Dear Readers,

Along with Janmejaya, we also came to know about the fierce clash of Arjuna and Karna in the grand tournament. The tournament was organized to showcase the princes’ prowess and calibre after finishing the education. But before the winner of the tournament could be decided, it came to an abrupt end. Queen Kunti fainted upon realizing that Karna was none other than her long lost firstborn. The greater shock for Kunti was that Karna had chosen Duryodhana as a friend and now considered Arjuna his arch nemesis. 

This fact did not fail to shock Janmejaya either. He couldn’t believe that a warrior like Karna would side with the evil Duryodhana. He asked, “O great sage, how was it that a man like Karna did not recognize the evil heart of Duryodhana? “

The sage Vaishampayana smiled, “O King, gods have made mistakes believing they are doing the right thing, Karna was only human. He believed that his fight for stature and recognition was fair. Duryodhana was the only man who had extended a supporting hand to him in this struggle till now. It was only obvious Karna didn’t think of him as evil. Duryodhana’s friendship, however selfish, was a ray of hope for the struggling Karna. And don’t forget, Karna was oblivious to the relationship he shared with the Pandavas at that point. His choices were purely based on reason and not emotion.” 

Janmejaya realized his mistake. He had been too quick in judging Karna. He reminded himself to be patient and listen to the rest of the story. So, he asked the sage to continue.

“Now,” Vaishampayana said, “once the tournament was called off, the princes were dismissed and told to retire to their respective chambers. I’ll tell you now what happened afterwards.”

Dear readers, this is where we shall too continue our story from.

The court of Hastinapura convened the day after the tournament. Maharaj Dhritrashtra invited the princes to the court as well. Bhishma, Vidura, Kripacharya, and Dronacharya sat on high pedestals. Today, the princes were given equal seats on the lower pedestal indicating that they were all on equal position in the eyes of the king. Once everyone was settled, Maharaj Dhritrashtra addressed Dronacharya, “O Drona, you have proven yourself by turning young Kuru boys into men of great mettle. For this you have our gratitude. Yesterday’s tournament has not left even an iota of doubt in anyone’s mind that the princes of Kuru kingdom are fearsome warriors. As their guru, you deserve all the credit for this magnificent transformation. Tell me, what can we give you as a gurudakshina1 for this great feat?”

“O great king, I am honored by your kind words. The calibre of these princes was their own, I have, but merely, helped them realize and channelize it. As for gurudakshina, the tradition demands that it be paid by the pupils and not their families. And hence, I will only ask my pupils for the Gurudakshina,” Drona replied.

On these words of his Guru, Arjuna stood up immediately. With folded hands, he went up to Drona.

“Gurudev, you are right. And as your pupil, I implore you to tell us what do you seek as Gurudakshina. My brothers and I will do everything in our power to fulfill your demand.”

“O Arjuna, I have no doubts that you will be able to get what I seek. That is one of the many reasons I am proud to call you my student. But it is not just you and your four brothers who have to pay dakshina. All hundred and five princes will have to contribute to it. I shall only ask for it if all of you agree to pay.”

On his words, Duryodhana immediately stood up, “Of course Gurudev, we shall all pay. What is it that you seek? Please tell us, me an my hundred brothers will strive to pay the dakshina.”

“O prince, what I seek is not so easy so get. I warn you. Think again, and then promise. Once you give me your word, none of you can retract.” Drona warned.

Now, Yudhisthira, the eldest of them all, got up from his throne and went to his guru.

“Gurudev, we Kuruvanshis2 follow the traditions set by our elders. Our grandsire, the great Bhishma shows us the path and like him, we do not retract from our promises. On behalf of my brothers, I give you my word, that we will give you whatever it is you seek as your Gurudakshina. Please tell us what is it.”

Satisfied by the word of the righteous Yudhishtira, Drona replied, “O Yudhisthira, if that is your word, I tell you now what I want. For my gurudakshina, you and your brothers will bring Drupad, the King of Panchal3, to me, bound and defeated. I want King Drupad in front of me, on his knees, and half of his kingdom.”

Drona’s demand left the court of Hastinapur shocked. Panchal was an equally powerful kingdom as Kuru. The relationship between both the royal families had always been strained and if the princes attacked Panchal, there was a high risk of full scale war between the two kingdoms. 

Moreover Drupad was no child. He was a seasoned warrior, almost as good as Drona himself. It was a deadly prospect for the princes who had never been in an actual war.

Drona’s demand shook the entire court. The first one to react was Dhritrashtra. The prospect of his beloved Duryodhana facing the dangerous army of Panchal left him worried. He told Drona, “O Drona! This is an unreasonable demand. The princes are mere children. Drupad is a king and the Kuru kingdom does not intend to wage a war against Panchal. I implore you, demand something else.” 

Fear was evident in Dhritrasthra’s words.

“Maharaj, I do not have any demands from the Kuru kingdom. I have demanded my dakshina from my pupils. It is a fee they owe me for all the education and training that I have given them. I believe they have the potential and capability to get me what I seek. It is they who should tell me whether they can do this or not”, answered Drona, “I do not seek anything else. If my pupils can get Drupad crawling on his knees in front of me, I shall consider the Gurudakshina paid. Otherwise, this is where I leave the Kuru princes. They shall not have my guidance anymore. I leave the decision now to them.”

The court was in complete silence. After a minute, Arjuna, with folded hands spoke, “Gurudev, I will pay the gurudakshina. I will defeat King Drupada and get him on his knees. Please give me a chance.” 

The royals were stunned but there was a smile on Drona’s face. He knew that he could rely on Arjuna. His diligence was supreme. With Arjuna, the other four Pandavas also swore to get Drupada. Duryodhana was not going to let the Pandavas take the limelight while he sits out. So, he and his hundred brothers also jumped on the bandwagon. All hundred and five princes were eager to prove themselves. 

But was it just a question of gurudakshina or were there other reasons too?

In earlier stories, I told you how Drona’s motive was always to take revenge on Drupad, who was his childhood friend. Drupad insulted him when Drona had asked for his help. The Kuru princes were a mere medium to reach that end. Drona had patiently waited all these years, honing the princes like weapons to get Drupad on his knees begging for his forgiveness. And among the princes, he had found Arjuna, who was probably the sharpest warrior of his age. 

For Drona, it might have been just a question of his honor, but for Arjuna, it was a matter of integrity. After losing his father, Drona was the only father figure he had recognized in his life till now. And now this revered person was asking him to do something. In such a situation, nothing else mattered to Arjuna but that his guru was asking him to do something and that should be done. He had such unwavering faith in his guru that Arjuna did not even think of asking him once as to why Drona was making such an unusual demand. In that moment, the princes forgot the fact that they represented a kingdom. Their actions will lead to consequences which the kingdom will have to bear. 

Obeisance, respect, and honor are three principles on which the Indian family structure is based. As young children, it is instilled in us that whatever our parents, elders of the family, teachers, and anyone who is higher up in a hierarchy has to be listened to. Their words can’t be questioned, let alone challenged. This is a fact that is reiterated in the epic time and again. And again and again, the epic also highlights the consequences of blind obeisance. The times now are definitely not one where such a thought process works. True, there needs to be respect for the experience and guidance of elders but one also needs to ask questions, understand reasons and logic, think for themselves, and then make an informed choice to not end up with a bag of regrets. 

The princes will attack King Drupad, but what will happen then is a story for the upcoming episodes. We know now that Drona is a tricky teacher to learn from. He usually demands his students’ lives in exchange of education. But, jokes apart, what do you feel about this unusual guru dakshina? Do you agree with such obeisance? Tell me in the comments below.