Ekalavya

Ekalavya was the son of a tribal chief. As a young boy, his heart yearned to master martial arts and be an expert archer. Dronacharya, the great archer of the time, was his ideal. He wished to be a disciple of Drona. Meanwhile, Drona was employed by the king of Hastinapura to teach the young kaurava and pandava princes.

Ekalavya went to Hastinapur to be a follower of Drona. But to his disappointment, Drona refused him to make his disciple. Arjuna, one among the Pandavas, was Drona’s favorite student. Disheartened, Ekalavya returned home with a strong determination in his mind to become an archer. He created a replica of Drona and worshipped it daily. Ekalavya was firm in his decision and believed that the image could teach him archery. Thus he practised day and night.

Days passed and one day in the forest came the kauravas and pandavas for hunting with their master Drona. Then one of their dogs wandered to the place where Ekalavya was practicising. The dog barked at Ekalavya and this infuriated him. He shot arrows into the dog’s mouth in such a way that these arrows stopped the dog from barking. The dog returned to the princes. They were surprised to see the way the arrows were shot. When the princes gently removed the arrows one by one from its mouth, the dog led them to the place where Ekalvya was practising.

Drona was very much impressed at the unparalleled way Ekalavya shot the arrows. When Drona learned that Drona himself was his master, he was amazed. Drona blessed his disciple whole-heartedly. But his immense love to Arjuna did not allow him to accept Ekalavya as his follower. Drona thought for a while and demanded Ekalavya the Guru-Dakshina (teacher-tribute). Overjoyed, Ekalavya replied to the master that he was ready to give anything his master wished. Drona then demanded his right thumb as dakshina. Ekalavya cheerfully cut-off the thumb and unhesitatingly handed it to his master. Thus Ekalvya became the most faithful disciple of all times.