Episode 13

Story of Ekalavya[i]

(Guru Bhakti and Ekalavya are synonymous. Drona was an exemplary character in Maha Bharata but in this story many readers put him in bad light. The story has been viewed interpreted by many readers and film makers with the current day social scenario and caste politics. Let us see the original story as written by Veda Vyasa and see the innate vrutti dharma and swadharma running intermingling making the character Ekalavya a pawn in the powerful play of politics in those days. 

For cherishing the story please click the below link. Read, reflect and share it to like minded people)

The story of Ekalavya is one of the much debated subjects even today. The story is interpreted to highlight the suppressive nature of higher castes in ancient India. In order to understand the story in right perspective, one has to understand the story of Drona and his dilemmas and compulsions apart from the nature of moral values prevalent five thousand years back .

Drona was the son of sage Bharadvaja. He was a boyhood friend of Drupada who later on became the king of Panchala. Both Drupada and Drona were learning the art of warfare and other sastras in the ashram of Agnivasa. After completing their education at the ashram, Drona continued his pursuit of education with Parasurama as his Guru and with his grace became expert in Dhanurveda (archery).  Drupada and Drona were so close friends in the ashram that Drupada even promised that the entire kingdom of Panchala would come under the control of Drona once he (Drupada) was anointed as king. ‘All my kingdom, wealth and pleasures will be at your disposal’.[ii]

Drona married Krupi, the sister of Krupacharya and with her had a son by name Aswatthama. Drona, though an accomplished master of Dhanurveda, was a poor father in the sense that he could not fetch milk for his crying son. He tried his best to get a cow but all his efforts proved in vain. He gave water mixed with rice powder and Aswathhama used to drink it thinking that it was milk. When other children began to laugh at Aswatthama, Drona felt very bad.

He remembered the words of his close friend and with all hopes approached Drupada. But Drupada was a king by that time. With all ego and pride he insulted Drona and told that a friendship can be between equals and not between unequal people. Drona and his wife came out from the place of Drupada. Unable to bear the insult, Drona decided to avenge his insult and thought that the only way to mobilize army was to approach the king of Hastinapura.

One day the Kauravas and Pandavas were playing in a garden and their playing ball fell into a well. Unable to extricate the ball from the well, they looked helpless. They saw a decimated Bramhin passing by that side with bows and arrows and sought his help. He was none other than Drona. He reached the spot and started aiming arrows at the ball so as to form a rope of arrows and easily extricated the ball. The boys were awestruck by his skill in archery and rushed to their grandfather Bhishma for narrating the story. Bhishma came in person, recognized Drona and requested Drona to be the teacher of Kauravas and Pandavas. Thus he became an official in the court of Hastinapura.

Drona had devised a plan that he should defeat Drupada and his army with the help of all his sishyas (disciples) and the army of Hastinapura. One day, he took all his students into confidence and requested whether they can able to help him after the entire vidyabhyasa (course of study). All students kept quiet and only Arjuna pledged that he would do the work of his Guru. Drona felt very happy and kissed his forehead. Arjuna was also studious and unlike others, focused his time and energy in the pursuit of warfare. He became the favorite disciple of Drona and Drona pledged that he would make Arjuna an unbeatable warrior in archery in all the worlds[iii]

On learning the training skills of Drona, sons of many kings of the time approached him for training. The siblings of Vrishti clan (currently OBCs), Andhaka clan (currently BCs) and many other people including Karna, the son of a Suta caste (chariot maker class) joined academy of archery headed by Drona. Drona gave all of them education though his special concentration was on Kauravas and Pandavas (since he is an official in the court of Bhishma).

One day Ekalavya, born in the caste of Boya (currently under ST category) approached Drona seeking knowledge. Drona did not take him as his disciple. ‘Since he was a nishada (a hunter), he did not oblige Ekalavya’s request. Drona’s concentration was on Kauravas and Pandavas[iv]

Ekalavya was not disheartened. His devotion towards Drona was so great that he put on a statue of Drona in the forest, treated him as Guru and started archery on his own with all perseverance and dedication. In no time he became an expert in archery.

One day he aimed and shot seven arrows on the face of a dog at a time and Pandavas happened to see the extraordinary feat with awe. On enquiry he told that he was the son Hiranyadhanva, the king of hunters and a disciple of Drona. The thought of a great archer, Ekalavya was revolving in the mind of Arjuna and one day he approached Drona and asked, ‘You had promised me that there will not be anyone in the world who can surpass me in archery. Now Ekalavya, one of your sishyas (disciples) has surpassed me in all aspects. How can it happen?’

Drona thought for a while and immediately proceeded towards the abode of Ekalavya with Arjuna. Ekalavya saw Drona from a distance and ran towards him. He made him sit on an elegant place, bowed his head at his feet and stood before him arm-folded.

‘If you are my disciple, give me Guru dakshina’, asked Drona[v]. Ekalavya humbly told, ‘Swamy! You are my Guru and as a Guru you please order and I will oblige’. Drona asked the right hand thumb of Ekalavya and without any hesitation Ekalavya cut off his thumb and presented to his Guru.

Drona felt happy at the truthfulness of Ekalavaya and suggested him to practice archery with centre and index fingers. But his dexterity of aiming got diminished and Drona kept up his promise to Arjuna that he would be the unbeatable archer of all worlds.

Points to ponder

1.    Drona was an official in the court of Hastninapura and his basic duty was to make Kauravas and Pandavas unbeatable warriors. Can he afford to go against his vritti (official) dharma by keeping silent when a rival warrior crop up on the other side of the fence?

2. Drona knew very well that his beloved disciple Arjuna alone had the strength to defeat Drupada and his armies. His very purpose of joining the court of Hastinapur was to avenge his insult. Can he forget his basic purpose (svadharma) by disowning Pandavas, especially Arjuna?

3. Can Drona afford to disown his promise to Arjuna and become untruthful?

4. Drona did not claim on his own that he was the Guru of Elkalavya. He asked Guru Dakshina if Ekalavya feels that he was his Guru. Was there anything wrong on the part of Drona?

5. In this story we find Drona imparting education to the clans of Vrishtis, Andhakas and Sutas (all are either BCs/ OBCs under current nomenclature). Veda Vyasa never mentioned that the refusal to accept Ekalvya (a Boya caste) was on the ground of his lower caste. He just mentioned that Drona did not accept him as disciple since he was a hunter (nishada). Can it be interpreted as suppression of lower caste people by higher caste people in the times of Maha Bharata?

6. Ekalavya exhibited exemplary devotion to Drona. Though he never learnt anything directly from Drona, he learnt and became expert in archery by his sheer grit, determination and his belief in the super natural power of Drona (in a statue). Do you think that as a warrior, he became a pawn in the powerful play of circumstances and politics of his times?

7.  Do you feel that the story symbolizes the oppression of lower caste people by higher caste people?

8.  Morals change from time to time and generation to generation. Can we judge an event which was morally valid some five thousand years from the current day standards of morality?

Footnotes

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[i] This story is taken from Adi Parva of Maha Bharata.

[ii] अभिषेक्ष्यति मां राज्ये स पांचालो यदा तदा

त्वद्भोग्यं भविता तात सखे सत्येव ते शपे - Adi Parva 130.46

[iii]  प्रयतिष्ये तथा कर्तुम् यथा नान्यो धनुर्धरः

त्वत्समो भविता लोके सत्य  मेतद् ब्रवीमिते - Adi Parva 131.27

[iv]  न स तं प्रति जग्राह  नैषादिरिति चिंतयन्

शिष्यं धनुषि धर्मज्ञः तेषामे वान्व वेक्षया - Adi Parva 131.32

[v]  यदि शिष्योsसि मे वीर वेतनं दीयतां मम -Adi Parva 131.54  

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