cow and give everything back to you. I free you too." Thus Drone took one cow and freed Drupad.

Drone came home with the cow and his son Ashwatthaamaa. Kripee got very happy to see both of them. Drone said - "I couldn't have come here unless I got the cow and I couldn't get the cow so I could not come home. As soon as I got the cow, I came back home."

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