Nearly five thousand years ago, in India, a boy named Eklavya, the son of a tribal chief in the kingdom's forests—Hastinapura. Eklavya was a brave, handsome boy. All loved him. But he was not happy.
His father saw that something troubled Eklavya. More than once, he found his son lost deep in thought when other boys enjoyed the pleasures of hunting and playing. One day, the father asked his son, "Why are you so unhappy, Eklavya? Why don't you join your friends? Why are you not interested in hunting?".
"Father, I want to be an archer", replied Eklavya, "I want to become a disciple of the great Dronacharya, the great tutor of Archery in Hastinapura. His Gurukul is a magical place where ordinary boys are turned into mighty warriors."
Eklavya saw his father was silent. He continued, "Father, we belong to the hunting tribe, but I want to be a warrior, not a mere hunter. So please allow me to leave home and become the disciple of Dronacharya."
Eklavya's father was troubled, for he knew his son's ambition was not easy. But the chief was a loving father and did not want to refuse his only son's wish. So the kind man gave his blessings and sent his son to Drona's Gurukul.
Eklavya is set on his way. Soon, he reached the part of the forest where Drona had taught the princes of Hastinapur.
In those days, there was no such system as a school, college, university or hostel. The only place where one could get some education was a "Gurukul". A Gurukul (Guru refers to "teacher" or "master"; Kul refers to his domain, from the Sanskrit word kula, meaning extended family.) is a type of ancient Hindu school in India that is residential with the shishas or students and the Guru or teacher living in proximity, many a time within the same house. The Gurukul is where the students resided as equals, irrespective of their social standing. The students learned from the Guru and also helped the Guru in his day-to-day life, including the carrying out of mundane chores such as washing clothes, cooking, etc. The education imparted thus was a wholesome one.
Having said this much, let us now return to Eklavya. When the boy reached Dronacharya's Gurukul, he saw a group of huts surrounded by trees and an archery yard. The disciples practised shooting arrows with their bows and arrows in the yard. It was an engaging sight. But Eklavya's eyes searched Drona. Where was he? Will he be able to see the man? Without Drona, his purpose of coming here would have been meaningless. But all his worries soon subsided. He didn't have to wait for long. The man was standing near a tree, busy instructing a boy, who was none other than the third Pandava prince Arjuna, as Eklavya learned later. Though Eklavya had never seen Drona, he put his guess to work. He went near Drona and bowed.
The sage was surprised to see a strange boy addressing him. "Who are you?" he asked.
"Dronacharya, I am Eklavya, son of the Tribal Chief in the western part of the forests of Hastinapura," Eklavya replied. "Please accept me as your disciple and teach me the wonderful art of Archery."
Drona sighed. "Eklavya..." said he, "... if you are a tribal hunter, you must be a Shudra, the lowest social community according to the Vedic Caste System. I am a Brahmin, the highest caste in the kingdom. I cannot teach a Shudra boy."
"And he's also a Royal teacher," interrupted Prince Arjuna. "The King has appointed Our Guru to train us, the princes and the highborn. How dare you come inside the Gurukul and seek him? Leave! NOW!" he spat out, enraged that Eklavya had disturbed his practice.
Eklavya was stunned at Arjuna's behaviour. He was the son of the chief of his clan, but he never insulted anyone below him in such a way. He looked at Drona for some support, but the sage remained silent. The message was loud and clear. Dronacharya also wanted him to leave. He refused to teach him.
The innocent tribal boy was deeply hurt by Drona's refusal to teach him. "It's not fair!" he thought miserably. "God has given knowledge to all, but man alone differentiates his kind."
Despite the bitter taste of rejection, Eklavya's ambition to learn Archery remained unshattered. His determination was unwavering, a testament to his resilience and strength of character. His story is a beacon of inspiration for all who hear it.
"I may be a Shudra, but does it make any difference?" thought he. I am as strong and zealous as Drona's princes and disciples. If I practice the art daily, I can become an archer."
Despite Drona's rejection, Eklavya's respect and loyalty towards his Guru remained unwavering. He made a statue of Dronacharya and diligently practised before it, holding his Guru in high esteem and showcasing the depth of his character.
Day after day, Eklavya's faith, courage, and perseverance transformed him from a mere tribal hunter into an extraordinary archer. His journey is a powerful testament to the transformative power of perseverance, leaving a profound impression on all who hear his story.
One day, while Eklavya was practising, he heard a dog barking. At first, the boy ignored the dog, but the continuous disturbance in his practice angered him. He stopped his training and went to where the dog was barking. Before the dog could shut up or escape, Eklavya fired seven arrows rapidly to fill the dog's mouth without injuring it. As a result, it roamed the forests with its mouth open.
But Eklavya was not alone in his practice. He was unaware that just some distance away, the Pandava princes were also present in that forest area. As fate would have it, that day, they had come with their teacher, Drona, who was instructing them about some finer points of Archery by making them learn in the real-life condition of the open jungle.
As they were busy practising, they suddenly chanced upon the "stuffed" dog and wondered who could have pulled off such a feat of Archery. Drona was amazed, too." Such an excellent aim can only come from a mighty archer." he exclaimed. He told the Pandavas he surely needed to be met if somebody was such a good archer. The practice was stopped, and together, they began searching the forest for the one behind such an amazing feat. They found a dark-skinned man dressed all in black; his body besmeared with filth and his hair in matted locks. It was Eklavya. Dronacharya went up to him.
"Your aim is truly remarkable!" Drona praised Eklavya and asked, "From whom did you learn Archery?"
Eklavya was thrilled to hear Drona's praises. How surprised he would be if he told Drona that he was, in fact, his Guru!
"From you, my Master. You are my Guru," Eklavya replied humbly.
"Your Guru? How can I be your Guru? I have never seen you before!" Drona exclaimed in surprise. But all of a sudden, he remembered something. He remembered an eager boy visiting his Gurukul several months ago. "Now I remember," said he. "Are you not the same hunter boy I refused admission to in my Gurukul some months ago?"
"Yes, Dronacharya", replied the boy. "After I left your Gurukul, I came home, made a statue like you, and worshipped it daily. I practised before your image. You refused to teach me, but your statue did not. Thanks to it, I have become a good archer."
Hearing this, Arjuna became angry. "But you promised me that you'd make me the best archer in the world!" he accused Drona. "Now, how can that be? Now, a common hunter has become better than me!"
The other princes remembered their Master frequently praising Arjuna, saying he had immense talent and would be the greatest archer in the kingdom. They waited with bated breath. What would their teacher do now?
Unable to answer Arjuna's question, Drona remained silent. The sage, too, was upset that his promise to Prince Arjuna would not be fulfilled. He was also angry with Eklavya for disobeying him, so the sage planned to punish Eklavya.
"Where is your Guru, Dakshina? You have to give me a gift for your training," the sage demanded. He had finally found a way to make Eklavya suffer for his disobedience.
Eklavya was overjoyed. A guru dakshina was the voluntary fee or gift offered by a disciple to his Guru at the end of his training. The guru-shishya parampara, i.e., the teacher-student tradition, was a hallowed tradition in Hinduism. At the end of a shishya's study, the Guru asks for a "guru dakshina" since a guru does not take fees. A guru dakshina is the final offering from a student to the Guru before leaving the ashram. The teacher may ask for something or nothing at all.
"Dronacharya, I'll be the happiest person on earth to serve you. Ask me anything, and I will offer it to you as my Guru Dakshina, "he said.
"I might ask you for something you don't like to give me. What if you refuse the Dakshina I want?" Drona asked cunningly.
Eklavya was shocked. Refusing a guru's dakshina was considered a grave insult and a great sin. "No! How can I, teacher? I am not that ungrateful. I'll never refuse anything you ask, Dronacharya," the unsuspecting boy promised.
Drona did not wait anymore. "Eklavya, I seek to have your right-hand thumb as my guru Dakshina", he declared.
Silence befell on everyone. Everyone was shocked, even Arjuna. He looked at his teacher in horror and disbelief. How could their teacher make such a cruel demand? That, too, from a mere boy?
For a moment, Eklavya stood silent. Without his thumb, he could never shoot arrows again. But the teacher must be satisfied. "Ok, Gurudev, as you wish, " he said. Then, without the slightest hesitation, Eklavya drew out his knife and cut his thumb!
The princes gasped at Eklavya's act of bravery. But the tribal boy betrayed no signs of pain and held out his severed thumb to Dronacharya.
"Here is my guru, Dakshina, Drona," Ekalavya said. I am happy you have made me your disciple, even if I'm a mere Shudra hunter."
The sage was humbled. He blessed the young archer for his courage. "Eklavya, even without your thumb, you'll be known as a great archer. I bless you that you will be remembered forever for your loyalty to your Guru," Drona declared, leaving the forests. He was moved and grieved at his action. But he was content that his promise to Arjuna was not broken. The Gods blessed Eklavya from above.
But despite his handicap, Eklavya continued to practice Archery. How could he do so? When one is dedicated, one can make even mountains bow. With practice, Eklavya could shoot arrows with his index and middle fingers, becoming a greater archer than ever. His renown spread far and wide. When Drona learned this, he blessed the boy silently and begged for divine forgiveness.
And true to Drona's blessing, Eklavya is still praised as the most loyal and brave student in the epic of Mahabharatha.
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