Eklavya And Dronacharya

The story dates back to many thousand years ago when in the forests of Hastinapur lived Eklavya, the son of Hiranyadhanus, the chief of the Nishadas.

Eklavya had a keen interest in archery and always wanted to learn archery from the military arts expert – Guru Dronacharya.

One day, he left for Dronacharya’s gurukul.

As soon as he reached there, he saw his idol, Guru Dronacharya, giving archery lessons to Arjuna. He could not control the excitement of seeing his idol before his eyes, and he immediately went and bowed down on his feet.

Dronacharya, along with his disciples, were shocked to see this.

‘Hello, child. I don’t think we have met before. Who are you, and why are you touching my feet?’ asked Dronacharya.

‘Sir’, replied Eklavya. ‘I am Eklavya, son of the Nishad chief. I have idolised you all my life, and it is my dream to learn archery from you. Please allow me to take refuge in your gurukul so that I can learn from you.’

Dronacharya was shocked to hear this. Even before he could say anything, Arjuna spoke, ‘Are you out of your mind? Don’t you know that he is a teacher of royal families and cannot teach others like you?’

After thinking a bit, Dronacharya said, ‘Arjuna is right, little one. I am a royal teacher, and I cannot teach anyone else. So, I won’t be able to teach you.’

Eklavya, shocked by his guru’s words, left the gurukul. However, his determination to learn archery from guru Dronacharya grew stronger after this incident.

The next day, he found a quiet place in the forest. There he sculpted a statue of guru Dronacharya from mud and placed it in a secluded clearing.

Every morning, he would take his guru’s blessings and practice archery in front of his guru’s idol.

Many years passed, and Eklavya mastered the art of archery.

One day, while practising, he heard a dog barking nearby. The dog’s continuous barking was distracting him, and he decided to do something about it.

He shot several arrows toward the dog so that they filled up the dog’s mouth, and he could no longer bark. However, none of the arrows hit the dog even the slightest bit.

The dog, in that condition, started roaming around the forest when he reached Guru Dronacharya’s gurukul. Dronacharya and his students were amazed to see the dog.

‘Who did this?’ exclaimed Dronacharya. ‘Only a skilled archer who has mastered the skill of archery can aim with such perfection.’

Having said this, guru Drona and his disciples went out in search of the skilled archer when they saw Eklavya practising archery at a distance.

‘I see that you are an excellent archer, young boy. Who is your teacher?’ guru Drona asked Eklavya.

Eklavya touched Dronacharya’s feet and said, ‘You, Sir. You are my guru.’

‘How can I be your guru?’ asked a confused Dronacharya. ‘I don’t remember teaching you archery ever.’

‘Guruji, don’t you remember me? I am Eklavya. I went to your gurukul once, but you said you could not teach me’, said Eklavya. ‘Well, since then, I have been practising archery religiously in front of your statue.’

Dronacharya was shocked to hear this. At the same time, he was proud too. He knew that Eklavya had the skills to surpass Arjuna as the best archer easily. However, Eklvya’s excellence would put him in a difficult situation as a royal teacher, as a mere son of a chief cannot surpass a royal prince under his guidance.

‘Well, in that case, you will have to give me my guru Dakshina – my gift for teaching you’, said Dronacharya after a pause.

‘It’ll be my privilege to give you Guru Dakshina, my guru’, said Eklavya with happiness in his eyes. ‘Please tell me; what can I give you?’

‘I want you to give me your right thumb’, said Dronacharya, as he knew that it would make him unable to do archery in the future.

Eklayva, without a second thought, took out a knife and cut his right thumb, then offered it to his guru.

‘My guru, thank you for teaching me all this while. Please accept my Guru Dakshina’, said Eklavya getting down on his knees.

Everyone was shocked to see this.

‘I am proud of you’, guru Dronacharya said with a smile. ‘Even without your thumb, I bless you to be the greatest renowned archer. And you will always be a model of devotion for your guru.’

After that, Eklavya continued archery with his forefinger and middle finger and is still known for his dedication.