The Drona Parva traditionally has 8
upa-parvas (parts, little books) and 204
adhyayas (chapters).
Dronābhisheka Parva Source: Abhimanyu was trained in all types of warfare by Krishna and
Balrama themselves, and later by
Pradyumna (Sri Krishna's son). Abhimanyu learnt the art of breaking into the Chakravyuha when he was in Subhadra's womb. It was then Arjuna was narrating the art of breaking into Chakravyuha to Subhadra. But he did not know how to destroy the formation once he was inside, as Subhadra fell asleep while listening to the story and (Abhimanyu in her womb) could learn only half of the technique. This is the reason why he was only able to enter and break but not come out of the Chakravyuha. As soon as Abhimanyu entered the formation,
Jayadratha, the ruler of Sindh blocked the other Pandavas, so that Abhimanyu was left alone. Inside the Chakravyuha, the trapped Abhimanyu went on a killing rampage, intending on carrying out the original strategy by himself and killing tens of thousands of
Kaurava soldiers. Abhimanyu killed many prominent heroes including Duryodhana's son
Lakshmana,
Shalya's sons Rukmanagaa and Rukmanaratha, younger brothers of
Karna, and many advisers of
Karna, Rukmaratha, Kritavarma's son Matrikavata, Shrutanjaya, Ashavketu (from Magadha), Chandraketu, Mahavega, Suvarcha, Suryabhasa, Kalakeya (Shakuni's brother), Vasatiya, and rathas from the Brahma-Vasatiyas and Kekayas, King of Kosala -
King Brihadbala, King of Amvashtas and his son and many others. Due to the Boon of
Lord Chandra, Abhimanyu defeated the mighty warriors of Kauravas side including Duryodhana, Ashwatthama, Dushasana, Kritvarma, Shalya, Drona, Kripa and Karna. No Kaurava warrior could escape his arrows. Drona ordered Karna to break the divine bow of Abhimanyu. In a cowardly act, Karna then attacked Abhimanyu from behind and broke his bow and his impenetrable armour. Then Kripa killed the Abhimanyu's charioteers and Kritavarma killed the horses of Abhimanyu's chariot. Then Abhimanyu took the sword and shield which destroyed by Drona and Ashwatthama. Abhimanyu hurled the chariot wheel towards Drona, Ashwatthama and Kripa destroyed the wheel. Abhimanyu broke Ashwatthama's chariot with the mace and attacked Dushasan's son. Dushasan's son kills Abhimanyu in a mace fight. Sage Vyasa come with new stories to tell Yudhishthira. He tells him to not suffer and become stupefied by calamities, brave heroes ascend to heaven at death, death takes all, this law is incapable of being transgressed.
Pratijna Parva Source: Then after sometime Ghatotkach once more battled Ashwatthama. This time he fainted Ashwatthama and Ashwatthama fled away. Karna, the son of Vikartana, resisted Sahadeva in that battle. Karna cuts his bow and dispatched his driver, to Yama's abode. Then he cuts all weapons of Sahadeva. Sahadeva left the battle, while pursued by the son of Radha. Then touching him with bow, Karna said, 'Do not, O hero, fight in battle with those that are superior to thee. Fight with thy equals, O son of Madri or return home if thou likest.' Having said these words, that foremost of car-warriors, smilingly proceeded on his car against the troops of the king of Panchalas. The slayer of foes, that mighty car warrior, devoted to truth, slew not the son of Madri although he had got the opportunity, recollecting the words of Kunti. Sahadeva, then, heartless and afflicted with arrows, proceeds to another side. Salya made Virata swooned away. Duryodhana talks and criticizes Karna and Drona. Then Drona, Sakuni, Karna and Vrishasena goes against Satyaki, Drupada and Dhrishtadyumna divisions. They slaughter their troops and routs them. Janardana talks with Phalguna. Karna battles Dhrishtadyumna. Karna cuts his bow and make him carless. Karna again starts destroying Pandava Army. Drona and Arjuna engaged in the fierce battle, Drona defeats Dhananjaya and Arjuna fled away. When Vrishasena massacring Panchala Army, Drupada attacks Vrishasena. The valiant son of Karna gravely injured Drupada and Drupada ran away. Karna caused much more destruction among Pandava army. When everyone refused to face Karna, soldiers request Arjuna to prevent Karna from causing much more destruction. Krishna said that no warrior can face Karna in night as Karna was highly skilled in night war also and decides to send Ghatotkacha to capable of advancing against Karna in battle and Arjuna also orders Ghatotkacha to slay Karna. Rakshasa gets inspired with greater strength at night, giving advantage to Ghatotkacha, who enters field along with Satyaki. Duryodhana sends Alamvusha for Ghatotkacha. Ghatotkacha cuts every weapon and car of him. Alamvusha, wrathfully struck him, with fists, trembling him. Ghatotkacha chops him, then press him upon ground. Alamvusha then seize, drag and throw him down. Then both uses power of illusion, solicitous of destroying each other. Ghatotkacha at last, seizes him and press him down on the earth. Taking a scimitar, cut off from his trunk, foe head. He then seize and throw that head on Duryodhana's car saying that Karna will be kill like this soon. Meanwhile Karna defeats Satyaki, and when Karna was about to cut off the Satyaki's head, Satyaki ran away and came towards Ghatotkacha to save his life. Enraged Ghatotkacha battles Radha's son. Karna uses celestial weapons and Ghatotkacha his illusive powers. Karna destroys his car. Ghatotkacha then started to destroy celestial weapon of Karna, but Karna was not at all agitated and invoked more celestial weapon. Karna destroyed Ghatotkacha's 1000 illusions and Ghatotkacha shooting an Anjalika weapon, quickly cut off the bow of Karna. Karna afflicts him and destroys his Rakshasa army of one akshauhini. Ghatotkacha then makes himself invisible, starts to fly in the sky and throws an celestial disc on Karna, but Karna destroyed that disc. Karna pierced gigantic Ghatotkacha's body with uncountable arrows that there is no space of even two fingers breadth body. The Rakshasa, excited with rage, hurled at him an Asani weapon. Karna, placing his bow on his car, jumps and seizing that Asani hurled it back, reducing Ghatotkacha car to ashes, while later jumps down. All Gods wondered about this. All creatures applauded Karna, who, having achieved that feat, once more ascended his car. Then Karna starts to destroy the illusion made by Rakshasa. Then Ghatotkacha sends many Rakshasas, Yatadhanas, Pisachas to kill Karna. However Karna kills all those. When Bhima hurls Karna to save his son, Duryodhana sends Rakshasa Alayudha, who goes to battle Bhimasena. However Bhima got defeated and beaten by Alayudha. Krishna sends others to busy Karna while sends Ghatotkacha for Bhima help. Meanwhile, Karna, in that battle agitated Dhrishtadyumna and Sikhandin army. Alayudha struck Ghatotkacha, on the head, with a gigantic Parigha, making him in a partial swoon. Recovering consciousness, Ghatotkacha hurls a mace, crushing Alayudha car, but with the help of illusion, later jumped down. Then both destroys each other illusions and gets wounded. At last Gatotkacha beheads him and enjoys. Till that time, Karna broke and retreated troops. Gatotkacha returns and approach him. When Gatotkacha couldn't prevail over Karna, he invoked into existence a fierce and mighty weapon, with which he slew steeds and driver of Karna, then made himself invisible. All gets frightened that he will certainly slay Karna by appearing next to him. Karna covers himself with celestial weapon and an illusion appears in the sky, from which shower of weapons occur slaughtering Kaurava host. Karna didn't fled from battle and his steeds were slain by Rakshasa. At last, he was forced to used Vasavi dart by his army and slew Gatotkacha. Before dying fall, Ghatotkacha increases his size and crushed full 1 unit of Kaurava ranks, benefitting Pandavas. All Pandavas griefs except Vasudeva who when asked by Arjuna tells him that Karna shakti weapon being baffled through Ghatotkacha, is already slain. There is no human being in the world who can stand in front of Karna if he possesses shakti weapon and if he also had armor and earrings, then he could also conquer the three worlds including the gods. At that stage, even Indra, Kubera, Varuna, or Yama could not face the war with him. We too were unable to win over him. For his benefit, Indra tricked him for armor and earrings. Even though all these things are not with him today, he cannot be killed by anyone other than him. Devoted to Brahmanas, truthful in speech, engaged in penances, observant of vows, kind even unto foes, for these reasons Karna is called Vrisha (Dharma). Even if the entire god and demons attack from four sides, they cannot win him. Being deprived of the power of Armor, earrings, and Indra Vasavi he has become a simple human being today. Yudhishthira becomes cheerless at Karna and griefs for Ghatotkacha death. Krishna comforts him. Yudhishthira with Sikhandin proceed against Karna. Vasudeva tells Dhananjaya to help him. Vyasa appears and tells Yudhishthira to cease anger, as on the fifth day after this, he will be the king and disappears. Then at Yudhishthira's command, all rush to slay Drona, the enemy commander. The King Duryodhana, desiring to protect Drona's life, comes with his army. Till that time, it became midnight and warriors started to feel sleepy. All retreat.
Drona-vadha Parva Source:
15th day of war This passage recounts how Drona, the revered teacher of both the Kauravas and the Pandavas, met his end on the 15th day of the great battle. Before the battle, Duryodhana confronts Drona, accusing him of being too lenient on the Pandavas and wasting his many celestial weapons. Drona, however, refuses to commit any ignoble act in the name of victory and praises Arjuna's skill. He advises Duryodhana to face Arjuna and his followers, who are the root cause of the war. Drona forms two divisions of the army and challenges the kings on the battlefield. Drupada and Virata confront him, but Drona kills three of Drupada’s grandsons and vanquishes the Chedis, Kaikeyas, Srinjayas, and Matsyas. He then cuts the bows of both Drupada and Virata, sending them to the abode of Yama (the god of death). Witnessing his father’s death, Dhrishtadyumna is consumed by rage and vows to kill Drona. Supported by his division, Dhrishtadyumna advances against Drona. From one side, Arjuna moves forward, while Duryodhana, Karna, Sakuni, and the Kaurava brothers rush to protect Drona from the other side. Bhima encourages Dhrishtadyumna, and then penetrates Drona's formation. During the fierce battle, a dust cloud envelops the field, obscuring the vision of the warriors. Duryodhana and Duhsasana engage the Pandava twins, Nakula and Sahadeva. Duryodhana pushes Nakula back, while Sahadeva kills Duhsasana’s charioteer, causing Duhsasana’s horses to panic. Karna faces Bhima, and they engage in a close-combat encounter with maces. Drona battles Arjuna, but despite his best efforts, he cannot gain the upper hand. In his heart, Drona silently applauds Arjuna’s prowess. Even celestial beings come to witness their duel, with invisible voices praising both warriors. Drona invokes the Brahma weapon, but Arjuna counters it with a similar weapon of his own. Duhsasana and Dhrishtadyumna also engage in battle, with Dhrishtadyumna forcing Duhsasana to retreat. As Dhrishtadyumna pushes forward against Drona, Kritavarman and his brothers try to stop him, while Nakula and Sahadeva come to his aid. Duryodhana charges at Dhrishtadyumna, but Satyaki intercepts him. In a moment of hesitation, Duryodhana recalls their childhood friendship, but the battle continues. Duryodhana cuts Satyaki’s bow in two, but Satyaki retaliates, and Duryodhana takes a brief respite. Karna tries to intervene, but Bhima blocks him. Yudhishthira rallies his troops against Drona, while Bhima, Nakula, and Sahadeva devise a plan with Arjuna to kill Drona. However, Drona proves too powerful and crushes their efforts. Seeing Drona’s unstoppable fury, Krishna tells Arjuna that Drona cannot be defeated by fair means; only when he lays down his weapons can he be killed. Krishna suggests that if Drona hears of his son Ashwatthaman’s death, he might lose the will to fight. Arjuna disagrees, but others support the plan. Bhima then kills an elephant named Ashwatthaman and, with feigned sorrow, approaches Drona, declaring, "Ashwatthaman has been slain." Drona, skeptical due to his son’s strength, rushes into battle and uses the Brahma weapon to kill 20,000 Panchalas. He also decapitates Vasudana and kills 11,100 of his soldiers. As Drona continues his massacre, seven great Rishis and celestial sages appear and ask him to stop, telling him that his time on earth has come. They remind him that he has used celestial weapons against unarmed men, which is unrighteous. Distressed, Drona turns to Yudhishthira, knowing he has never spoken a lie. Krishna, foreseeing this, advises Yudhishthira that sometimes falsehood is better than truth if it saves lives, and that lying in this case would not bring sin. Bhima urges Yudhishthira to lie, knowing that Drona would believe his words. When Drona asks if his son has truly been slain, Yudhishthira replies, "Ashwatthaman is dead," muttering the word "elephant" under his breath. Grief-stricken, Drona loses his will to fight and becomes vulnerable. Dhrishtadyumna seizes the opportunity, driven by a desire for revenge for his father's and sons' deaths, and also to avenge his previous defeat by Drona. As Drona sits in meditation, Dhrishtadyumna, with a single blow of his sword, beheads him. Disregarding the pleas of the other kings to capture him, Dhrishtadyumna rejoices in his victory, holding Drona's severed head aloft. Covered in Drona’s blood, Dhrishtadyumna presents the head to the Kaurava army, causing them to flee in terror. The Pandavas, now victorious, celebrate loudly. Bhima embraces Dhrishtadyumna and declares that he will embrace him again after Karna and Duryodhana are also slain in battle.
Narayanastra-mokshana Parva Source: Kripa informed Ashwatthaman of his father’s unjust death, which enraged him. Filled with wrath, Drona’s son returned to the battlefield and told Duryodhana that he would use a weapon unknown to the Pandavas, vowing to slay Dhrishtadyumna and his Panchala army. Ashwatthaman invoked the Narayana weapon, a destructive force of immense power. Meanwhile, on the Pandava side, Arjuna discussed morality with Yudhishthira. Bhimasena confidently claimed they should not fear Ashwatthaman, as he would personally defeat him. Dhrishtadyumna defended his actions, arguing that if killing Bhagadatta and Bhishma was righteous, then his own actions were also justified. He warned Arjuna not to criticize him and offered forgiveness for his harsh words. Arjuna, in tears, was rebuked by Satyaki, who called for Dhrishtadyumna to be slain. However, Dhrishtadyumna, showing restraint, replied that the powerful forgive the weak, just as he forgave Satyaki. The conflict escalated as Dhrishtadyumna criticized Satyaki for killing the armless Bhurisravas and warned him that if he spoke harshly again, he would send him to Yama’s abode. Enraged, Satyaki grabbed a mace and charged at Dhrishtadyumna. Bhima, urged by Krishna, intervened and restrained Satyaki, while Sahadeva called for peace. Dhrishtadyumna, smiling, taunted Satyaki, saying he would fight him and, after defeating him, continue fighting for the Pandavas. With great effort, Krishna and Yudhishthira managed to pacify the situation. As the Narayana weapon began its destruction, killing thousands of soldiers, Krishna realized the scale of its power. He instructed everyone to throw down their weapons, dismount from their vehicles, and lie on the ground. Bhima resisted, reminding Arjuna of his vow never to abandon his bow, Gandiva. Despite this, Arjuna set aside his bow and dismounted, urging Bhima to do the same. Bhima, however, charged fearlessly toward Ashwatthaman, but the fiery weapon struck him. Seeing Bhima overwhelmed, Arjuna used the Varuna (water) weapon to protect him. Arjuna and Krishna ran to Bhima, unarmed, and thus, the Narayana weapon spared them. Krishna then dragged Bhima from his car, forcing him to lay aside his weapons. Since no one remained armed, the Narayana weapon pacified, sparing the Pandavas and their army. Duryodhana urged Ashwatthaman to use the weapon again, but Ashwatthaman explained that it could only be used once in a lifetime. Instead, Duryodhana encouraged him to use other weapons. Ashwatthaman, filled with grief over his father’s death, attacked Dhrishtadyumna, destroying his chariot and scattering his troops. The Panchalas fled, and Dhrishtadyumna was in grave danger. Satyaki intervened, inflicting severe wounds on Ashwatthaman and even destroying his chariot. Ashwatthaman, undeterred, returned in a new chariot and continued to fight fiercely. During their battle, Ashwatthaman pierced Satyaki with an arrow that passed through his armor and body. Covered in blood, Satyaki’s driver carried him away from the battlefield. Bhima, accompanied by five warriors, confronted Ashwatthaman, but he quickly disabled them all. Bhima retaliated, cutting off Ashwatthaman’s bow and deeply wounding him with arrows. Despite his injuries, Ashwatthaman continued fighting, cutting Bhima’s bow and incapacitating his charioteer, causing Bhima’s horses to flee. As Bhima's forces faltered, Arjuna arrived to rally the troops. Ashwatthaman, enraged by Arjuna’s harsh words, invoked the Agneya weapon, unleashing flames that ravaged the Pandava army. The flames were so intense that elephants fell, the waters boiled, and the very sun was obscured. The Kauravas rejoiced at the destruction. In response, Arjuna invoked the Brahma weapon, dispelling the flames and smoke. Though a great portion of the Pandava army perished, Arjuna and Krishna’s chariot remained unharmed, filling the Pandavas with joy. Ashwatthaman, disheartened, fled the battlefield. On his retreat, he encountered Vyasa and questioned why his weapon had failed to kill Arjuna and Krishna. Vyasa explained the concept of Nara and Narayana and advised Ashwatthaman to withdraw for the night, as the armies prepared for rest. Later, Arjuna spoke with Vyasa about a warrior he had seen fighting on his side with a lance. Vyasa revealed that the warrior was none other than Lord Shiva, who had been protecting him from Ashwatthaman, Karna, and Kripa. Vyasa urged Arjuna to offer his respects to Lord Shiva and reminded him that, with Krishna (Janardana) as his advisor and protector, defeat was impossible. ==English translations==