ONE day the princes of Hastinapur were playing with a ball when it fell into a well nearby. As one of the princes peered into the well to see how deep the ball had fallen, a ring slipped from his finger and fell into the well. Now being very young, they did not know how to extract the ball or the ring from the well. They went to Acharya Drona for help. The Acharya told them, “You do not even know how to bring out the ball and the ring from the well? It seems your education and training is incomplete still. Come, I will show you what can be done to recover the ball and the ring.”
Acharya Drona then took a blade of grass and shot it from his bow at the ball in the well. The blade flew and got stuck on the ball. The Acharya then shot another blade of grass which got stuck to the first blade. This way, a long chain of blades was formed. He kept on shooting one blade of grass after another till the string became so long as to reach his hand. With this sting, he pulled out the ball from the well.
Acharya Drona then shot an arrow at the ring which the prince had lost in the well. The arrow sprung back and brought out the ring. The princes were relieved to find their lost ball and ring and went and narrated the incident to their great grand father, Bhishma.
Bhishma already knew about Drona’s skill in archery and he immediately appointed him the guru to the princes to teach them archery and warfare.
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