MB11-Drona – The Ancient Indian test-tube baby!

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Today we are all familiar with the procedure called In-Vitro Fertilization, which has come as a boon to many a mother who cannot conceive naturally. 

In common parlance, the babies born by such a procedure are called ‘test tube babies’, though they are really not born in a test tube per se. Only the fertilization of ovum by the sperm takes place outside the body of the would be mother, in a Petri dish – ‘test tube’ under controlled conditions.

But not so, in the case of Drona – if you believe what the story says. Drona was a true test tube baby!

Drona’s father, the great sage Bharadwaja created Drona literally in a test tube; well, not exactly, but in a leaf cup or bowl, or Drona as it is called. That is the reason why Drona was Drona – a boy born in a leaf cup or Drona.

There is another interesting thing about this story. Bharadwaja apparently used only his sperms to create this baby, no female ovum was involved! So, Drona was actually a clone!

Maybe it was all poetic imagination. We do not know. So, let us leave it at that and proceed further.


Bharadwaja brought up Drona with great care and also gave him good education. Drona mastered all the scriptures as well as warfare techniques. He could have been a great teacher in any royal school. But unfortunately, he could not find any offers!

So, he was living with his wife’s brother Kripa in Hastinapur, in abject poverty. Kripa was one of the teachers in the royal school of Hastinapur.

Over a period of time, Drona had a son. Apparently, the newborn child neighed like a horse. So, this kid was named Ashwatthama – one who neighs like a horse or Ashwa – the Sanskrit word for horse.

Drona loved his son and brought him up with great care. When the boy was still young, he always used to ask for milk which his parents were not in a position to provide, since they could not afford to keep a cow. So Ashwatthama’s mother used to mix rice powder and water and give it to him as milk.

But as the boy grew up, he understood that what was given to him was not milk. His friends too made fun of him.

Drona was very much concerned about his poverty and his inability to bring up his son in a proper manner.


Drona remembered one prince who used to be his close friend when they studied together in Gurukul or residential school. And that prince had now become a well-known king Dhrupad, ruling over the Panchal kingdom.

So, Drona set out to Panchal with a great hope that his childhood friend would definitely help him out. But far from helping him, Dhrupad even refused to accept him as his onetime friend. He said that friendship could only be between two equals. He was now a King, and Drona was a poor man with no means to live on.

Dhrupad insulted Drona and drove him away mercilessly. That hurt Drona a lot. But he was helpless.


Once it so happened that Bhishma came to know about Drona and his great scholarship. So, Bhishma appointed Drona as the teacher to the Kaurava and Pandava princes who were under his care.

So, both Kauravas and Pandavas were tutored by Drona and brought up as great warriors. Drona was very much indebted to the Hastinapur throne that gave hm shelter, when he needed it the most.


Later, Drona dethroned Dhrupad with the help of his students. But he gave back half the kingdom he had won, only to tell Dhrupad that they were then equals. Dhrupad apologized for the insult he had done to Drona long back.

But Dhrupad could never forget the humiliation he went through in Drona’s hands. He vowed to avenge that insult someday. He undertook severe austerities and finally got a son who was destined to kill Drona someday. That son was Drishtadyumna.


Now coming back to the war scene, Kauravas and Pandavas were fighting with each other over their claim to Hastinapur throne. Drona, owing to his loyalty to the throne had taken the side of the Kauravas who were ruling Hastinapur at that time. Dhrupad had taken the side of Pandavas.

Both the warring factions were Drona’s students whom he loved. But he was helpless to take the Kaurava side since even Bhishma had sided with the Kauravas.

So, when Duryodhana brought up the proposal to capture Yudhishthira, Drona was pleased since he felt that that would put an end to the war and unnecessary bloodshed.

But Duryodhana was not someone who could be trusted. What ensued, was really horrible. We will discuss that in the next episode.

That was Mahabharata episode 11

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Based on the 5000 year old Indian Epic namely Mahabharata. © Dr.King  2019.