We all have heard the name Eklavya and often wondered how was his life and was he really able to defeat Arjuna. Why did Guru Drona reject him? Let’s try to find out the answer here with his real-life story.
Birth of Eklavya
As per the Harivansha Purana, he was the son of Devashrava, the brother of Kunti and Vasudev, which makes him a cousin of Pandavas and Krishna. Devashrava abended young Eklavya, as saints proclaimed that he would be a curse to society. Some storied also suggest that He was lost in the forest by Devashrava during their visit. Later this young child was found by Nishad King Hiranyadhanu and he raised him as his own son.
Now before going further first let’s learn Who were Nishadas? Were they really from low community as claimed by many stories.
According to the Mahabharat, the Nishadas are described as a mixed jati, originating from the offspring of a Shudra man and a Kshatriya woman. In some other texts, they are said to be the progeny of a Brahmin man and a Shudra woman. Their traditional occupations included fishing, hunting, and weapon-making, and they were regarded as skilled warriors. Numerous Nishada kingdoms participated on both sides of the Mahabharat war.
So, We can say that Nishads were the skilled warriors. Hiryandhanu, father of Eklavya was the King of Nishad. Even in Ramayana we heard of Nishad raj Guh, who was the close friend and ally of Shri Rama.
Satyawati, the mother of Rishi Veda Vyasa and wife of Kuru King Shantu was also the daughter of Nishada.
Looking at these few examples, we can see that Nishadas were not from a low caste. They were people who mostly lived in nature and were the offspring of the different Varnas.
Why did Drona reject Eklavya?
Hiranyadhanu, having heard of Dronacharya’s reputation as a teacher, took his son Eklavya to him and requested that he accept him as his student. Drona was appointed by the Kuru kingdom to teach their princes and also Hirnyadhanu was the closest ally of Jaraasandha, king of Magadha. Which was the enemy of Kurus. Considering these circumstances Drona refused to teach Eklavya.
But so keen to learn, Eklavya crafted a clay statue of Drona and started to train himself.
Why Drona asked for Eklavya’s thumb as Gurudakshina?
One Pandavas and Kauravas went on a hunting expedition to a nearby forest taking along a dog. While littering around, the dog saw Ekalavya and started barking. Ekalavya shot few arrows to the dog’s mouth to stop him from barking. The dog returned to princes with his mouth wide open but stuffed with arrows. The princes were ao amazed and looked around for the person responsible for dog’s condition. They met Eklavya. Eklavya introduced himself as the son of Nishad king and the student of Drona.
Upon the return to ashrama, the princes told about their encounter with Eklavya to Drona. So stunned by the skills of Eklavya, Arjuna asked his guru you promised me to make the greatest archer but your other student seems to have more skill than me. Drona gave some thought to it and went with Arjuna to meet Eklavya.
Upon seeing his Guru Eklavya was so delighted and welcomed him as his Guru. Drona asked him if you considered me as Guru then Where is my Gurudakshina? Eklavya was so happy to hear that asked Drona what do you want? Drona asked for his right-hand thumb. Without even a moment of hesitation, Eklavya offered him Gurudakshina.
According to the many scriptures, there were possibly 2 reasons why Dron did that.
- Drona knows that only learning archery but without learning ethics or morals, his power could become a danger.
- Second, this way Eklavya couldn’t surpass Arjuna, to whom Drona had promised to make the greatest archer.
After that…
Eventually, Eklavya learned how to shoot arrows with his fingers, But the loose of his thumb impacted his shooting speed. After the death of his father, Eklavya became the King of Nishad. He was also present at the Ashvamedha Yagna done by Yudhishthira. Like his father, he was also a key ally of King Jarasandha.
Did Eklavya participate in the Mahabharata War?
Lord Krishna killed Eklavya when he attacked Dwarka to avenge King Jarasandha’s death, which was before the Mahabharata war. According to some texts and traditions, Ketuman is mentioned as the son of Eklavya. Ketuman was a powerful warrior who fought in the Kurukshetra war on the side of the Kauravas and was ultimately slain by Bhima.
In Drona Parva, Krishna says He killed Jarasandha, Eklavya, and Shishupala earlier as they would have added difficulty to Pandavas.
At Last…
Even in the current time. In some parts of Madhya Pradesh, Bheel and Bhilal archers honor Eklavya by shooting without using their thumbs, symbolizing his sacrifice.