EKLAVYA

Narendra Dani

“Guruji, was Dronacharya right in asking for Eklavaya’s thumb as gurudakshina?” “Yes. Dronacharya made Eklavya famous by demanding his thumb. Just imagine who would have known Eklavya if Dronacharya had not demanded his thumb?” (Excerpted from a Q/A session, between a so-called spiritual guru and audience-cum-

disciples, telecast periodically on a popular TV channel.)

Yes, you have heard about him. I know you know him as a great pupil of the greatest teacher on the earth. You have heard people praising him for his gurubhakti. You read stories in your books at school glorifying his devotion and his spirit of sacrifice. I know your school books present him as a model student who should do whatever his teacher asks of him. You have heard public speakers presenting him as the quintessential disciple of a great guru. You have also heard more than one spiritual guru on the television saying that it was guru Drona whose demand for Eklavya’s right hand thumb turned him from an anonymous nobody into a famed pupil. What wonders gurudakshina can do!

         Well, more of that later. For those who have only heard about him and not read his account in the great epic the Mahabharata, I offer a quick recap. Eklavya is mentioned in the first book of the epic. The short narrative mentioning him dismisses him quickly as a box office hit film would dismiss a bit character in a shot or two in a film peopled by big stars. Is the famed Mahabharata unlike a film like Mother India peopled by big stars and having sets not unlike the big, splendid sets of the Sanjay Leela Bhansali version of Devdas? There are larger-than-life characters. Guru Drona 

himself is a larger-than-life character. Even Eklavya is presented as a larger-than-life character. You remember that dog whose mouth he stopped by shooting arrows into his mouth? See the picture of that dog. It’s available in every edition of the epic. 

Again, like the Bollywoodian creations that you see in the multiplexes in your town. Except that he is a bit character. Ever heard of a bit character made larger-than-life? That is a privilege reserved for the parts played by stars. The writer of the Mahabharata was very kind. No? He made a bit character into a larger-than-life character in his film. I bow my head in gratitude to Shri Vyasji, the Producer of the big budget Mahabharata, for making Eklavya, an extra, into a larger-than-life character. You find it sacrilegious of me to call this scripture a big budget film? OK. I’ll explain. Are not the characters in popular Bollywood films drawn in shades of white and black? Villains dyed in the wool; heroes dyed in pure honesty of intent and action. Now look at this epic film again. Is not Duryodhana a baddie dyed in the wool? Is not Yudhishthra, in his piety and uncompromising devotion to truth, like a modern day Bollywood hero whom evil has not touched even by a bamboo pole? But what is Guru Drona? Everybody believes he is the paragon of a teacher.  

In case you don’t know much about Eklavya here is his briefest possible biography. He was born to a King, yes King Hiranyadhanu, the king of the Bhils, a tribe of India and his consort Queen Malli. Perhaps it is wrong to call his father a 

king. Not even a small-scale king? OK. It is better to call him a powerful chieftain of a large tribe. So, his father, a small-time king or better a powerful tribal chieftain, had supported the rulers of Hastinapur against their enemies’ invasions several times. Eklavya was trained to make bows and arrows which he sold at a good profit at the local bazar in their area. But, thanks to his father’s friend, uncle Kesho, he started harbouring ambitious notions. Uncle Keshav told him that he was not cut out for what he was doing. He told him that as a king’s son Eklavya should excel in archery to 

justify his inheritance of the kingdom of the Bhils. Eklavya was filled with a new ambition: to be the best archer of his times. He started practising archery for long hours in a little known part of the forest. The boy’s mother was naturally anxious about his long absences. Even Gauri, the neighbouring village’s chieftain’s daughter, who had a soft spot for him, was not in the know of his latest engagement. (Eklavya was not unaware of Gauri’s affection towards him. She was not an infrequent visitor to his house. He also knew that his mother liked her and therefore he had silently 

made up his mind to accept Gauri’s hand when her father would approach his parents.) Eklavya was a shy boy from the beginning and believed in delivering results and not bragging about his engagements or ambitions. His mother, a noble lady, one day asked him about his long absences from the house. He told her honestly that he was practising archery in a clearance in a very thick part of the forest where even sunlight didn’t reach. The mother panicked. She spoke to Eklavya’s father about her “Rajan, do you know what our Eklavya is busy doing these days? You have no time 

for my only child. For you, your administrative councils are more important.” 

“What is the matter Malli? asked Eklavya’s father.

 “Eklavya practises archery in a secluded part of the forest. What if some wild beast attacks him? I’ll be ruined if I lose my only child.” 

“Oh! Is that the matter Malli? Put your fears out of your mind. No harm will come to our Eklavya. He knows how to handle these beasts; he has grown up playing with them,” Eklavya’s father soothed the frayed nerves of his dear wife.

         One day when Eklavya was practising archery, a dog came, God knows from where and started barking at him non-stop. Eklavya tried to avoid him. But he seemed to be annoyed with him. Eklavya decided to stop his interference. He shot arrows, one after the other, closing his mouth in such a way that the poor creature couldn’t bark. 

You will find this picture on the same page in the Great Mahabharata where Eklavya episode has been narrated. The dog moved away and putting him out of his mind Eklavya resumed his archery practice. Unknown to him, the dog happened to reach the spot where Arjuna, the prince from the Pandava kingdom and a blue-blooded Kshatriya, was practicing archery with some of his brothers. Arjuna and his younger brothers were busy mastering the tricks that Guru Dronacharya had taught them that morning. Guru Drona had left for his quarters in a part of the palace to have his 

morning repast of fresh fruits and cow milk asking the boys to carry on in his absence and not to stop until they had mastered the tricks he had taught them that morning. 

Arjuna stopped in his practice. The dog with his mouth shut with arrows made him wonder who might have achieved that feat. As far as he knew, nobody in the entire kingdom could achieve a marvel like that. “Is Guru Drona secretly training some prince of the Kaurava family?” Arjun wondered. “Certainly, nobody can achieve this feat unless he has learnt archery from Guru Drona.” Arjuna thought. But Arjuna knew that Guru Drona couldn’t do that. The Guru had vowed to train him, that is, Arjuna, as an archer nonpareil in the entire kingdom of Hastinapur. “Certainly, Guru Drona is being dishonest with me. We have employed him. We give him free board and lodging in a part of the palace besides a handsome salary. I shall speak to Guruji tomorrow to clarify the mist of doubts enveloping my mind.”

          Arjuna, after prostrating himself before the feet of Guru Drona, asked him in the politest words if he had taken another pupil besides the Pandava princes. “What are you saying son Arjuna? I am duty-bound to teach only the Pandava princes. I have promised so much to your father. I have vowed to make you the greatest archer on the earth. But, son, why do you ask me this question,” Drona asked his best pupil Arjuna. In his response to Guru Drona’s question, Arjuna narrated the incident of the dog. Guru Drona was astonished. He wondered if some guru greater 

than him had arrived in the forest and was training young men. But he decided to check for himself. “Alright, son Arjuna, we shall find out the truth tomorrow. It is already sunset. Don’t lose your sleep over this. I will find out the truth and set things straight. I have vowed that a greater archer than Arjuna shall not there be in the entire kingdom of Hastinapur, nay on the entire earth.” Next morning, the morning practice session was postponed to uncover the truth of the mystery. Guru Drona and prince Arjuna went inside the deep of the forest to find out the archer who had shut 

the dog’s mouth with arrows. Eklavya had this habit of coming to the forest with the break of  dawn with his quiver of arrows and his bow and the thick bajra rotis that his mother cooked for him every morning. Now that his father had allayed her fears about 

Eklavya, she cooked fresh bajra rotis for him early in the morning and packed them with some dry vegetable in a simple cloth and handed them to him with her blessings. “May you become the greatest archer on the earth!”

           Eklavya was busy shooting arrows at a distant target. He didn’t know when Guru Drona appeared at that place. On seeing Guruji he stopped his practice, went to him and prostrated himself at his feet.“Who are you and why have you built my clay statue and put it here,” demanded Guruji. The tone was unmistakable. There was surprise mixed with mild anger in his “Guruji, I am Eklavya. Many months back I went to you at your Academy to take admission there. You asked me for my bio-data and when I told you that I was a Bhil you told me that you gave training to only Kshatriya princes. I remembered your words, clearly, Guruji. You said, ‘You are a low-caste and therefore you can’t be admitted to my academy. Get lost. In any case archery is for the blue-blooded princes and not for kols and bhils. Get lost.’” 

“Guruji, I was crestfallen. But I am made of sterner stuff. I knew you were the best archery teacher in the entire India. I kept thinking. Then while turning in my bed at home in the night this idea struck me. ‘Why not make a clay statue of my Guru and start practising!’ When morning came, I didn’t wait to collect my mother’s rotis and ran to a clearing in the thick of this forest. I worked the whole day. I kneaded mud. Gradually your statue emerged, a complete replica of your muscular body, with not a single feature from your face missing in my clay statue of my most beloved, venerable 

Guru. Every day I practiced archery after paying obeisance to your clay statue. You are indeed very kind. I knew one day you would come, unbeknownst to me, to bless me and to put your seal of approval on my hard work. Guruji, you are indeed great. You are the best, the kindest Guru, the kindest teacher in the world. Please put your hand 

on my head and give me your heavenly blessings.” 

          Guru Drona was thinking other thoughts, “This boy is too clever for me. But I am his guru. He will beat Arjuna in archery and I shall lose my job. I have been able to land this job with a princely salary, free board and lodging at the palace after wandering like a beggar here and there. My wife always mocked me at home and called me a good-for-nothing fellow that only boasted of his skills but brought no money home. No, no, this can’t be allowed to go on. Something has to be done,” Eklavya thought Guruji was silent with wonder at the excellence of his pupil. And why should he not be? After all Eklavya had proved himself to be the pupil of Great Drona himself, Eklavya thought with his breast puffing with legitimate pride at his acceptance by his beloved teacher.“Son Eklavya. You are indeed a great archer. I am indeed proud of you. (Eklavya’s heart swelled a few centimetres more.) But you know the rule of learning. One has to pay gurudakshina for learning from his Guru. By building my statue, you have installed me as your teacher. Now prepare yourself to pay my gurudakshina.”

Eklavya was a poor bhil and wondered if he would be able to pay appropriate dakshina to Guru Drona who trained Pandava princes.“Guruji, I am you eternal slave. Command me,” Eklavya said loudly though his heart was palpitating because unlike the Pandava princes, he was a poor bhil.

“Son Eklavya. I can read your thoughts. You are worrying about money. I don’t accept money. I am a man of simple habits and believe in giving my knowledge to my pupils for free. As gurudakshina I want your right hand thumb. Will you give me that?” demanded Guru Drona. Eklavya was speechless. He knew that without his right hand thumb, he would be rendered a disabled person, forget about practising archery. But being an obedient and guileless student he said loudly, “Anything Guruji. I am yours.” Guru Drona was as good as his word. He asked Eklavya to go ahead. 

Eklavya picked up his large knife and putting his hand on the stump of a tree brought the knife down on his right hand thumb. He felt excruciating pain and a shriek nearly bursting his young heart rent the air. The thumb was lying on the ground. Along with the bleeding thumb, lay in the dust, Eklavya’s ambition of becoming the best archer in the world, his hope of marrying Gauri and of bringing a good daughter-in-law home for his old parents. Several dreams of Eklavya lay in the dust, invisible to Guru Drona. Eklavya picked a dry leaf with his left hand and slipping the cut and blood-stained thumb on it, offered it to his Guru, his teacher. Guru Drona blessed Eklavya. 

There was a clever hint of a smile on Drona’s face which seemed to be saying, “Fool, you thought you could beat me. I am your guru. My tricks are superior to yours. Now go and practice your damned archery. You wanted to take away my job. Now see what has come to you. Evil recoils on the evildoer.”

          Do you see that bhil boy in that yonder forest begging for alms? That is Eklavya. He cannot even lift a cup with his right hand, forget archery. He cannot even earn his living. Eklavya has to beg.

          Thank you, Guruji. You made this little known bhil lad known all over the world by asking him for the gurudakshina of his right hand thumb. Now I know what great gurus can do: they can make their pupils famous.

Disclaimer:

‘Eklavya’ is a work of fiction. Any resemblance with any character, incident, dialogue or setting, mythical or historical, is purely coincidental)