Ekalavya

For other uses, see Ekalavya (disambiguation).

In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, Ekalavya (Sanskrit: एकलव्य, éklavya) is a young prince of the Nishadha, a confederation of jungle tribes in Ancient India, who aspires to study archery in the gurukul of Dronacharya. After being rejected by Drona on account of his not being of Kshatriya lineage, Eklavya embarks upon a program of self-study in the presence of a clay image of Drona. He achieves a level of skill superior to that of Arjuna, Drona's favorite and most accomplished pupil. Drona eventually comes to know this and demands that Eklavya turn over his right thumb as gurudakshina. The loyal Ekalavya cripples himself, thereby ruining his abilities as an archer.

Legend

In the Mahabharatha, , was born a sudra. But he wanted to become an archer, and he started learning archery on his own. He knew perfectly well – his elders told him – “No teacher is going to accept you.”

Rejected by Drona

Drona was the Brahmin teacher appointed by the Royal Family of Hasthinapura to teach the young Kaurav and Pandav princes the military skills that the princes needed to learn. One of these skills includes archery.

Ekalavya is the son of a "Shudra" king 'Hiranya Dhanyu". However he belongs to the "shudra" class. (In those times the human kind were classified as "Kshaktriya" (military), Brahmin (the Educated, senators and legislators), Vyshya (The business class like the Corporation owners at present times), Shudra (The workers, yes if you are working a menial job like making shoes, or any manual work - you are classified into "Shudra".)

A word about castism:

It is likely that a politician's son becomes politician, a policeman's son becomes a policeman, someone in the army will have his kids join the army, a fireman's son becomes a fireman.

Though in the present times everyone is allowed to cross paths into other vocations or jobs than their father/mother, in the olden times, to keep the peace and order of a society, the four classes were strictly followed and it was actually enforced that people born into one classe maintain to be in the same job or class of work - kind of job protection! We see the trend in the present times also for example - Senior Bush, George Bush and Florida Bush.. for more examples see : http://prorev.com/family.htm).

Coming back to our story, upon reaching Hasthinapura, Eklavya managed to meet Drona and requested him to accept him as his student. Drona was quite impressed by young Eklavya’s sincere interest and keen desire to learn, and more so, to master the art. Consequently, Drona started inquiring about Eklavya’s background and family and learned that Eklavya was born into a ‘Shudra’ family (belonging to the lowest social community according to the Vedic Caste System as interpreted by Brahmins). Drona being a Brahmin teacher, and more than that, being the teacher of the princes, could not accept Shudra kids (it is like you have to be either very rich or exceptional in some other way to get into Ivy League colleges at the present times) So, he told Eklavya to go away.
Poor Eklavya’s heart was deeply hurt by Drona’s words of refusal. Disappointed but still firm on his ambition to learn archery, Eklavya left the palace. Eklavya returned to his home in the jungle and made a statue of Aacharya Drona. He accepted the statue of Drona as his guru and practiced in front of the statue every single day. His belief that the statue would teach him kept Ekalavya going in his pursuit. One day the young Kaurava and Pandava princes from Hastinapur came hunting with their teacher Drona in the jungle where Eklavya lived. While the princes were hunting around in the jungle, they camped for the night. That happened to be "amavasya" (no moon day) and dark was the night. A wild dogs somewhere started barking and was disturbing everyone's sleep, but no one gathered the courage to go in the dark and shut the dog up. Everyone was getting frustrated not getting any sleep, then suddenly the sound of a shooting arrow was heard and then the sound of the wild dog dying. The next morning the princes woke up and saw the wild dog dead. Arjuna one the princes, who was supposed to be the best student of archery was so amazed at this and approached Drona to fine out how someone was able to shoot in the pitch darkness but so accurately. Drona told him it is called "shabda bhedi" (aiming based on sound) skill in archery and that Arjuna is still not at the stage to learn that skill (one has to learn how to shoot accurately by seeing first and then learn how to shoot based on sound direction). Everyone wanted to find who was that great archer who could shoot in total darkness so accurately. Drona mapped the direction of the arrow and lead his students to the place from where the arrow came. There they found Ekalavya practicing archery. Drona recognized him and asked him if it was he who shot the wild dog the night before. Ekalavya confessed that it was him and that he shot it because he like everyone else was not able to sleep because the wild dog was constantly barking. Ekalavya was of the same age as the princes and Arjuna was very disappointed at seeing someone of his age was better and more advanced than him in archery. Arjuna happens to be Drona's favorite student. Upon seeing Arjuna's sadness, Drona told him that he would still make Arjuna the best in archery, though Arjuna lost all hope that he was so behind in his studies and that Ekalavya was already much advanced in the archery. Drona asked Ekalavya who his teach was. Ekalavya bowed to Drona with respect and replied, "Acharya (Sir), it is you who taught me everything I learnt". Arjuna got suspicious that Drona who promised to make him the best in the world, was secretly teaching another student. Drona was amazed at Ekalavya's answer and asked me how could he be teaching him while he was teaching the royal families in the palaces. Ekalavya pointed to the life size statue of Drona that he made after being rejected by Drona in the past to take him as his student. He said he accepted Drona in the statue form as his teacher and learnt everything from him. Drona by now remembered everything and could not allow a shudra to become superior to the students he was teaching in the military skills. Being a Brahmin he quickly thought of making the situation to his advantage and asked Ekalavya to give "Guru Dakshina" (teaching fee). Ekalavya said that Drona can ask for anything he wants for GuruDakshina and he would give it. Drona observed that Ekalavya uses his right hand and thumb to shoot arrows and he asked Ekalavya to cut his right hand thumb and give it to him as "Guru Dakshina". Ekalavya without any hesitation, cut off his thumb and gave it to Drona. That is how Drona made Arjuna still the best archer in the world !

A Story Acording Osho

When Arjuna was learning with Drona… In his student days, he was with a master archer, Drona. He was the greatest master archer in those days. Arjuna belonged to a royal family, so all the children from the royal family were learning with Drona, and Arjuna was the best disciple.

Drona was a brahmin. Eklavya came – Eklavya was an untouchable. Eklavya wanted to become a disciple also. Drona refused. A brahmin – how can he accept an untouchable, a sudra? That has been one of the greatest pathologies of the Hindu mind. The Hindu mind has been ill and unhealthy because of that. Notwithstanding so many great things they have done, that one thing has undone all their great things. They have condemned human beings so utterly that never before, anywhere in the world, have human beings been condemned so badly. And that is done by so-called religious people who claim that they are the greatest religious people of the world. They have been doing something which is so ugly – millions of people have been debarred from being human beings.

Eklavya belonged to those downtrodden, oppressed people. But he had a beautiful body, and Drona could see – because he was a great teacher – he could see that he could become one of the most famous archers in the world. He could see directly: the way he walked, the way he talked, his one-pointed mind, his concentrated being – Drona could see it. “This young man can become the best archer of this age. But then what will happen to my disciple, Arjuna? And he’s going to be the king…”

Now, the vested interest. He refused. He refused for two reasons: one. “You are a sudra and I am a brahmin; I cannot accept you. Even the shadow of a sudra is unacceptable.” Brahmins have been taking baths if the shadow of a sudra falls on them – the shadow! – he need not have touched anyone. And these are “spiritual” people! And the shadow is non-existential. If you are sitting and a sudra passes by and his shadow touches you, you have to take a bath. You have been polluted by his being. These sudras are not sinners. They are simply poor people, exploited people, the proletariat.

“First, you are a sudra so I cannot accept you,” said Drona. In saying that, he also said that he was not a spiritual man at all. He may have been a great master archer, but he was not a spiritual master, he was not a guru. In denying Eklavya he proved that he was not a guru, because a guru cannot deny anybody. Even if a sinner comes, the guru cannot deny him. That is what he exists for.

Sometimes people come to me and they say, “We are not worthy. We are sinners. We have done this wrong and that. Osho, will you accept us?” And I say, “For whom do I exist here?” If the doctor says to the patient, “I cannot accept you because you have so many illnesses,” then what is the point of that doctor? Why is he there if he accepts only healthy men?

Drona was not a guru, not a spiritual master. He must have been a very ugly politician. It was on the surface that he said, “I cannot accept you because you are a sudra.” But deep down this was his reasoning: “If this Eklavya is accepted and he becomes a great archer, what will happen to my favorite disciple? And my favorite disciple is going to become the king, not Eklavya. With my favorite disciple, my whole future is involved. If Arjuna becomes the king then I will be the master of the king, and naturally powerful, even more powerful than the king. The king will touch my feet, and my order will be the order.” He wanted Arjuna to remain the greatest archer; Eklavya was denied.

Eklavya went into the forest, but his love for archery was such that he created a statue of Drona and started practicing before the statue. Soon rumors started coming to Drona’s school that Eklavya was attaining…alone, without any guidance from Drona. But his totality was such that even the statue was enough.

And one day the news came that Arjuna was no longer a competent archer before Eklavya. Drona went to see Eklavya, and he committed one thing which can never be forgiven. He went there and he asked Eklavya to show him, and he saw, and it was absolutely certain that Arjuna was no longer a comparison to Eklavya. Eklavya had far transcended Arjuna and all his disciples; in fact, had far transcended Drona himself.

Now he said, “You have learned through me by making my statue. You will have to give me some present, dakshina.” When a disciple has learned all from the master, just in gratitude he gives some gift to the master, any symbolic gift. Eklavya started crying and weeping. He said, “But I have nothing! You can ask anything!” And Drona asked for his thumb, his right-hand thumb. Eklavya cut off his thumb immediately and gave it to Drona. He asked for the right-hand thumb because without it Eklavya would never be an archer again. Now this fellow, Drona, is an ugly spot on Hindu consciousness. He was not a spiritual master at all. He was a very, very low politician, a diplomat. He may have been a good archer but that doesn’t make anybody spiritual. First he had denied Eklavya, and now he comes…what chutzpah! Now he comes and asks that something be given to him as a gift: “I am your master.” He had denied his being a disciple, and now he comes and says, “I am your master.”

Eklavya is really rare. Such a great soul; Drona is not even worthy enough to touch his feet. He didn’t say anything. He could have said, “You have denied me,” but he didn’t say that. That idea never arose in his mind. He had trusted him as the master even if he had been denied. He had loved him and he was ready to give anything. He gave his right-hand thumb, became a cripple forever and was no longer heard of. Since that moment nothing is known about Eklavya, about what happened. He must have gone to the forest, must have lived in his tribe, sweeping streets. He must have forgotten all about archery – a great archer destroyed.

From Osho, The Wisdom of the Sands, Vol. 1,

Chapter 5 - The Oasis of Your Awareness

This story, you have to remember in the background. The dean was saying: “This country, which has produced students like Ekalavya – who respected a master like Dronacharya who rejected him, insulted him – has fallen so low that students are not respecting teachers at all. Something has to be done.” Osho, Beyond Enlightenment,

Chapter 12 The Three Initiations: Student, Disciple, Devotee

Self-training in the forest

Ekalavya is determined to master archery, and goes into the forest. he begins a disciplined program of self-study over many years. Eventually, Ekalavya becomes an archer of exceptional prowess, greater than Drona's best pupil, Arjuna.

One day while Ekalavya is practicing,he hears a dog barking . Before the dog can shut up or get out of the way, Ekalavya fires seven arrows in rapid succession to fill the dog's mouth without injuring it. The Pandavas come upon the dog, and wonder who could have accomplished such a feat. Searching the forest, they find a dark skinned young man, dressed in all black with long hair and strong muscles. He introduces himself as Ekalavya, a pupil of Drona.

Guru Dakshina

Upon hearing of the incident, Drona is impressed but also angered. When the young man presents himself to Drona, the guru accepts him but demands his right thumb (which is essential to position an arrow on the bow-string) as gurudakshina. Ekalavya complies, but cripples himself and thereby ruins his abilities as an archer.

According to the Mahābhārata, Drona was fulfilling his dharma to protect the fated superiority of Arjuna. He has been criticized by some scholars for demanding something that was not his due. The deterministic suggestion also points out the contradiction that if Arjuna's superiority was truly fated, Ekalavya's mastery of archery would have no consequence on the destiny of the Pandavas.

Others have suggested that Dronacharya suspected Ekalavya learned his skill by secretly observing the training sessions of Arjuna and his brothers. In this scenario, although Drona could have demanded an even greater punishment for covert martial training under the law of the time, he asked only for Ekalavya's right thumb.

Ekalavya has been lauded by many Indians, including Adivasis, as a paragon of achievement who achieved great heights of accomplishment through his own self-initiative, to which the nobles of the Kuru house could only aspire through formal tutelage. Ultimately, however, the Mahābhārata does not settle these moral ambiguities, and leaves the tale open to speculation and discussion. It has also been suggested in mythology that Ekalavya later learned to shoot again using only four fingers and left-handed.

Later life and death

Later, Ekalavya worked as a confidant of King Jarasandha. At the time of the Swayamvara of Rukmini, he acted as the messenger between Shishupala and Rukmini's father Bhishmaka, at the request of King Jarasandha. Ultimately, Bhishmaka decided that Rukmini would marry Shishupala, but instead she eloped with Krishna. Ekalavya is later killed during a conflict between Krishna and King Jarasandha's army. To be killed by the supreme godhead is considered a mark of exceptional divine favor in Krishnaism, as in most forms of Vaishnavism.

Indonesion legend

In Indonesian legend, in a former life Eklavaya was king Phalgunadi, killed by Drona and reborn as Dhrishtadamyuna to avenge the killing. In the this version, Arjuna gets his name Phalguna from Phalugandi. His famous and chaste wife Dewi Anggraini was always faithful to Phalgunadi, even after his death and despite Arjuna 's proposals.