(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Then, O king, the mighty son of Bharadwaja presented
himself before Drupada, and addressing that monarch, said, "Know me for
thy friend." Thus addressed by his friend, the son of Bharadwaja, with a
joyous heart, the lord of the Panchalas was ill-able to bear that speech.
The king, intoxicated with the pride of wealth, contracted his brows in
wrath, and with reddened eyes spake these words unto Drona, "O Brahmana,
thy intelligence is scarcely of a high order, inasmuch as thou sayest unto
me, all on a sudden, that thou art my friend! O thou of dull apprehension,
great kings can never be friends with such luckless and indigent wights as
thou! It is true there had been friendship between thee and me before, for
we were then both equally circumstanced. But Time that impaireth
everything in its course, impaireth friendship also. In this world,
friendship never endureth for ever in any heart. Time weareth it off and
anger destroyeth it too. Do not stick, therefore, to that worn-off
friendship. Think not of it any longer. The friendship I had with thee, O
first of Brahmanas, was for a particular purpose. Friendship can never
subsist between a poor man and a rich man, between a man of letters and an
unlettered mind, between a hero and a coward. Why dost thou desire the
continuance of our former friendship? There may be friendship or hostility
between persons equally situated as to wealth or might. The indigent and
the affluent can neither be friends nor quarrel with each other. One of
impure birth can never be a friend to one of pure birth; one who is not a
car-warrior can never be a friend to one who is so; and one who is not a
king never have a king for his friend. Therefore, why dost thou desire the
continuance of our former friendship?"'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed by Drupada, the mighty son of
Bharadwaja became filled with wrath, and reflecting for a moment, made up
his mind as to his course of action. Seeing the insolence of the Panchala
king, he wished to check it effectually. Hastily leaving the Panchala
capital Drona bent his steps towards the capital of the Kurus, named after
the elephant.'"