( the DH in the beginning of this name is pronounced like a hardened sound of 'th' in 'brother'. Also, the RI after it is not a consonant. It is the special vowel like 'ri' in 'Krishna'. The D in the middle is pronounced like 'th' in 'brother' . The Y is a consonant and is pronounced like 'y' in 'you'.)
Dhrishtadyumna was the son of the Paanchaala king Drupada. He was referred to as Svetha and Paarshatha too . Droupadi was his younger sister . Shikhandi was his elder brother .
Drupada was a school mate of Drona at Agnivesha's school of archery . Then he offered to Drona to come to him in near future when he himself would be the ruler of Paanchaala. Some years after their separation , Drona with his wife Kripi and son Asvaththaama went to Drona to request for pecuniary aid . Made arrogant by the royal wealth and pomp, Drupada despised his poor old associate and disowned any friendship with him . Drona bore the insult and since then nourished vengeance against Drupada. Later ,Drona happened to settle at Hasthipuram as teacher of archery and other warfare to the royal youth .
After the teaching abd training were over, Drona prompted his favourite disciple Arjuna to bring Drupada captured before him and Arjuna fulfilled his teacher's desire . Drona heartily mused at his arrested friend but soon let him free , honoring their friendship . He levied half the kingdom on Drupada as a penalty for his disrespect shown earlier .
A vengeful Drupada intended to beget a son to kill Drona and a daughter to become Arjuna's wife . He propitiated both the Braahmanas and the gods by severe sacrificial performances whereby he got a son named Dhrishthadymna and a daughter named Krishna ( popular as Droupadi ) . Both were born out of sacrificial fire , as full-grown , much to Drupada's pleasure .
Dhrishtadyumna was sent to Drona himself to learn archery . Drona taught him unmindful of the future , though he was awre of that . Such was the custom of teachership those days !
In the war , Dhrishtadyumna was Arjuna's personal choice as chief general , despite his being junior to many . That was a diplomatically delivered psychological blow to the other side which was led by a seasoned warrior that was four generations senior to him . The relatively young Dhrishtadyumna well did justice to his nomination to that coveted post . He held the position from the beginning to the end of the war , whereas his enemies had four famous stalwarts as chief generals . Exhibiting his profound knowledge of making and leading army formations and continuously backed up by Arjuna , he took his side to victory after a relentless war of 18 days . On the 15th day of the war , when Drona laid his arms and immursed in meditation to let the life off his body, Dhrishtadyumna chopped off his guru's head . Thus he completed the vendetta against his invincible teacher for his father's insult and killing .
But his uncermonious act of chopping the meditating mentor's head was disdained by either side equally , though he defended himself as vehemently . Saathyaki almost killed him for that . Dhrishtadyumna's fame earned from his valour was militated by the unseemly action done to the much venerated teacher of two generations .
In turn , Asvaththaama turned infuriated at his father's intolerable insult from the enemies . He discharged the great Naaraayana asthra which could have destructed the entire enemy force unless Krishna had promptly advised his side to dismount and bow to it to escape from its attack .
However, Asvaththaama got his vengeance cleared when he killed the sleeping Dhrishtadyumna on the 18 th day's night . Thus ended the feud between their two families .
Though it seems to us that Dhrishtadyumna acted rudely towards his guru , we must question ourselves -what kind of honour could we have shown to an elderly person who had unjustly remained a mute witness to the disrobing of our own sister in public hall and who , besides , came to fight against us on behalf of those rougues who had done all that to her ? Spitefulness is the child of anger , one of the six evils to a human's soul . And Mahaabhaaratham is famous for depicting the natural course of such evils often overpowering Dharma .
"After praying to Naaraayana, Nara, Sarasvathi and Vyaasa, then one should read the Jayam."
DEDICATED TO MY DEAR NIECE VYSHNAVI KRISHNA