Rāma, the foremost among warriors and generous giver of wealth, stood before Droṇa, who approached him with a resolute heart and unwavering vows. With humility, Droṇa said, “O Rāma, I seek from you inexhaustible wealth.” But Rāma, rich in ascetic merit, replied, “All the gold and treasures I possessed have already been given away to the Brahmins. And this earth itself, the goddess bounded by the ocean and filled with cities, I have entirely bestowed upon Kaśyapa. Now, only my body remains, along with my precious weapons and arms. If you desire my body, my weapons, or my arms, O Brāhmaṇa, speak quickly—what shall I give you, Droṇa?” Droṇa answered, “Grant me all your weapons, O Bhārgava, with their methods of withdrawal and their secret applications. Give them to me in their entirety.” Rāma, recognizing this as the highest of all wealth, agreed, saying, “So be it.” He bestowed upon Droṇa the weapons, the sacred vows, and the complete science of archery, including all its secrets. Having received this supreme knowledge and mastery over weapons, Droṇa, now accomplished and pleased, set out toward Drupada, his dear friend. Approaching Drupada, the mighty Bhāradvāja addressed the king, “Know me here as your friend.” But Drupada, lord of men and king of the Pāñcālas, did not welcome these words, despite their past affection. With his brows furrowed in anger and his eyes reddened by pride and resentment, Drupada replied, “O Brāhmaṇa, your understanding is not proper. You claim friendship with me, but it is not so. Kings, exalted as they are, do not befriend those who are weak, deprived of prosperity, and fallen from wealth. Even friendships fade with time as age overtakes them; our bond was once maintained by ability.” He continued, “In this world, friendship does not remain ageless in anyone’s heart; desire destroys it, and anger certainly separates it. Do not cling to this worn-out friendship, which you yourself have limited. O best of Brahmins, our friendship once existed, but it was bound by interest. A poor man is not the friend of the wealthy, nor an ignorant man of the learned; a coward is not the friend of a hero—what use is former friendship? Marriage and friendship are proper only between equals in wealth and knowledge, not between the prosperous and the destitute. A non-ritualist is not the friend of a ritualist, nor a charioteerless man of a charioteer; not even a king is the friend of another king—what use is former friendship?” Hearing these harsh words, Droṇa, the mighty Bhāradvāja, was filled with anger and paused to reflect. Having resolved in his mind, he gathered his disciples and his son and approached the Pāñcāla king. He journeyed to the city of the foremost Kurus, Nāgasāhvaya, having vowed to fulfill his promise without delay. Arriving at Nāgapura, Droṇa, the best of Brahmins, took up secret residence in the house of Gautama. There, after Kṛpa had taught the Pārthas the use of weapons, Droṇa remained unrecognized. Concealing his true identity, he lived quietly for some time. Then, one day, the princes went out together from Gajasāhvaya to play. As they played joyfully with a ball, a ring accidentally fell into a well. Soon after, Dharmaputra’s ball also slipped and dropped into a deep, hidden pit, shining like a star in the sky. Seeing this, the princes eagerly tried to retrieve the ball, but all their efforts were in vain. Ashamed and anxious, they looked at one another, unable to recover the lost items. Nearby, they noticed a dark-skinned, aged, and thin Brahmin engaged in his duties, standing beside his sacred fire. The boys, their spirits broken, approached and surrounded the Brahmin. Droṇa, seeing the helpless princes, smiled gently. Coming from the land of the Pañcālas, he addressed them with strength, “Alas, shame on your strength as warriors, shame on your mastery of weapons! Born in the line of Bharata, you have not attained even a simple prize. I myself will retrieve both the prize and the ring with reeds as my arrows; let me be given food.” Kunti’s son, Yudhishthira, replied, “With Kripa’s consent, O Brahmin, obtain perpetual alms.” Droṇa then took a handful of reeds, which he had enchanted with a weapon spell. “Observe the power of this, which is not found in others,” he said. With a single reed, he fetched the ball, and with another, he retrieved the ring—just as he had promised. Amazed, the princes’ eyes widened in astonishment. “This is truly extraordinary!” they exclaimed. “O sage among Brahmins, quickly retrieve this ring-jewel.” And thus, the greatness of Droṇa began to reveal itself to the sons of the Kurus.