Drona
Indian mythology · sage · weapons mastery, teaching
Brahmin master of arms who trained both Pandavas and Kauravas, and fought for the Kauravas out of obligation. He laid down his weapons only when told, deceptively, that his son Ashwatthama was dead.
Stories
The Death of Abhimanyu
Sixteen years old, Abhimanyu breaks alone into the spiral formation whose exit he never learned. Jayadratha seals the breach behind him, and six warriors together break every rule of combat to bring him down. Arjuna vows Jayadratha dies by next sunset or he burns himself alive.
Ekalavya's Thumb
Refused by Drona for his birth, Ekalavya teaches himself archery before a clay image of the master and surpasses every prince. Drona, protecting Arjuna's supremacy, claims his teacher's fee: the boy's right thumb. Ekalavya cuts it off without a word.