Drona agreed to teach military skills to the Bharata princes at the same time he taught his son.

``I'll teach each one what he may learn and to the best of them,'' he told Bhishma, ``I will reveal what weapons I wish.''

Drona hoped that the best of them, the one to whom he would reveal his greatest weapons, would be his own son. Every morning, he gave his pupils a jar each and told them to bring it full of water from the river. He gave the princes narrow jars but gave his own son, Aswattama, a wide-mouthed one. In the time between when his son returned with a jar full of water and when the other students returned, he taught his son in secret.

Arjuna noticed the disparity in the jars on the very first day. He started to keep river water handy and so, together with Aswattama, he learned more than the other pupils, except for that first day.

Drona, however, still wanted his son to be the best and was afraid of Arjuna's amazing prowess. ``Never let Arjuna eat in the dark,'' Drona told the palace cook. Yet one night, as Arjuna was having supper, the wind blew out the lamp in Arjuna's tent. Arjuna found himself eating, his hand going to his mouth with habitual skill. Arjuna realized that if his hand could find his mouth in the dark, it should be able to control an arrow even when he couldn't see it.

When Drona heard the sound of a bowstring in the dark, he went outside to see who it was. ``If it is to be you,'' said Drona to Arjuna, the best of his pupils, `` let me first teach you how to regard other men.''

When the lessons were all over, Drona called all his pupils one by one. He pointed to each of them a stuffed bird that had been tied high up in the trees and bid them to aim an arrow to cut off its head.

``What do you see?'', he would ask each of them as he was aiming his arrow.

``The tree, the bird, the bow, the arrow, my hand, you,'' said Yudhishthira. Drona dismissed him. Aswattama gave the same answer and was dismissed. So were Duryodhana and his brothers. Bhima and the twins gave a similar answer and Drona wouldn't let any of them release his arrows.

He called upon Arjuna finally. Arjuna aimed at the bird and as he stood with his bowstring stretched back, Drona asked him, ``what do you see?''.
``A bird,'' said Arjuna.
``Describe him,'' commanded Drona.
``I can not,'' replied Arjuna, ``all I see is his neck.''
``Send that arrow,'' commanded Drona. The bowstring twanged and the bird's head fell to the earth.
``I have made you the greatest bowman in the world,'' said Drona to Arjuna, ``but you must promise me one thing.'' ``What is that?'', asked Arjuna.
``That if we ever meet in battle, either alone or with many, you shall fight to win.''
``I promise,'' said Arjuna.