In my core and extra credit reading assignments this week, I
watched the draw along videos by Epified for parts A through C of the
Mahabharata. After being reminded of the conflict between Drona and Drupada I
thought I would research more about this character who is so prominent in the
story. Some interesting tidbits I learned from his Wikipedia page had to do with
the details of his mystical conception and birth, marriage and family, and his
talents as a teacher. It also mentions his mistreatment of Ekalavya who wanted
to be his student but was refused. There seems a bit of karma in the story of
how he stole the potential future for the exceptional young archer in the same
way that his childhood friend Drupada revoked from Drona the prospective part
of his kingdom that he once offered him.
Speaking of Drupada, I followed to his Wikipedia page to
learn more about him. The summary of his history with Drona was similar to that
of Drona’s page, but emphasized the wording which he used to humiliate him in
their confrontation where he called him a beggar because the difference of
status had gotten to his ego. This also went into the back in forth he had with
his childhood friend turned foe and how the cycle of vengeance just kept
circling since he got his when he was captured by Arjuna of the Pandava clan
and taken to Drona who smited him by taking of his kingdom what he thought he
was owed. In this it says he did the sacrifice that begot him his twins after
the event of him being taken by Arjuna, and that the motive was to have a daughter
to marry Arjuna and a son to slay Drona. I’ll have to review and see if this
matches my understanding from the PDE and Epified video version of the story.
Drupada’s first child from the grat yajna (Putrakameshti, a
vedic ritual fire sacrifice) was Dhrishtadyaumna. I was interested to see if I
could get any more information to do with him and his sister to help me shape a
story I could write of them, either of their birth story or something more
speculative like how they felt about each other or their identities.
Interestingly it said he and his sister were born and immediately grew to
adulthood with their full set of skills, his being martial and religious. He
was prophesied to bring Drona’s eventual demise but also was his student confusingly.
He was the commander of the Pandava army in the battle of Kurukshetra. After he
beheaded Drona as predicted, Arjuna attacked him but his attempt was intercepted
by Draupadi and Krishna. Lastly, in the analysis it speaks on his mindset
regarding his siblings and his lack of respect for them on account of his
understand of himself as superior given his godly parentage. That is, the sons Satyajit
and Shikhandi.
I feel like I know already a fair amount about Drapadi from
the two versions of the Mahabharata I have read. Mainly here on her Wikipedia
page, I wanted to find any new information on her relationship to her brother particularly
if it’s available. While this page had a lot of information about her I could
come back if I needed a refresher, I didn’t find anything new that really
enhances what I have in mind for a story based on her and her brother in my
Storybook so I will have to keep on with a different kind of search later.
(Draupadi; Image Source: Wikipedia)
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