Controlling the population is a slow process and takes time. Vyaasa determines that quicker action is needed. Specifically, consumption needed to be controlled, if the land was to be renewed. He proposes that a system be established to reward people according to the tasks they performed. These rewards would be fixed and assigned as right.

Such a system would ensure that even the poorest person would have some support to fall back on. The Vyaasa called it the "safety net of the people".

Dhritarashtra likes the caste system. He establishes it in Hastinapur.

The boys were excited. Duryodhana looked at the others and said, I’ll be the best. His eyes and manner invited them to challenge him. Nobody did. Yudhisthira said, We will all do our best. Bhima tried to stare Duryodhana down, and would have fought with him except that he knew that Duryodhana’s hundred brothers would overpower him. So he confined himself to saying, Anybody can boast. We don’t even know that it will be a contest. Arjuna was oblivious to all this. He said, Hey! a test. We’ll get to use our weapons. I’ve been waiting to try out my new bow, the one that Bhishma gave me as a present when we started. I bet there will be an archery contest. Nakula and Sahadeva ran around happy that their brothers and cousins were so excited. Tomorrow was going to be a fun day! Dushasana muttered to his brothers, We’ll show those Pandu bastards. They think so well of themselves.

Morning came. Drona lead the boys into the exercise hall. The night of waiting had gotten on their nerves and they jostled, pushed and fought with each other. When they entered the hall, they saw Bhishma sitting there and were instantly quiet. This was a serious test, otherwise Bhishma would not be there.

The boys went through their exercises. Punching, kicking, shadow boxing, mock combat, mace figures, handling a spear, a trident, fighting with a shield and a short sword. They did well. Bhishma looked on impassively. So did Drona. Then Bhishma said, Archery is the true test of the warrior. I want to see their skill with the bow. Drona replied, They are not ready yet. Duryodhana cried out, Of course, we are ready. You just don’t like us. Arjuna looked crestfallen and said, I feel ready. Yudhisthira looked at Drona’s face and said, Test us now so we will know how far we are from being warriors.

Drona gestured to Yudhisthira. Come here with your bow and arrows. Yudhisthira stepped forward. Look up at that tree, said Drona. Do you see a bird’s nest in the uppermost fork? Yes, said Yudhisthira. Can you see a bird sitting in the nest? Yes, said Yudhisthira. Take aim at the bird, and get ready to shoot, said Drona. Yudhisthira cocked his arrow, raised his bow, and took aim. Are you ready? asked Drona. Yes, said Yudhisthira. Tell me, said Drona, what do you see?

In the meantime, Duryodhana was hopping mad. This is unfair -- Yudhisthira gets asked questions and is being tested and he will come back and tell his brothers how to answer that old fool. I should have been called first -- I am the eldest son of the reigning king.

Yudhisthira turned to Drona, and replied. Oh, I am aware of everything. You, Bhishma watching us, Duryodhana getting angry over there because he cannot hear us.

Thank you, said Drona. Then loudly Drona said, You have failed the test. Go back to your place.

Yudhisthira returned surprised and hurt. Duryodhana was exultant. Ha! I’ll get my turn now.

Duryodhana was next. Drona showed him the bird and asked him to aim at it. Duryodhana did. Then Drona asked, What do you see?

Arjuna meantime muttered to Yudhisthira, I am sorry you failed. Bhima interjected, So what’s the big test? Yudhisthira hung his head and said, I don’t know.

Duryodhana watched the Pandavas mutter among themselves. He replied to Drona, I see Bhishma and I see you.. I see the bird up there and I see the Pandavas planning to cheat on this test.

Drona announced, You have failed, Return to your place.

As Duryodhana returned stunned, Bhima laughed at him. Ho, great leader, what happened? Duryodhana glowered at him.

But Bhima was next. What do you see?, asked Drona.

I see the bird, said Bhima. Its covered by branches and beyond the bird I can see the sky. The branches rustle in the wind. And, he added, to make sure he got everything right, I see you and Bhishma, and I can see Duryodhana. I think he is going to challenge me to a maze duel.

You have failed, announced Drona.

And so it went. One by one the students failed. Arjuna sat around impatiently. Why wasn’t Drona calling on him, he wondered. Finally, at the very end, Drona beckoned to Arjuna.

Arjuna was asked to aim at the bird. What do you see, said Drona.

I can see the eye of the bird, said Arjuna.

Anything else? enquired Drona.

No, said Arjuna. The eye, that’s all.

Shoot, said Drona.

Arjuna shot his arrow and the arrow went through the eye of a bird made of cloth and grass and felled it to the ground.

Drona announced, Only Arjuna has passed this test.

Bhishma agreed, Self-discipline and concentration are the hallmarks of a true warrior. Arjuna has developed that.

Duryodhana scoffed. If only he had let me shoot, I could have got the bird too. Its just unfair. He probably coached Arjuna.

Bhima looked over at Duryodhana and taunted him, Nyah-na-nyah-na-nyah-na. You failed. Arjuna won. You aren’t any good.

Yudhisthira looked thoughtfully at Bhishma and Drona. He knew that he would never be the warrior Arjuna might be. What, he wondered, were the hallmarks of a true king?

Drona said to Bhishma, It is time for my pupils to pay me guru-dakshina.

Yes, agreed Bhishma, But why don’t you ask them?

I need your permission for this, said Drona. I would like them to help me get revenge against Drupada, the king of Panchala-desa. He insulted me once and I wish to return the favor.

We are not at war with Panchala, said Bhishma. And we do not want war with Panchala. What exactly are you proposing? And how did he insult you? Tell me the story.

An impulsive promise from a young boy?

Yes, but not one to be kept, as I was to learn later. Many years later, I was struggling to survive in Kasi as a teacher. My wife had just given birth to my eldest son, Aswatthama. I did not have a patron. The kingdom had been at peace since the king had been humiliated by you many years earlier, and a royal teacher of arms was not needed. I was not good at begging -- I was strong and healthy, and did not look like a poor brahmin. My wife and I frequently went to bed hungry and that meant that the boy was not getting enough milk. My wife reminded me of the stories I told her of the princes in my father’s ashram and my proud stories about having known Drupada. She said, This is not the time to be proud and to stay aloof. This is the time to ask your friends for help. Otherwise, our son will die.

So we packed up and moved to Panchala. After we had found accommodations, I went to Drupada’s palace for an audience.

<Drupada decides to play a joke and rejects him>

<taunts him with quotes from his father’s works on politics>

<Drona is insulted and walks off>

<Drupada continues the joke a little too far by saying, Who will rid me of this man?>

<Drupada is uncertain what to do, but in the meantime his courtiers arrest Drona and his family, ostensibly for having insulted the king by walking out of his presence but also because they fear that the king might change his mind and Drona might be competition. Drupada discovers this too late to prevent it. Drona vows revenge.>

<Drona wants revenge by forcing Drupada to treat him as an equal>

<Bhishma agrees as long as neither Yudhisthira, the heir apparent, nor any armies are involved>

<Drupada is kidnapped by Arjuna, Bhima, and Duryodhana, with Nakula and Sahadeva providing horse logistics>

<Drupada’s court invited to the abasement of Drupada>

<Drupada concedes half his kingdom to Drona; acknowledges past friendship>

<Yudhisthira intercedes on behalf of the king and Drona returns the kingdom as a favor.>

<Drupada is humiliated, but feels indebted to Yudhi and plots revenge.>

<Yu and Drupada talk about the nature of kingship and Yu is shocked to discover realpolitik and Drupada is surprised to discover that there is an alternative to the style of oppressive rule he learned from Bharadwaja.>

<Drupada resolves to get revenge against Drona>

The princes participate in an annual tournament (after or before Holi? Another possibility is in the fall after the monsoon and the fall sowing season is done.). This is the first time they have shown their abilities in public. Arjuna is the popular hero -- his skill with the bow and arrow is unmatched. A rumor about his success at the test given by Drona is already circulating. Bhima and Duryodhana take the wrestling honors and the other princes acquit themselves honorably.

The populace prefers the Pandavas to the Kauravas. Duryodhana is arrogant and behaves like the son of the king. Yudhisthira is kind and courteous and, generally, does not behave like the heir to the throne. The rest of the Pandavas emulate Yudhisthira in this, even though Duryodhana leads the gang most of the time. Since Duryodhana is the obvious leader, he is also held responsible for most of the problems caused by the group.

The Pandavas popularity arouses Duryodhana’s jealousy. As the princes are being cheered, a stranger enters the arena and wishes to participate. (Since it is Holi) he is allowed to. participate in the exhibition rounds. He shows his skill by duplicating every one of Arjuna’s feats. He wishes to participate in the tournament. Under the new caste rules, he can only participate if he is a warrior, so he is asked to name himself and his ancestry. When he reveals that he is the son of a charioteer, the judges (Dhritarashtra, Drona and Bhishma) deny him the right to participate. The new caste system strictly regulates the tasks that a person can perform and a charioteer cannot be a warrior. Bhishma, in particular, decides to make this a test case of applying the caste system.

The Pandavas are relieved. They are also jubilant since they now expect Arjuna to win the festival honors. Bhima, who is usually the butt of the Kaurava jokes, mocks Karna as a lower-caste person, unfit to fight. Duryodhana sees an opportunity to thwart the Pandavas in their moment of popular acceptance. He offers to make Karna a warrior by anointing him king of Anga. This provokes a bitter debate between the Pandavas and the Kauravas about the caste system. The Kauravas question the Pandavas parentage. The cousins have to be restrained from dueling. Bhishma considers the situation and proclaims his interpretation of the new laws. Karna, though skilled in exhibition, would be considered a warrior only after he had proved himself in battle. In the meantime, he could not participate as a warrior in the tournaments.

Karna vows loyalty to Duryodhana. He has been moved by Duryodhana’s effort son his behalf. Arjuna feels that Karna’s unwarranted entry cast a shadow on his moment of triumph. He resents Karna; he also fears that he may be inferior to Karna and this drives him to improve his skill.

[Note: Karna is actually Kunti’s first-born son. This episode sets the stage for the later duel between Arjuna and Karna during the war.]

The disagreement between the cousins is only a mirror of the discontent in the kingdom over the caste system as well as the social policies being imposed from above.

The Pandavas stand out as champions of the caste system, the policy that Dhritarashtra favored. On the other hand, ever since the Karna episode, his own children opposed the policy.

The majority of the population favors the caste system since it introduced a sense of stability in a deteriorating economic system.

Dhritarashtra stops supporting "Social Policy", the name for the program espoused by the SoP and the Vyaasa. But he continues the policies of the caste system as it has many supporters. The Vyaasa leaves Hastinapur in disgust. The Pandavas retire to another city to rebuild their political strength.