THE EKLAVYA
Nearly five thousand
years back, lived a boy named Eklavya,
the son of a tribal chief in the forests of the kingdom of the Magadha.
His father was Vyatraj Hiranyadhanus, a talented soldier in the army of King of Magadha Magadha was ruled by king jarasandh, who was at odds with the Kingdom of Hastinapura,
Eklavya set on his way. Soon he reached the part of the forest where Drona taught the princes of Hastinapur.
When the boy reached Dronacharya’s Gurukul, he saw that it consisted of a group of huts, surrounded by trees and an archery yard. The disciples were practicing to shoot 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, all his purpose of coming here would be meaningless.
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 magadh" 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. "Our Guru has been appointed by the King to train us, the princes and the highborn. How dare you come inside the Gurukul and seek him? Leave! NOW!" he spat out, looking enraged that Eklavya had disturbed his practice.
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."
He left the place with a broken heart and a bitter taste in his mouth. But it could not shatter his ambition to learn Archery. He was still as determined to learn Archery.
"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 everyday, I can surely become an archer."
Eklavya reached his own forests and took some mud from a nearby river. He made a statue of Dronacharya and selected a secluded clearing in the forests to place it. Eklavya did this because he faithfully believed that if he practiced before his Guru, he would become an able archer. Thus, though his Guru shunned him, he still held him in high esteem and thought of him as his Guru.
Day after day, he took his bow and arrow, worshiped the statue of Drona and started practice. In time faith, courage and perseverance transformed Eklavya the mere tribal hunter into Eklavya the extraordinary archer. Eklavya became an archer of exceptional prowess, superior even to Drona's best pupil, Arjuna.
One day while Eklavya is practicing, he hears a dog barking. At first the boy ignored the dog, but continuous disturbance in his practice angered him. He stopped his practice and went towards the place where the dog was barking. Before the dog could shut up or get out of the way, Eklavya fired seven arrows in rapid succession to fill the dog's mouth without injuring it. As a result it roamed the forests with its mouth opened.
But Eklavya was not alone in his practice. He was unaware of the fact that just some distance away, the Pandava princes were also present in that area of the forest. 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 practicing, they suddenly chanced upon the "stuffed" dog, and wonder 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 that if somebody was such a good archer then he surely needed to be met. The practice was stopped and together they began searching the forest for the one behind such 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 will be if he told Drona that he, in fact was 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 about an eager boy who had visited his Gurukul several months ago. " Now I remember," said he. "Are you not the same hunter boy whom I refused admission in my Gurukul some months back?"
"Yes, Dronacharya", replied the boy. "After I left your Gurukul, I came home and made a statue like you and worshiped it every day. I practiced 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 that mean my practice is not in off than Eklavya .,
Unable to answer Arjuna's question, Drona remained silent. The sage too was upset that his promise to Prince Arjuna was not going to be fulfilled. He was also angry with Eklavya for disobeying him. So the sage planned to punish Eklavya.
"Where is your guru dakhsina? 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.
"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 dhakshina "he said.
"I might ask something you don't like to give me. What if you refuse the dhakshina I want?" Drona asked cunningly.
Eklavya was shocked. It was considered a grave insult and a great sin if a guru's dakshina was refused. "No! How can I, teacher? I am not that ungrateful. I'll never refuse anything you ask, Dronacharya," promised the unsuspecting boy.
Drona did not wait anymore. "Eklavya, I seek to have your right-hand thumb as my guru dhakshina" 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." said he. 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 that you have made me your disciple, even if I'm a mere Shudra hunter."
after a long criticism of word why drona want to that type of demand to a growing Archery as he is selfish or anything else but a truing is that he knowing that Eklavya misusing his art against kingdom of Hastinapura and that will benefiting The kingdom of magadha so by think his traditionally and duties he is appointed for Hastinapura a royal teacher who teach and made a better future for kingdom by the legend of Bhishma and he was promised him ...
Regards
Anurag sharma
sharmaanu411@gmail.com
Nearly five thousand
years back, lived a boy named Eklavya,the son of a tribal chief in the forests of the kingdom of the Magadha.
His father was Vyatraj Hiranyadhanus, a talented soldier in the army of King of Magadha Magadha was ruled by king jarasandh, who was at odds with the Kingdom of Hastinapura,
Eklavya set on his way. Soon he reached the part of the forest where Drona taught the princes of Hastinapur.
When the boy reached Dronacharya’s Gurukul, he saw that it consisted of a group of huts, surrounded by trees and an archery yard. The disciples were practicing to shoot 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, all his purpose of coming here would be meaningless.
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 magadh" 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. "Our Guru has been appointed by the King to train us, the princes and the highborn. How dare you come inside the Gurukul and seek him? Leave! NOW!" he spat out, looking enraged that Eklavya had disturbed his practice.
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."
He left the place with a broken heart and a bitter taste in his mouth. But it could not shatter his ambition to learn Archery. He was still as determined to learn Archery.
"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 everyday, I can surely become an archer."
Eklavya reached his own forests and took some mud from a nearby river. He made a statue of Dronacharya and selected a secluded clearing in the forests to place it. Eklavya did this because he faithfully believed that if he practiced before his Guru, he would become an able archer. Thus, though his Guru shunned him, he still held him in high esteem and thought of him as his Guru.
Day after day, he took his bow and arrow, worshiped the statue of Drona and started practice. In time faith, courage and perseverance transformed Eklavya the mere tribal hunter into Eklavya the extraordinary archer. Eklavya became an archer of exceptional prowess, superior even to Drona's best pupil, Arjuna.
One day while Eklavya is practicing, he hears a dog barking. At first the boy ignored the dog, but continuous disturbance in his practice angered him. He stopped his practice and went towards the place where the dog was barking. Before the dog could shut up or get out of the way, Eklavya fired seven arrows in rapid succession to fill the dog's mouth without injuring it. As a result it roamed the forests with its mouth opened.
But Eklavya was not alone in his practice. He was unaware of the fact that just some distance away, the Pandava princes were also present in that area of the forest. 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 practicing, they suddenly chanced upon the "stuffed" dog, and wonder 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 that if somebody was such a good archer then he surely needed to be met. The practice was stopped and together they began searching the forest for the one behind such 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 will be if he told Drona that he, in fact was 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 about an eager boy who had visited his Gurukul several months ago. " Now I remember," said he. "Are you not the same hunter boy whom I refused admission in my Gurukul some months back?"
"Yes, Dronacharya", replied the boy. "After I left your Gurukul, I came home and made a statue like you and worshiped it every day. I practiced 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 that mean my practice is not in off than Eklavya .,
Unable to answer Arjuna's question, Drona remained silent. The sage too was upset that his promise to Prince Arjuna was not going to be fulfilled. He was also angry with Eklavya for disobeying him. So the sage planned to punish Eklavya.
"Where is your guru dakhsina? 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.
"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 dhakshina "he said.
"I might ask something you don't like to give me. What if you refuse the dhakshina I want?" Drona asked cunningly.
Eklavya was shocked. It was considered a grave insult and a great sin if a guru's dakshina was refused. "No! How can I, teacher? I am not that ungrateful. I'll never refuse anything you ask, Dronacharya," promised the unsuspecting boy.
Drona did not wait anymore. "Eklavya, I seek to have your right-hand thumb as my guru dhakshina" 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." said he. 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 that you have made me your disciple, even if I'm a mere Shudra hunter."
after a long criticism of word why drona want to that type of demand to a growing Archery as he is selfish or anything else but a truing is that he knowing that Eklavya misusing his art against kingdom of Hastinapura and that will benefiting The kingdom of magadha so by think his traditionally and duties he is appointed for Hastinapura a royal teacher who teach and made a better future for kingdom by the legend of Bhishma and he was promised him ...
Regards
Anurag sharma
sharmaanu411@gmail.com
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