Ashwatthama - Drona's Love For Ashwatthama

Drona's Love For Ashwatthama

Ashwatthama was the son of Dronacharya and Kripi, sister of Kripacharya. Drona loved his son very dearly. Dronacharya was very poor. Once when Ashwatthama was a child, he was very hungry. His mother did not even own a cow to give him milk. She fed him with finely cooked rice that looked like milk. On seeing this, Dronacharya was very sad. He remembered his childhood friend . Dronacharya went to the court of Drupada to ask for a cow. King Drupada humiliated Drona, saying that Drona was no more a friend of his as Drupada believed that friendship existed only between equals. Dronacharya returned empty-handed and humiliated. He planned to take revenge on Drupada.

After this incident, on seeing the plight of Dronacharya, Kripacharya, who was teaching the Kuru princes, offered a teacher's position to Dronacharya. Thus, Dronacharya became the guru of the Pandavas and of the Kauravas in Hastinapur. Ashwatthama also trained in the art of warfare along with the Pandavas and Kauravas in Hastinapur.