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Ekalavya (Sanskrit: एकलव्य, ékalavya) is a character from the Indian epic Mahābhārata. He was a young prince of the Nishadhas, a confederation of forest and hill tribes in ancient India.

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Ekalavya
Ekalavya trains himself
Information
Family	Hiranyadhanus (father) Ketuman (son) and another son

Ekalavya is called as one of the foremost of Kings in the Rajasuya Yagya where he honours Yudhishthira by offering shoes with respect.[1][2] Though he did not have his right thumb, he was noted as a very powerful archer and warrior.[3]

Life and legends

Self-training

In the Mahabharata, Ekalavya was the adopted son of Hiranyadhanus, the chief of Nishada, who found the former when he had been abandoned as an infant by Krishna's uncle and aunt. Ekalavya's adoptive father Hiranyadhanus was the commander of the most powerful king of the period, Jarasandha and Ekalavya himself served under King Jarasandha's army as General. As a youth, Ekalavya beheld Drona teaching archery to the Kauravas and the Pandavas - the royal Kuru princes - and was taken by a desire to learn himself. He approached Drona and respectfully requested to be taken on as a student of archery. The high-born Kshatriya Kuru princes, who took Eklavya for a forest-dweller outside Hindu varnas, mocked him for considering himself above his station in life, as a tribal, low-born person (See the long list of derogatory epithets used in the Mahabharatha for the non-highborn. This is similar to a later incident in which Arjuna loses an archery contest to Karna, and his fragility quickly gives way to rage and he mocks Karna for ostensibly being the son of a "lowly" charioteer.) Ekalavya leaves, and then watches from the forest when guru Drona teaches the princes. After they had left for the ashram, Ekalavya collected the mud on which his Guru walked, as a symbolic gesture of reverence for his Guru's knowledge and footsteps. He went into the forest and fashioned a statue of Drona under a large banyan tree. He began a disciplined program of self-study over many years. Accepting the statue as his guru, he practised before his guru every single day.

Guru Dakshina

One day Drona and his students go out into the forest, accompanied by the Kurus' dog, who starts barking incessantly but then suddenly stops. The Kurus find the dog unhurt but unable to bark due to arrows filling its mouth. This was harmless to the dog but prevented the dog from barking. Drona was amazed but also distressed as he had promised Arjuna that he would make him the greatest archer in the world. Wondering who such a fine archer could be, Drona and his students saw Ekalavya, with his bow. Upon seeing Drona, Ekalavya came and bowed to him.

Drona asked Ekalavya where he had learned archery. Ekalavya replied "under you, Guruji", and showed Drona his statue while explaining what he had done. Arjuna is incensed and reminds Drona of his promise to make Arjuna the "greatest archer in the world" (though of course, Karna is waiting in the wings). When Drona asks Arjuna what he (Drona) could do to make things right, Arjuna the Magnificent suggests that Drona remind Ekalavya that to truly be Drona's pupil, Ekalavya would have to pay guru dakshina. This Drona does. Readily, Ekalavya offers to do anything for Drona. Again at Arjuna's behest but with some reservations, Drona asks Ekalavya to cut off his right thumb as Guru Dakshina. Happy and smiling, Ekalavya cuts off the thumb and presents it as Gurudakshina to Dronacharya.[4]

Later life

The Bhagavata Purana mentions that Ekalavya assisted Jarasandha, when he attacked Mathura, to take revenge of the death of Kansa.[5]In this battle Elkalavya was killed by Lord Krishna, because Krishna knew about the future war of Mahabharat and that Ekalavya could become an obstacle in the establishment of dharma. Some theories say, later Eklavya was born as Drishtady6umna, son of Drupad, king of Panchala and helped in establishing dharma as he was born as Dronahantak (one born to kill Drona) and killed Acharya Drona, to complete his revenge. In the Malaysian text, there is a mention that King Phalgunadi was killed by Acharya Drona and later Phalgunadi took birth as Eklavya.

Legacy

There is an Ekalavya temple (Hindi: एकलव्य मंदिर) temple in honor of Ekalavya in Khandsa village in Sector 37 of Gurugram city in Haryana state of India. As per folklore, this is the only temple of Ekalavya and it is the place where Ekalavya cut his thumb and offered to guru Drona.[6]

In honour of Ekalavya, the Government of India runs an Ekalavya Model Residential School (EMRS) model residential school scheme for Indian tribals. Ekalavya Award is awarded by the Government of Karnataka for outstanding performance in sports. Eklavya inspires a life-long learning philosophy and his presence seems to be a celebration for the masses. In this EklavyaParv, the motto is 'You Create Yourself" and the legend of Eklavya is a testimony that is forwarded by many thinkers as well. The discipleship that Eklavya represents is the best for a student and enables one to be the creator of one's own destiny.[7][8]

The City of Taj, Agra has a large stadium named Ekalavya Sports Stadium at Sadar Bazaar in honour of Ekalavya.

In popular culture

The 2007 movie Eklavya: The Royal Guard featuring Sanjay Dutt and Amitabh Bacchan was named after Eklavya.

See also

• Life Story Of Ekalavya In Hindi
• Puruṣārtha
• Drona
• Eklavyaparv Podcast
• Historicity of the Mahabharata
• Ekalavya Temple
• Eklavya Sports Stadium
• Ekalavyan (film)
• Eklavya foundation

References

На других языках

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- [en] Ekalavya

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[it] Ekalavya

Ekalavya (sanscrito: एकलव्य, ékalaiva) è un personaggio del poema epico Mahabharata. Era un giovane principe di Nishadha, una confederazione di tribù della giungla nell'Antica India. Era figlio di Vyatraj Hiranyadhanus. Ekalavya desiderava studiare l'arte del tiro con l'arco nella scuola dell'insegnante Drona.

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[ru] Экалавья

Экала́вья (санскр. एकलव्य) — герой древнеиндийского эпоса «Махабхарата», сын Хираньядхануса, царя нишадхов, молодой принц, хотевший стать учеником Дроны. Так как нишадхи были неарийским, варварским племенем, Дрона не принял его к себе в ученики. Экалавья, припав головой к стопам Дроны, удалился в лес. В лесу, без ведома или согласия Дроны, Экалавья вылепил из глины мурти своего учителя и обращаясь к нему за советами, стал тренироваться в стрельбе из лука, соблюдая при этом строгую дисциплину. Вскоре целеустремлённый Экалавья приобрёл невероятную быстроту в обращении с луком и стрелами и превратился в искусного воина, равного Арджуне по мастерству и доблести.

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