Eklavya and Dronacharya

Today I am going to narrate a very unusual story. It is a story where the disciple is greater than the guru.

The disciple is Eklavya, son of Hiranyadhanus, the chief of the Nishada tribe.

Eklavya wanted to be an archer. So he went to Dronacharya, one of the greatest archery teachers at that time. But Drona refused to teach him. He felt that Eklavya was a tribal, Drona only chose to teach the high born. Moreover, Drona did not want anyone to best the Pandava prince Arjuna in archery.

Undeterred by this refusal, Eklavya went back to the forest and created a clay image of Drona. Eklavya didn’t let his background define him. By sculpting an idol of Drona, he took him as a role model. Even without formal training, he crafted his own practice routine and environment.

A few years later, a dog from the palace of the Pandavas went to the forest and started barking at Eklavya.

Disturbed in his archery and meditation, Eklavya shot some arrows at the dog. The shots were so skilful that they closed the dog's mouth and stopped it from barking, without hurting it.

The dog went back to the palace. Drona, Arjuna and the other Pandavas were amazed by the skill of the archer, and wondered "How could someone shoot a dog without hurting it?"

So they went to the forest, and saw Eklavya practicing archery. They were amazed. Here was a person who, without any direct guidance by the Guru, had become the best of them all. Arjuna got jealous. And Drona grew concerned that his disciple was not the best anymore.

Now the story took a dark turn.

Drona demanded Eklavya's right thumb as his Guru Dakshina. Eklavya without hesitation sacrificed his thumb. His act became one of the most striking stories of loyalty, sacrifice, and the tragedy of social hierarchy.

While Drona was a great teacher, he was not without flaws—pride, jealousy, and other human limitations.

Eklavya’s story isn’t just about archery or obedience—it is a powerful testament to the art of work-crafting. Rejected by the system, he didn’t wait for permission to grow. He crafted his tasks, choosing his own learning path. He crafted his attitude, transforming rejection into resilience. And most of all, he crafted his identity—choosing who he wanted to be, not who the world told him he was.

In a world that may not always open doors for us, Eklavya shows that we can build our own—with clay, conviction, and character.