Dhrishtadyumna (Sanskrit: धृष्टद्युम्न, romanized: Dhṛṣṭadyumna, lit. 'the courageous and splendid one') is a pivotal character in the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. He is the son of Drupada—the king of the Panchala kingdom—and the brother of Draupadi—the wife of the five Pandavas.

Dhrishtadyumna is born from a yajna (fire-sacrifice) organised by Drupada, who wanted a son capable of killing his enemy, Drona. When the Pandava prince Arjuna—disguised as a Brahmana—won the hand of Draupadi in marriage, Dhrishtadyumna realised his identity. In the Kurukshetra War, Dhrishtadyumna joins the Pandavas, and becomes the supreme commander-in-chief of the Pandava forces. On the fifteenth day of the war, he beheads Drona, fulfilling the mission of his birth.

Dhishtadyumna, along with Draupadi, is described as an "ayonija", one not born from a woman's womb. His birth is narrated in the Adi Parva of the epic. According to the legend, Drupada once humiliated his childhood friend Drona because of his poor financial condition, and this led to hatred between them. Drona then became the teacher of the Pandava brothers and they defeated and captured Drupada. Though Drona spared Drupada's life because of their past friendship, he forcefully took half of Panchala. Humiliated by his defeat, Drupada wanted vengeance, but since none of his children or allies were powerful enough to defeat Drona, he decided to perform a yajna (fire-sacrifice) to obtain a powerful son.

Drupada appointed the sages Upyaja and Yaja as the head-priests and the yajna was conducted. After it was completed, the sages instructed the queen of Drupada to consume the offering to have a son. However, the queen had scented saffron in her mouth and asked them to wait till she had a bath and washed her mouth. 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. He then went to a chariot and the people of Panchala rejoiced after seeing him. Soon after his birth, a divine voice prophesied:

This prince hath been born for the destruction of Drona. He shall dispel all the fears of the Panchalas and spread their fame. He shall also remove the sorrow of the king.

This was followed by the emergence of a beautiful maiden from the fire. The sages named the youth Dhrishtadyumna, and the maiden was named Krishnaa, better known by her patronymic name, Draupadi.

After some time, Drona heard about Dhrishtadyumna and invited him to his kingdom. Even though Drona knew about Dhrishtadyumna's prophecy, he happily accepted him as a student and taught him advanced military arts. This made him a very powerful warrior, highly knowledgeable about celestial weapons. Dhrishtadyumna became a maharathi under the tutelage of Drona.

Dhrishtadyumna hosted his sister Draupadi's svayamvara and told its rules to the kings and princes. When a young Brahmin won Draupadi in front of all the princes and nobility, Dhrishtadyumna secretly followed the Brahmin and his sister, only to discover that the Brahmin was in fact Arjuna, one of the five Pandava brothers.