Arjuna practices archery in darkness, earning Drona's special promise
Drona secretly orders the cook to never give Arjuna food after dark. One night, a wind blows out Arjuna's lamp while he is eating. He continues his meal by habit, then realizes a profound truth about action without sight.
Arjuna worshipped his preceptor Drona with great care and showed supreme devotion in learning the art of weapons, becoming Drona’s favorite. One day, Drona summoned the cook and gave him a secret order: “Never give Arjuna any food when it is dark.”
Some time later, Arjuna was eating his evening meal when a sudden wind arose and blew out the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. Arjuna’s hand, moving from force of habit, continued to carry food to his mouth. He finished his meal in the dark.
In that moment, he realized something: if he could eat without seeing, he could act without seeing. The thought ignited him. He picked up his bow and went out into the night to practice.
Drona, in his quarters, heard the distinct twang of a bowstring in the darkness. He went to find the source and saw Arjuna, alone, practicing his forms and shots under the cover of night. Drona went to him and embraced him.
“I promise you,” Drona said, “I will do my utmost to ensure that you are the best archer in this world. There will be no one equal to you.”
True to his word, Drona then began to teach Arjuna the advanced martial arts in their entirety: the art of fighting from chariots, from horses, from elephants, and on the ground. He taught him how to fight in narrow confines with every weapon — clubs, swords, spears, javelins, and lances. Witnessing Arjuna’s burgeoning skills, thousands of kings and princes assembled to learn the science of Dhanur Veda from the master who had produced such a pupil.