​Why did Drona fight against the Pandavas?

Answer Podcast

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Hare Krishna.
Why did Drona fight against the Pandavas? Answer, Drona was obliged because he had been appointed as the martial teacher of the Kuru dynasty and when earlier he had been in difficulty, in some poverty, it was the Kuru elders who had supported him and they had helped him rise above poverty and come to a position of glory. So although he was very affectionate towards the Pandavas and although his heart was with them, because he had been favoured a lot earlier by the Kauravas, he strongly opposed the plan of antagonising the Pandavas. He strongly opposed the plan of having a fight against them.
He tried his best to make Duryodhana and Dhritarashtra sense but eventually when the war took place, his connections with the Kuru dynasty were too many. It was not just that he had been given position and wealth, but also that Ashwatthama, his son, had developed a rivalry with Arjuna. While both of them had been in Drona’s academy, Ashwatthama naturally wanted to please his father and Drona also had a soft corner towards his son.
But Abhimanyu outclassed Ashwatthama in archery and he pleased Drona much more and because of that the rivalry between them began and became heated and now there was another rivalry that was there between specifically Duryodhana and Bhima and generically between the Kauravas and the Pandavas and because, say, as it is said, enemy is enemy, your rival’s rival is your friend. So, Ashwatthama became close to the Kauravas, especially Duryodhana and then because of all these, Drona was quite attached to Ashwatthama. So, when Ashwatthama, because of his friendship with Duryodhana, because of the fact that he was obliged to the Kuru dynasty, the Kuru rulers for what they had provided them, so Drona, although he was affectionate to the Pandavas, he was obliged to fight against them in the Kurukshetra war.
Thank you.