What Drona & Arjuna’s Story Teaches Us About Success, Destiny
In today’s hyper-competitive world, everyone is hustling to be at the top. Education is one of the most important determinant of success. Admission to elite colleges is a ticket for a chance to get to the top. So, little wonder that students and parents are obsessed with getting their hands on that ticket. Thousands of years ago, Drona and Arjuna coveted that ticket too.
Students and parents spend enormous amounts of resources, time and energy to obtain the right scores, tailored resumes and sometimes the “right connections.” Their dreams and hopes are shaped by the their academic success and the skills they learn, and sometimes, they will stop at nothing.
This obsession with being the best not new.
Even thousands of years ago, in the legendary kingdoms of ancient India, the race for excellence was just as intense. And nowhere is this more vividly captured than in the story of Drona and Arjuna from the Mahabharata—a tale of ambition, revenge and privilege, that still echoes today.
Drona's Revenge
Drona, renowned for his mastery in weaponry and strategy, was intensely ambitious and extremely skilled. As the son of a weapon’s teacher he had access to a wealth of knowledge and was introduced to the right people very early on. He counted the Prince of Panchala, Drupada, as his childhood friend.
But when, years later, Drona sought to reconnect with King Drupada, he was met with ridicule and humiliation. That rejection lit a fire inside Drona, and he swore revenge.
But how does a weapon-master without a kingdom or a treasury at his disposal defeat a powerful king?
With the help of future kings.
Drona Becomes the Kuru's Preceptor
One day, the Kauravas and Pandavas were out playing a game using a wooden ball when the ball fell into the well. Drona happened to watch the Kuru princes try unsuccessfully to retrieve the ball. Reproving their inability to problem solve and retrieve the ball, Drona showed them how it was done.
Telling them, “Watch me,” he shot multiple arrows at the ball, one after the other, fusing their tips together to form a long chain of arrows. The princes watched in awe as he grabbed the arrow closest to him and pulled the ball out of the well.
Drona told the princes to tell Bhishma what had happened. When Bhishma heard from his grand-nephews, he immediately knew who the skilled brahmana was. Drona was then hired as the Kuru’s teacher.
Drona's Promise to Arjuna!
When Drona took the job of training the Kaurava and Pandava princes he was upfront about his plans to use the princes to extact revenge against Drupada.
Pretty soon, Drona recognized that the Pandavas prince, Arjuna, was his most talented and dedicated student.
Just like Drona, Arjuna was talented and driven. Arjuna was obsessed with being the best. He practiced day and night. Drona recognized his potential and made a vow: “I’ll make you the greatest archer in the world.”
Keeping this promise proved not that simple.
Arjuna's Threat–Ekalavya
In the mountains nearby, a young boy belonging to the Nishada tribe also dreamed of being the best archer and training under the best teacher. His name was Ekalavya and he dreamed of training under Drona.
Unfortunately, Drona refused to train him because he belonged to the Nishada tribe, which placed him outside of the Kshatriya or warrior class.
Ekalavya didn’t give up. He built a statue of Drona from clay and trained in front of it every day.
One day the Pandavas discovered him in the forest and thought that he was brilliant—maybe even better than Arjuna! They were shocked when they learned from Ekalavya that he was trained by Drona.
When Drona learned of this, he asked Ekalavya for Guru Dakshina—a teacher’s fee.
His demand? Ekalavya’s right thumb.
Ekalavya didn’t hesitate. He cut it off and gave it, smiling.
With that, Drona ensured Arjuna remained his best student.
Karna Was Competition?
Karna, who was an extremely gifted warrior trained by Drona, was also held back.
Burning with the desire to prove himself, Karna wanted to challenge Arjuna. But Drona, with help from others, made sure to never give him that opportunity.
Drona Got His Revenge
At the end of the prince’s training period, Drona asked his students to fight against Drupada. Drona defeated Drupada and took half his kingdom. Revenge completed!
But the cycle of vengeance didn’t stop. Drupada vowed to destroy Drona in return—leading to the birth of Draupadi, the future wife of the Pandavas.
As you can see, Drona went to great lenghts to keep his promise to Arjuna. But in a twisted turn of fate, years later, Drona and Arjuna would fight against each other on the battlefield.
Getting Ahead and Privilege
Though the Mahabharata is thousands of years old, this story feels timeless—like it could have been written yesterday. The hunger to succeed, the drive to be the best—these are as true today as they were then.
The story of Drona and Arjuna reminds us that greatness isn’t built on talent and determination alone. More often than not, opportunity is shaped by privilege.
Reference
The Mahabharata 1: Complete and Unabridged; translated by Bibek Debroy. (2015). Penguin Random House India. (Original work published 2010)
Images: Wikimedia Commons