Who is Ekalavya?

Turned away

Ekalavya was the son of a chief of the Nishadas, a people of the forest. He came to Drona and asked to learn archery. Drona refused him, because he taught only the princes of Hastinapura.

The clay teacher

Ekalavya went back into the forest, made a statue of Drona out of clay, and practised in front of it every day as if his teacher were watching. In time he became extraordinary.

One day a dog from the princes’ hunting party barked at him. Without even looking closely, Ekalavya shot seven arrows into its open mouth so quickly that it was silenced without being hurt. The princes followed the dog back and found him. When they asked who his teacher was, he said: Drona.

The thumb

Arjuna was upset. Drona had promised that no one would be a better archer than him. So Drona went to Ekalavya and asked for a teacher’s fee: his right thumb. Ekalavya cut it off and gave it without a word of complaint.

It is one of the hardest stories in the whole epic, and people have argued about it for centuries. Ekalavya’s devotion is admired, and Drona’s demand is seen by many as one of the great injustices in the story.