Book 7 of 18 · The Mahabharata

Drona Parva

द्रोण पर्व

Droṇa Parva

The Book of Drona

What is the Drona Parva?

The Drona Parva (द्रोण पर्व) is the seventh of the eighteen books of the Mahabharata. Its name means “Book of Drona”, and this site tells 96 stories drawn from it.

Drona Parva Summary

Days eleven to fifteen, with the teacher Drona commanding the Kaurava army and hunting Yudhishthira. On the thirteenth day the sixteen year old Abhimanyu breaks into the chakravyuha formation alone and is killed by six warriors at once, and Arjuna swears to kill Jayadratha before the next sunset or burn himself alive. The fourteenth day runs on into a night battle in which Ghatotkacha forces Karna to spend the infallible spear saved for Arjuna. Drona is finally stopped by a half truth about Ashvatthama spoken by Yudhishthira, and drops his weapons to die in meditation as Dhrishtadyumna strikes.

What This Book Is About

  • the teacher
  • chakravyuha
  • vows
  • deception
  • night battle

Sub-Books (Upaparvas) of the Drona Parva

The Mahabharata divides itself into one hundred upaparvas; 8 of them belong to this book.

  1. Dronabhisheka ParvaThe Consecration of DronaSub-book 65 of 100
  2. Samsaptaka-vadha ParvaThe Slaying of the Sworn WarriorsSub-book 66 of 100
  3. Abhimanyu-vadha ParvaThe Slaying of AbhimanyuSub-book 67 of 100
  4. Pratijna ParvaThe VowSub-book 68 of 100
  5. Jayadratha-vadha ParvaThe Slaying of JayadrathaSub-book 69 of 100
  6. Ghatotkacha-vadha ParvaThe Slaying of GhatotkachaSub-book 70 of 100
  7. Drona-vadha ParvaThe Slaying of DronaSub-book 71 of 100
  8. Narayanastra-moksha ParvaThe Release of the Narayana WeaponSub-book 72 of 100

Stories from the Drona Parva

96 stories on this site are told inside this book, in canonical reading order.

  1. Kurukshetra Day 11: The Teacher Takes CommandDrona's Vow to Take the King Alive
  2. The Oath of the DoomedSusharma and the Samsaptakas - the Army That Swore to Die 19 min
  3. The Elephant King of the EastBhagadatta, Supratika, and the Missile Krishna Took on His Chest 20 min
  4. Abhimanyu and the WheelThe boy who could enter the formation but not leave it 10 min
  5. The Valiant SonAbhimanyu's story teaches us that true courage is not the absence of fear, but action in the face of certain death. 16 min
  6. The Golden Son of SrinjayaThe Boy Worth More Than His Life
  7. The Maiden Named DeathHow Death came into the world, weeping and without sin 10 min
  8. The Sun That SetArjuna's sunset vow and Krishna's hidden sun 10 min
  9. The Severed ArmTwo breaches of the code in a single combat 11 min
  10. The Guards of the WheelsYudhamanyu and Uttamaujas
  11. The Spear Meant for ArjunaThe Death of Ghatotkacha 11 min
  12. The Weapon That Could Not Be FacedAshvatthama's irresistible astra, undone by submission 11 min
  13. The Fall of the GuruThe Half-Lie of the Dharma King 20 min
  14. Arjuna's Vow and the Fall of DronaJayadratha, the Night Battle of Ghatotkacha, and the Lie That Killed a Teacher 20 min
  15. The Guard Drona Had To KillSatyajit of Panchala, and the promise Arjuna left behind him 16 min
  16. The Banners and the BowsSanjaya names every standard on the field 18 min
  17. The Gandhara Brothers and the War of IllusionsShakuni fights the only battle he ever fought himself 16 min
  18. The Night the Sindhu King Asked to LeaveJayadratha wants his horses saddled, and Drona tells him the truth 16 min
  19. The Women in the TentSubhadra, Draupadi and Uttaraa on the night Abhimanyu died 17 min
  20. What Krishna Told His CharioteerThe night Krishna decided to break his own vow 17 min
  21. The Cart, the Lotus and the NeedleDrona builds an array forty-eight miles deep to hide one man 16 min
  22. The Blessing at the GateArjuna asks his teacher's leave to break his teacher's line 15 min
  23. The Mace That Turned BackVaruna's gift to a river's son, and the one rule he forgot 16 min
  24. The Armour of MantrasThe one day Duryodhana stood in front of Arjuna and did not fall 21 min
  25. The Lake and the Hall of ArrowsKrishna unyokes the horses in the middle of the battle 17 min
  26. Kurukshetra Day 14: The Longest DaySunset Vow, False Dusk, and a Battle That Would Not Stop at Nightfall 21 min
  27. The Order Yudhishthira GaveA king overrules the guard his brother posted 20 min
  28. The King Counts His ArmyEvery soldier paid, examined and willing, and still losing 16 min
  29. The Grandson of Shini Crosses the OceanOne chariot sent through the whole Kaurava host 21 min
  30. The Second Man SentBhima's crossing and the roar agreed on beforehand 18 min
  31. The Bow Tip and the BoastKarna keeps his word to Kunti and pays for it in insults 20 min
  32. The Arrows He Did Not Want to ShootArjuna, Kripa, and a lesson in arms turned back on its teacher 16 min
  33. One Man Against an Army of the NightAshwatthama burns a full akshauhini of Ghatotkacha's rakshasas 16 min
  34. The Oath of a Bereaved FatherThe house of Bahlika ends in a single night 18 min
  35. Three Men and a Drawn SwordKarna boasts, Kripa answers, and Ashwatthama draws on his own side 21 min
  36. The Night They Lit the FieldDuryodhana's order that turned a battlefield into a lamp-lit hall 16 min
  37. What Krishna Had Already DoneArjuna asks, and gets a list he did not expect 18 min
  38. The Dart That Was Never ThrownA blind king asks the only question that mattered 17 min
  39. Kurukshetra Day 15: The Day the Teacher DiedFrom the Dawn Prayers to the Half-Truth at Noon 21 min
  40. Held Back by Bhima's ArmsSatyaki and Dhrishtadyumna nearly finish the war for the Kauravas 21 min
  41. The Weapon That Would Not Burn ThemAshwatthama's fire, and why it left two men standing 21 min
  42. The One Who Walked Ahead of the ChariotArjuna finally asks who has been winning his battles 17 min
  43. The Sword That Broke on the ShieldAbhimanyu strips a king of everything, and Jayadratha comes down off his car to stop him 13 min
  44. The Two MacesBhima sends Abhimanyu aside and meets the king of Madra blow for blow until both men fall 14 min
  45. The Guard at the WheelKumara of Panchala checks Drona in front of Yudhishthira's chariot, and pays for it 14 min
  46. The Elephant Corps and the King of AngaBhima breaks Duryodhana's elephant division and beheads the Anga king in mid-fall 16 min
  47. The Sword on Drona's YokeDhrishtadyumna leaps onto his enemy's chariot to kill him, and Satyaki cuts the arrow that would have killed him first 13 min
  48. The King on FootDrona breaks Yudhishthira's bow, dart, mace and car, and the king escapes on Sahadeva's chariot 12 min
  49. The Dice That Turned Into ArrowsDrona rebukes the fleeing Dushasana, and then wakes with a sword over his neck 16 min
  50. The King Who Went In AloneDuryodhana charges the whole Pandava army by himself, and Yudhishthira cuts his bow 14 min
  51. The Stake on the TableDrona tells Duryodhana that the dice in the sabha were arrows, and that Jayadratha is what they are playing for 14 min
  52. The Brahma Weapon AnsweredDrona empties the celestial arsenal at Yudhishthira on the fourteenth night, and the king matches him astra for astra 15 min
  53. The King They Thought Was DeadBhima's mace crushes Duryodhana's chariot, and both armies believe the Kuru king killed 14 min
  54. The Fourth Son Karna Let GoKarna disarms Sahadeva in the night battle and sends him away alive 11 min
  55. Seven Bows Against OneDhrishtadyumna rides at Drona in the night battle and answers seven champions with three arrows apiece 12 min
  56. The King Put Off His ChariotSatyaki kills Duryodhana's horses and driver, cuts his bow at the handle, and the king escapes on Kritavarma's car 13 min
  57. The Two Who RememberedDuryodhana and Satyaki meet on the fifteenth day and talk about their childhood before they fight 15 min
  58. Sword and Shield Against the PreceptorDhrishtadyumna, stripped of car and bow, dances the twenty-one motions to reach Drona 17 min
  59. The Telling in the RoutAshwatthama rides back through a fleeing army to ask what happened, and Kripa has to tell him how Drona was killed 16 min
  60. Karna Takes the FieldThe vow that kept him out of ten days of war, and the grief that brought him into it 17 min
  61. The Consecration of DronaKarna names the Preceptor commander, and Drona names the man he cannot kill 16 min
  62. The Silent CampArjuna comes back at dusk from the samsaptakas and learns that Abhimanyu is dead 17 min
  63. The Boon Somadatta Asked ForA wrestling match at Devaki's self-choice, and the son born a generation later to answer it 17 min
  64. How Drona Won the Narayana WeaponAshwatthama tells the Kauravas where his father's last astra came from, and the one rule that came with it 15 min
  65. The One Who Walked Before the CarVyasa tells Arjuna whose lance was breaking the ranks in front of him 24 min
  66. The King Falls Out of His SeatDhritarashtra hears that Drona is dead, faints in his hall, and wakes to ask who was supposed to be guarding him 20 min
  67. The Mouth of the GarudaDrona draws his host as a bird and comes for Yudhishthira on the twelfth morning 21 min
  68. The King of the Fire CityAshwatthama kills Nila of Mahishmati, and Arjuna kills three of Karna's brothers in his sight 17 min
  69. The Field at DuskSanjaya describes the evening of the thirteenth day, and the army that won walks home through it 13 min
  70. The Blind King Is AnsweredDhritarashtra laments the night after Abhimanyu's death, and his own messenger tells him whose fault it is 15 min
  71. The Road to JayadrathaArjuna breaks through the head of Drona's array on the fourteenth morning, from the omens at dawn to the river of blood 23 min
  72. The Brothers of AvantiTwo kings see Arjuna's horses tire, and one of them walks up to Krishna with a mace 16 min
  73. Four Duels on the Fourteenth DayKshemadhurti, Viradhanwan, Niramitra and Vyaghradatta go down before Drona's division 11 min
  74. The Stones and the Golden KingSatyaki kills Sudarsana on the road to Arjuna, and cuts the mountaineers' stones out of the air 21 min
  75. What Drupada Said About DuryodhanaFive kings die in front of Drona in one afternoon, and Drupada names the man who is not on the field 15 min
  76. The Field Krishna Showed HimArjuna is driven at a walk over the ground he has won, and Yudhishthira answers with a hymn 22 min
  77. Bhima's Harvest on the Fourteenth EveningDrona takes the head of the king of Sivi, and Bhima kills with his fists, his palm and a caught dart until the kings call him Rudra 17 min
  78. The Night Falls on the Fourteenth DayAshwatthama breaks the Panchalas after dark, Drona looses the wind weapon, and Krishna pulls Yudhishthira out of a fight he is winning 18 min
  79. The Guard at Drona's Right WheelYudhishthira orders his whole army against Drona, and never gets past Kritavarma 15 min
  80. Duels by TorchlightSix single combats fought by lamplight on the road to Drona's car 20 min
  81. Karna by Night Against the PanchalasThe armies throw down their torches, and the Suta's son scatters Dhrishtadyumna and all of Panchala in the dark 17 min
  82. The Whole Host Against DronaYudhishthira sends every man he has at the preceptor, and the fifteenth morning breaks into duels 23 min
  83. The Arrow Cut in the AirSatyaki saves Dhrishtadyumna from the preceptor's shaft and holds three great bowmen at once, and the day ends with Drona's head in the dust 18 min
  84. Bhima Carried From the FieldAshwatthama's afternoon after the Narayana weapon, and the shaft that took Bhima's charioteer 21 min
  85. Portents Before the Fourteenth DayThe night the sky and the rivers answered Arjuna's vow, and the morning ritual of a king 21 min
  86. The Shape of GhatotkachaSanjaya describes the rakshasa's body, chariot and host as he charges Karna at midnight 16 min
  87. Satyaki of the VrishnisLoyalty that outran judgment
  88. The Fall of VikarnaThe good man on the wrong side
  89. The Rakshasa Who Came for a DebtAlayudha, and the night that belonged to the man-eaters
  90. The Commander AccusedDuryodhana tells Drona to his face that he is sparing them
  91. The Fifteenth MorningDrona alone, and the old kings who tried to stop him
  92. The Journey to the MountainKrishna and Arjuna go north in the night before the vow
  93. The Night the Armies SleptA truce called for the moon on the fourteenth night
  94. Kamboja of the Swift HorsesThe cavalry kingdom of the far northwest
  95. Pragjyotisha, City of the Eastern LightFortress of Naraka and Bhagadatta
  96. Sindhu, the River Kingdom of JayadrathaThe land the only daughter married into

Where This Book Sits

The Drona Parva is book 7 of the eighteen parvas. It follows the Bhishma Parva, the book of bhishma. The Karna Parva, the book of karna, comes next.

See all eighteen parvas of the MahabharataFollow the epic as a timeline