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The king, thus addressed, became exceedingly delighted and said unto him repeatedly, "Aided by Drona and Karna and others, I am quite competent to vanquish my foes.
"Janamejaya asked, 'O Brahmana, how was Drona born? How and whence did he acquire his arms? How and why came he unto the Kurus? Whose son also was endued with such energy? Again, how was his son Aswatthaman, the foremost of all skilled in arms born? I wish to hear all this! Please recite them in detail.
Vaisampayana said, "Meanwhile, understanding from his spies that the slayer of Madhu had set out, Dhritarashtra, with his hair standing erect, respectfully addressing the mighty-armed Bhishma and Drona and Sanjaya and the illustrious Vidura, said these words unto Duryodhana and his counsellors, 'O scion of Kuru's race, strange and wonderful is the news that we hear.
After Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma, had gone away, the high-souled son of Drona also, O king, left that spot. Then Yudhishthira, O king, avoiding the son of Drona in that great battle proceeded against thy army, resolved to achieve the cruel task of slaughter."
And Arjuna, and the sons of Draupadi, and Chekitana of great prowess, proceeded against all the kings under the command of Duryodhana. And similarly the Kauravas also, O king, began to slaughter their foes. That foremost of car-warriors, viz., Drona excited with wrath, rushed against the Somakas and the Srinjayas, desirous of sending them to the abode of Yama.
He passed the time, thinking of the terrible destruction of the Bharatas at one another's hands." "Dhritarashtra said, 'After all the Kaurava troops had been slain by the sons of Pandu on the field of battle, what did those survivors of my army, Kritavarma and Kripa and the valiant son of Drona do? What also did the wicked-souled king Duryodhana then do?
Forbidden by Bhishma, by Drona, and by Vidura, thy wicked-minded and shameless son Duryodhana sent his Suta messenger commanding him to bring into court the beloved and virtuous wife of the Pandavas. The gods first deprive that man of his reason unto whom they send defeat and disgrace. It is for this that such a person seeth things in a strange light.
And that feat of his was applauded by the foremost warriors of the Kuru army, consisting, as it did, of his having encountered the two Krishnas united together. Indeed, Aswatthaman daily battled fearlessly amid the forces, having obtained from Drona all weapons with the methods also of their withdrawal. 'This one is the son of my preceptor. He is again the dear son of Drona.
"Yudhishthira said, 'Why did that high-souled one give away a drona of corn? And, O eminently pious one, to whom and in what prescribed way did he give it? Do thou tell me this. Surely, I consider the life of that virtuous person as having borne fruit with whose practices the possessor himself of the six attributes, witnessing everything, was well pleased.
But, O oppressor of all enemies, the Nishada prince, touching Drona's feet with bent head, wended his way into the forest, and there he made a clay-image of Drona, and began to worship it respectfully, as if it was his real preceptor, and practised weapons before it with the most rigid regularity.
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