Chapter 59: Eklavya
Next day, after assembling the army Aryan departed for the Vanga kingdom. But this time, Bhanumati and Dushala also decided to tag along since they wanted to personally participate in a war and gain some combat experience.
On their way, Karna approached Aryan's chariot with another youth tagging along with him on a horse.
"Greetings your majesty! "
Both of them greeted Aryan respectfully.
"Hmm, is something the matter Karna? "
Aryan nodded in return before asking Karna curiously as he observed the unknown archer brought here by him.
"Your majesty, I want to introduce this warrior to you. His name is Eklavya, the son of Hiranyadhanus, the Senapati of Jaraasandh's army. "
Karna introduced.
As soon as he heard the name Eklavya, Aryan instinctively looked towards his right hand, and as expected, he was missing the thumb of his right hand.
Aryan remembered this guy as another unfortunate character from Mahabharat period.
He was the son of Hiranyadhanus, the chief of Nishad tribe, who later became the Senapati of Jaraasandh's army. As a child, he aspired to become a great archer and a brave warrior.
He expressed this desire to his father, "Father, I want to be an archer and become a disciple of the great Guru Dronacharya – the greatest teacher of the art of archery and warfare in the kingdom. Please give me your blessings before I set out for his Gurukul*."
His father remained silentsilent upon hearing this.
Eklavya knew what was bothering his father. He said, "Father, I know we are Shudras, belonging to the hunting tribe. But the Guru is a wise and learned man. Please allow me to become his disciple."
Eklavya's father did not wish to refuse his son. So he gave his blessings and sent his son on his way.
Eklavya reached the Gurukul of Guru Dronacharya – who was also the royal teacher of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Thrilled at the prospect of finally meeting the Guru he had idolized, his eyes eagerly sought out the teacher. He soon spotted him instructing a boy – none other than the Pandava Arjun.
Eklavya went to Drona and folded his hands in greeting, bowing down low to touch the sage's feet. Drona was surprised to see the stranger and asked him, "Who are you?"
"Greetings Gurudev, I am Eklavya, the son of the Chief of the Nishada tribe. Please accept me as your disciple and teach me the art of archery and the science of warfare", replied Eklavya.
Dronacharya reflected for a minute, then said, "Eklavya, if you are a Nishada hunter, then you are a Shudra, the lowest caste in the kingdom. But all my students are Kshatriyas, the warrior caste. I cannot teach a Shudra boy."
The Pandavas stood watching the exchange. Encouraged by the Guru's words, Arjuna spoke up, "Guru Dronacharya is a royal teacher, appointed by the King Dhritarashtr to train us – the princes of the kingdom. How dare you expect to be taught by him! Leave the gurukul now."
Eklavya was surprised and hurt at the Guru's words, and stunned by Arjuna's insult. He was a chief's son, yet he had never insulted anyone.
He quietly left the gurukul in disappointment and shame. However, resolute in his determination to learn archery, he went back to the forest. There he built an idol of Guru Dronacharya with mud and placed it in a secluded clearing.
Eklavya believed that if he practiced faithfully in front of his Guru, he would be able to master the art of archery. So every morning he would pray to the idol, watch Dronacharya teaching Pandavs and Kauravs from afar and practice throughout the day. After continuous practicing, he became a skilled archer, even surpassing the best archer in the gurukul – Arjun.
One day, while practicing, a dog started barking some distance away. Its constant barking irritated Eklavya, who fired seven arrows in quick succession, filling the dog's mouth without injuring it. The dog was no longer able to bark and roamed around the forest.
Thus roaming, the dog reached the Pandavas, who were practicing in the forest along with Guru Dronacharya. Drona was amazed to see such a feat of archery. He realized that only an extremely skilled archer could have done this. He, along with the Pandavas, set out to look for the archer.
Soon they came across a young man, dressed in a hunter's clothes practicing archery. It was Eklavya.
Dronacharya went up to him and asked, "You aim is remarkable! Who is your teacher?"
"You, Sir," replied Eklavya.
Dronacharya was stunned. "How can I be your Guru when I have never met you before?"
"I am Eklavya, the boy who came to learn archery from you at your gurukul. After you refused, I came back to the forest and made a mud idol of you. I prayed to it everyday, and with its blessing I was able to master the skills of archery", replied Eklavya.
Arjuna was angry and uneasy, as he was sure of his place as the best archer in the world but now he saw someone as skilled as him, if not more.
Dronacharya also realized that Eklavya had the skills to surpass even Arjuna. However, as the royal teacher, Eklavya's excellence would put him in a difficult situation, as someone he refused to teach would surpass a Kshatriya prince under his tutelage.
He devised a way out and said to Eklavya calmly, "Seeing that you have learnt from me, you will now have to pay guru dakshina – my gift for training you."
Eklavya was overjoyed at this. A guru dakshina was the offering made to a teacher when the teacher considered the disciple to have completed his learning. So he replied in excitement, "I am blessed that you have asked me for guru dakshina. I would never refuse anything that you ask."
Dronacharya seized his chance and put forward his unreasonable demand, "Eklavya, as guru dakshina, you have to give me your right thumb."
Everyone was shocked after hearing his words, even Arjun. Everyone knew that an archer could never shoot an arrow without his right thumb.
Eklavya looked steadily at Dronacharya. He realized the reason behind this demand but he didn't back down on his words and replied with a confident smile, "I will never disobey your wish, Sir. I am grateful that you recognized me your disciple even though I am a Shudra."
Saying this, he took a knife and cut off his right thumb and placed it at Dronacharya's feet.
Everyone, including Dronacharya marveled at the boy's courage.
Later on Eklavya learnt to shoot with forefinger and middle finger and still managed to become a formidable archer.
A few years later, when Jaraasandh conquered their tribe, he was impressed by Hiranyadhanus performance in battle and appointed him as his general/senapati.
Basically, he became of a victim of the varna system just like Karna.
In the end, while Karna received Parshuram's curse that he will forget all his knowledge at the most critical time of his life, Eklavya ended up loosing his thumb.
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