Dhṛṣṭadyumna

Dhrishtadyumna () is a major character in the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. He is described as the son of Drupada—the king of the Panchala kingdom—and the brother of Draupadi—the shared wife of the five Pandavas brothers. Dhrishtadyumna is said to have been born from a sacrificial fire ritual (yajna) performed by Drupada, accompanied by a prophecy that he would one day slay Drona, his father’s adversary. During the Kurukshetra War, Dhrishtadyumna aligns himself with the Pandavas and is appointed the supreme commander-in-chief of their forces. On the fifteenth day of the conflict, he beheads Drona, thereby fulfilling the ordained purpose of his birth.

== Birth == left|thumb|A Mughal painting by Bilal Habsi depicting the birth of Dhrishtadyumna. A folio of [[Razmnama, the Persian translation of the epic]] Dhishtadyumna, along with Draupadi, is described as an "ayonija", one not born from a woman's womb. His birth is narrated in the Adi Parva of the epic. According to the legend, Drupada once humiliated his childhood friend Drona because of his poor financial condition, and this led to hatred between them. Drona then became the teacher of the Pandava brothers and they defeated and captured Drupada. Though Drona spared Drupada's life because of their past friendship, he forcefully took half of Panchala. Humiliated by his defeat, Drupada wanted vengeance, but since none of his children or allies were powerful enough to defeat Drona, he decided to perform a yajna (fire-sacrifice) to obtain a powerful son.