Just In
- 30 min ago Happy Birthday Ram Charan, Exploring 6 Fashionable Looks of The Global Star
- 52 min ago April 2024 Love Horoscope: These Zodiac Signs Will Find Love, Others Will Deal With Relationship Obstacles
- 2 hrs ago Are You Using High Pillow? You May Want To Reconsider Your Decision And Bid Goodbye To Morning Woes
- 2 hrs ago Spring Horoscope 2024: Know How It Will Affect All Zodiac Signs, Capricorn Needs To Let Go Of Their Control
Don't Miss
- Education Telangana TS POLYCET 2024 exam date revised; Check out for more details
- Sports MI vs SRH Dream11, IPL 2024 Match 8: Prediction, Possible Playing 11 and Squads as Mumbai take on Hyderabad
- Finance CIBIL: How To Check Your CIBIL Score Online With Or Without PAN card?
- Movies Ramayana EXCLUSIVE: Sakshi Tanwar Joins Cast As Ravan’s Wife Mandodari; To Share Screen Space With Yash
- News Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi Shares Candidates list For Maharashtra Lok Sabha Elections 2024
- Technology You Can Play Cyberpunk 2077 for Free on Your Sony PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S: Here’s How
- Automobiles Maryland Mourns: Baltimore Bridge Collapses In Ship Collision, Six Presumed Dead
- Travel Learn About the Types of US Visas Available for Indian Immigrants and the Visa Process
The Story Of Eklavya And Guru Dronacharya
Eklavya wanted to learn archery in order to save the deer that were being hunted by the leopards in the forest. He pitied at their helplessness and thought he would help them. Guru Dronacharya was a master of archery and his skill was popular far and wide.
Eklavya went to Guru Dronacharya and requested him to accept him as his disciple. However, Guru Dronacharya was the teacher of the members of the royal family. He had taught Arjuna, who was also known for his extraordinary skill in archery. Arjuna was known as the 'Sarvashreshtha Dhanurdhari', meaning, the best archer.
Royal Family's Teacher Could Not Teach The Commoners
However, it was against the rules for a teacher of the royal family to impart his knowledge to anybody outside the royal family. The aim behind such a rule was that nobody should be a prince's or the king's equivalent in the same martial art. It was done just to ensure safety as the king is the saviour of his subjects. Eklavya on the other hand, was the son of a poor hunter. Therefore, Guru Dronacharya denied to accept him as a disciple.
Most Read: How Lord Krishna Killed Kamsa: The Story Of Kamsa Vadh
Eklavya Carved A Statue Of Guru Dronacharya
Eklavya returned disheartened. He had already accepted Guru Dronacharya as his teacher in his heart. He carved a statue of his Guru, out of a stone, established it at a place in the forest and started practising every day on his own, in front of the statue. As practice makes a man perfect, he went on practising each day with perseverance, thus perfecting his skill. A day came when his abilities as an archer became even better than Arjuna.
Arjuna Met Eklavya
When Arjuna came to know about this archer, he went to see his talent and was surprised to see him performing better than himself. He asked Eklavya who his Guru was, to which Eklavya replied, "Guru Dronacharya." A furious Arjuna, went to his Guru and accused him of cheating. He spoke about Eklavya. However, a confused Guru Dronacharya could understand nothing and wanted to meet the boy, whose name and skill he was completely unaware of.
Most
Read:
How
Lord
Krishna
Helped
Pandavas
Win
The
Battle
Of
Mahabharata
Guru Dronacharya Asked For Guru Dakshina
Both Guru Dronacharya and Arjuna came to Eklavya's house. As the Eklavya welcomed them, he also took them to the place where he used to practice. In those days, it was a common practice to give Guru Dakshina to one's Guru as a present or fee for the knowledge gained. Therefore, Guru Dronacharya asked Eklavya to give his right thumb to him as Guru Dakshina.
Eklavya's Sacrifice
Eklavya knew that archery without the right thumb was not possible. Despite this, he chopped his thumb off and gave it to his Guru. By doing this, he set a perfect example of discipleship. While Guru Dronacharya appears selfish and cruel here, there is another perception of the story.
As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has also said, Guru Dronacharya uplifted the status of his disciple by taking the entire blame on himself. Eklavya's true devotion was commendable. By asking for his thumb, Guru Dronacharya not only preserved the state order, but also made Eklavya immortal, because a person who would otherwise be known only for his skill in archery, is also known for his true discipleship today and thus is immortal. Talking of Guru-Shishya (teacher-disciple) relationship today, people remember Eklavya.
- faith mysticismHow To Perform Your Duties Regardless Of Results, Take A Cue From Mahabharata
- faith mysticismRamayana And Mahabharata: The Interesting Similarities Between Two Great Indian Epics
- faith mysticismThe Past Lives Of Characters In Indian Epic Mahabharata
- festivalsGita Jayanti 2021: Know The History, Date And Significance Of This Day
- yoga spiritualityHere Is The Reason Why Yudhishthira Refused Heaven For His Dog
- thoughtWhy Krishna Did Not Kill Jarasandh Until 17 Attacks From Him?
- thoughtMahabharata: People You Should Never Tell Your Secrets To
- festivalsBhishma Ashtami, The Death Anniversary Of Bhishma Pitamah
- anecdotesWhy Did Duryodhana Go To Heaven?
- anecdotesThe Story Of Arjuna's Pride And An Ascetic
- faith mysticismLord Krishna: Five Ways To End Poverty
- thoughtMahabharata: One Should Not Eat At The House Of The One Who Does Not Love Him