Eklavya - The Best Archer

We are familiar with various characters of Mahabharata. If someone asks us, ‘Who Arjun was ?’ We would definitely say, he was one of the five Pandava Brothers and that he was the best in archery. But we may be wrong, because if we knew the story of the tribal boy Eklavya, we would not say so.

Dronacharya was the trainer Master both for Kaurvas and Pandvas. They were all princes. Dronacharya was training them about warfare etc. Seeing them, a tribal boy named Eklavya also approached Dronacharya and requested him for training in Archery. But Dronacharya refused him saying that he was not a prince. And that he was teaching only to the princes. He will not admit a poor tribal into his Ashram (School). Eklavya was hurt. But he had keen desire to learn Archery. He bowed before Dronacharya and returned to his house, where he made an idol of Dronacharya and revering him as his Guru, he started practicing before it. The contemplation of the form of his Guru, helped him inwardly as he realized higher spiritual state of mind. Soon he was expert in Archery.

One day Dronacharya put all his prince disciples to test. He asked them to shoot their arrows at a barking dog, with the condition that the dog should not die but his mouth should be shut. All the princes tried one by one, but they all failed. The tribal boy was watching them. When they all failed, he took out his bow and arrows and shot an arrow so tactfully that the mouth of the dog was shut. Dronacharya just could not believe it that the tribal boy was better in Archery than the princes. He called him and questioned, ‘Who is your Mentor ? From whom have you learnt the art of Archery ?’ Eklavya replied, ‘From you.’ Dronacharya again questioned, ‘How? I never taught you.’ Eklavya explained how he made an idol of him as his Guru and learnt through contemplation on his form.

Arjun was a favourite student of Dronacharya. He wanted to make him the best Archer of all. So instead of appreciating the tribal boy, he asked him, ‘If you consider yourself my disciple, then you must give me Guru Dakshina (A sort of offering on Guru’s demand). Eklavya willingly agreed. Dronacharya asked him to cut his right hand thumb and offer. Eklavya did it. Thereafter the Eklavya could never practice Archery. And that is how Dronacharya made Arjuna the best Archer.