The brahmin teacher of both sets of princes, who takes his fee in a king's humiliation and a hunter's thumb, then commands the Kaurava army.
Appears in
The tournament of arms — Drona trains the princes to settle his own grudge, takes Ekalavya's thumb, and watches Karna crowned in Arjuna's arena.
The cattle raid — The Kurus raid Virata's herds to flush out the Pandavas, and meet Arjuna alone, with a terrified prince holding his reins.
Krishna's embassy to Hastinapura — Krishna goes to Hastinapura to ask for peace, is refused even a needle's point of land, and shows the hall who he is
The race against the sun — Arjuna swears to kill Jayadratha before sunset or enter the fire himself, and the whole Kaurava army spends a day standing in his way
The death of Drona — Drona asks the one man who never lies whether his son is dead, hears an answer about an elephant, and lays down his arms
Embodies
Birth and worth — Whether a man is measured by the womb he came from or the skill he can prove, argued in the epic by throwing the word suta-putra at him
Kinship and enmity — The war is a family quarrel: across the field stand cousins, teachers and elders, all owed reverence.
Questions to explore
Why does a brahmin teacher demand a king's defeat as his fee?
Why does Drona lay down his arms when he hears that Ashvatthama is dead?
