The Story Of Ekalavya With Dronacharya

Ekalavya was the son of a poor hunter. He wanted to learn archery to save the deer in the forest as the leopard was hunting them. Ekalavya is known for self-taught archery and unparalleled passion for Guru Devotion. After the death of his father, he became the ruler of the Shringbera Kingdom. Not only did he rule his Kingdom with the advice of the Amatya Parishad, but he expanded the boundaries of his kingdom by building a strong army of Nishads. According to Mahabharata's story, Ekalavya had come to Dronacharya's ashram to learn archery, but being the son of Nishad, Dronacharya did not accept him as his disciple. Disappointed, did not accept him as his disciple. Disappointed, Ekalavya went to the forest. He made an idol of Dronacharya and took that idol as his guru and started practicing archery. He became proficient in archery. He became proficient in archery within a short period while doing spiritual practice with a concentrated mind. One day Pandavas and Kauravas went hunting with Guru Drona in the same forest where Ekalavya was practicing archery. The prince's dog went to Ekalavya's hermitage; he started barking, so Ekalavya closed the dog's mouth with his arrows. Ekalavya shot arrows so skilfully that the dog did not get hurt in any way.

When the dog returned, the Kauravas, Pandavas, and Dronacharya were stunned to see this archery skill Ekalavya, and set out in search of the arrow shooter. He was even more surprised to see that Ekalavya himself had acquired this knowledge through practice, considering Dronacharya as the guru of the mind. Ekalavya cut off his thumb and gave it to Dronacharya as Guru-Dakshina. It may also be a symbolic meaning that Dronacharya knowing Ekalavya to be very quick-witted has given him a special skill to wield a bow without a thumb. It said that after the thumb was cut off, Ekalavya started shooting arrows with the index and middle fingers. This is where modern archery was born. Ekalavya happily cut off his thumb and gave it to the feet of Dronacharya. Thus Ekalavya was unable to wield the bow with his hand, so he started practicing bending with his feet. Guru Dronacharya in this story is generally considered to be cruel. Ekalavya got an education without any greed through his hard work and dedication even after staying away from the Guru. It is very sad to hear the story because Dronacharya had done injustice to Ekalavya, but he explained the meaning of discipleship to the whole world by giving such a huge Guru Dakshina, and hence he is the first person to be remembered as a good man.

By: - Srishti Rathod