'the courageous and splendid one') is the son of Drupada—the king of the Panchala kingdom—and the twin brother of Draupadi in the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

[1] Dhrishtadyumna is born from a yajna (fire-sacrifice) organised by Drupada, who wanted a son capable of killing his enemy, Drona.

According to the legend, Drupada once humiliated his childhood friend Drona because of his poor financial condition, and this led to hatred between them.

[2][5] Unable to wait, the sages poured the offering into the sacrificial altar, causing a youth to emerge.

He had a fiery complexion, wore a crown on his head and armour on his body, and carried a sword, a bow, and some arrows in his hands.

Even though Drona knew about Dhrishtadyumna's prophecy, he happily accepted him as a student and taught him advanced military arts.

[3][5] Dhrishtadyumna hosted his sister Draupadi's svayamvara and told its rules to the kings and princes.

Hearing the terrible news, Drona approached the eldest Pandava Yudhishthira in disbelief, who confirmed that Ashwatthama had been killed, but murmured that it had been the elephant named Ashwatthama; the latter part of his reply was overshadowed by conches of Pandava warriors.

[17] In one of the many side-stories of the Mahabharata, there is a drama centred around the fact that Dhrishtadyumna, despite being Drupada's youngest son, is his heir.