Ekalavya And Dronacharya — Complex Tale Of A Student’s Devotion And A Guru’s ‘Bias’

Stories from the Mahabharat: Ekalavya's sacrifice of his thumb as a gesture of reverence and duty to Guru Dronacharya is one that has remained alive through generations with different interpretations.

Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, December 15, taunted the BJP-led Centre, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had "severed the thumbs of the youth just like Dronacharya had cut off Ekalavya's thumb". The clip of Rahul Gandhi's speech in Parliament quickly went viral as BJP supporters trolled him for being "misinformed on the Mahabharat". They claimed Dronacharya did not cut off Ekalavya's thumb, but Ekalavya himself. 

Of course, Rahul Gandhi might have meant exactly that. After all, in those days, an order from your "guru" or teacher was as good as written in stone and could not have been refused.

To understand the context, we need to realise that the events mentioned in the epic Mahabharat written by Krishna Dwaipayan Vyas took place in the Dvapar Yug when people still adhered to Dharma or righteousness and/or duty (not to be confused with Dharm/Dharam, which means religion). And following the orders of one's teacher was the foremost duty of a pupil. Even the “wish” of a teacher was considered an order. 

It is because of this sense of duty or Dharma that both Ekalavya and Dronacharya are held in high regard even today. The state and central governments have instituted awards in both their names.

So what is Ekalavya's story? And why did Guru Dronacharya ask him to cut off his thumb?

Ekalavya's Quest for Knowledge

Ekalavya is one of the most compelling and rather tragic characters in Mahabharat. He embodies the virtues of dedication, self-learning, devotion to teacher, and the complexities of loyalty. His story serves as a reminder of the struggles faced by those born into lower social strata and their relentless pursuit of excellence.

While Arjun is regarded as the greatest archer of all time, there were a few others who could have given him a tough contest in a "fair fight". Among them were Karna and Ekalavya. While Karna's is a story for another day, let's look at Ekalavya's tale.

Ekalavya was born into the Nishad tribe, a community of hunters. From a young age, he aspired to become a master archer. His ambition led him to seek out Dronacharya, the royal archery teacher renowned for training the princes of the Kuru dynasty. But he was refused. The diligent student eventually accepted a mud statue of Dronacharya as his Guru and started practising archery in front of it.

Dronacharya's Moral Dilemma

Here begins the tale of conflicting dharmas of Dronacharya and Ekalavya. Dronacharya was conflicted as he faced a moral dilemma here. Being a guru he couldn't refuse a student. But at the same time, he was under the employment of the Kuru throne of Hastinapur and had promised to teach only the royalty of the Kuru clan — the Kauravs and the Pandavs.

Ekalavya, a tribal, was the son of Hiranyadhanush, the Nishad king of Magadh (parts of modern-day Bihar, Jharkhand, and Bengal south of Ganga). Hiranyadhanush was a general in the army of Jarasandha, the ruler of Magadh.

Dronacharya eventually chose to stick to the Kuru clan and refused to teach Ekalavya.

Undeterred by rejection, Ekalavya returned home and crafted a clay idol of Dronacharya. With unwavering devotion, he practised archery in front of this idol, embodying the essence of self-discipline.

Why Ekalavya Had To Pay A Heavy Price For Excellence

Over time, Ekalavya honed his skills to such an extent that he surpassed even Arjun, Dronacharya's most gifted pupil. His remarkable talent became evident when he shot arrows with incredible precision, even hitting targets based solely on sound.

The turning point in Ekalavya's story came when the Pandavs and Kauravs discovered that Ekalavya had shot an arrow into a dog's mouth without hurting it to stop it from barking. The arrow just kept the dog's mouth open but didn't hurt it.

Arjun confronted Dronacharya about this unknown rival. After all, Dronacharya had promised to make him the greatest archer.

Dronacharya then decided to visit Ekalavya. Upon meeting him, Dronacharya was stunned by Ekalavya's skills. According to Mahabharat texts, Dronacharya asked Ekalavya: "How do you possess such skills?" Ekalavya replied: "I consider you my guru. I practised under your statue."

Drona's head spun as he looked upon the young archer, who without any formal training had surpassed even Arjun. At the same time, he realised that Ekalavya had the potential to challenge Arjun's status as the greatest archer in future. If Ekalavya surpassed Arjun, Dronacharya's promise would be broken. This was another moral conflict.

Thus, Dronacharya tells Ekalavya: "If you consider me your guru, give me your right thumb as my guru dakshina [a traditional fee paid to a teacher]." Ekalavya understood that Drona's shocking demand for his thumb meant that he would never be able to hold a bow again. Yet, the Nishad prince is said to have cut off his own thumb with a smile on his face and handed it over to Dronacharya.

Interpretations Of Ekalavya's Sacrifice In Modern Times

Ekalavya's sacrifice has often been interpreted as tragic yet noble, highlighting Ekalavya's commitment to his guru above all else, even his lifelong ambition. Ekalavya, it is believed, had learnt to shoot arrows without using his thumb but is said to have been eventually killed by Krishna during a war waged by Jarasandha on the Yadavs. Ekalavya's fate might have been different had he not been stripped of his thumb.

There are many interpretations of the Dronacharya-Ekalavya story. While some see it as a corruption of the Brahmin, Dronacharya, others see it as his upliftment from a mere student to an "epitome of self-discipline".

According to spiritual leader Sadhguru, Dronacharya and Arjun were at fault. "His wicked mind and Arjun’s limitless vanity created this situation, where they could not bear someone else doing well," Sadhguru says. According to him, Dronacharya failed as a teacher as instead of choosing to lift his student, Arjun, he chose to pump up his ego and stop another archer's rise.

"Dronacharya clearly knew what he was doing was wrong. This would have been a great opportunity for him to knock Arjun on the head and tell him to transform himself. But that was not what Dronacharya did because he was only thinking of Arjuna and his brothers as future kings, so he did not want to displease them," Sadhguru says.

On the other hand, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says: "Dronacharya blessed Eklavya with immortality by asking him for his thumb. So when people think of devotion, they think of Eklavya, and not Arjuna."

He says: "See the greatness of Dronacharya, he took the blame on him and uplifted his student. That is why, even if the Guru is wrong, if your devotion is there you can never go wrong. But the Guru is not wrong, it appears he was partial but he uplifted Eklavya and preserved his Dharma (duty) also. His duty was to maintain the law of the land: You cannot have anyone much better than the prince.”