The Story of Eklavya and Dronacharya, A long time ago, there was a boy named Eklavya. He lived in a small village in the forest. Eklavya was the son of a poor hunter. But Eklavya had a big dream. He wanted to become the best archer in the world.
Eklavya had heard about a great teacher named Dronacharya. Dronacharya was the teacher of the royal princes. He taught them the art of archery. Eklavya wanted to learn from Dronacharya too.
One day, Eklavya went to Dronacharya. He bowed down and said, “Guruji, I want to learn archery from you. Please accept me as your student.”
Dronacharya looked at Eklavya. He saw that Eklavya was not from a royal family. Dronacharya only taught the princes. He thought for a moment and then said, “I am sorry, but I cannot teach you.”
Eklavya felt very sad, but he did not lose hope. He respected Dronacharya so much that he decided to learn by himself. He made a statue of Dronacharya from mud. He placed the statue under a tree. Every day, Eklavya would go to the statue and practice archery.
He practiced day and night. He imagined that Dronacharya was watching him. He kept working hard without any help. Slowly, Eklavya became a very good archer. His arrows hit the target perfectly.
One day, the royal princes went to the forest with Dronacharya. They were practicing with their bows and arrows. Suddenly, their dog started barking. Before anyone could stop the dog, many arrows came flying and closed the dog’s mouth without hurting it.
The princes were surprised. Dronacharya was also surprised. He wanted to know who had done this. Soon, they saw Eklavya standing there with his bow.
Dronacharya asked, “Who are you? Who is your teacher?”
Eklavya said, “My name is Eklavya. You are my teacher. I made your statue and practiced in front of it. I learned everything by thinking you were teaching me.”
Dronacharya was shocked. He saw that Eklavya had become better than his best student, Arjuna. Dronacharya had promised Arjuna that he would make him the best archer. But now, Eklavya had become even better.
Dronacharya thought for some time. He then said, “Eklavya, if I am your teacher, then you must give me a gift.”
Eklavya was very happy. He said, “Guruji, I am ready to give you anything.”
Dronacharya said, “I want your right thumb.”
Eklavya was surprised. Without the right thumb, he could never shoot an arrow again. But he loved and respected his teacher so much that he did not ask any questions. Without waiting, Eklavya cut his right thumb and offered it to Dronacharya.
Dronacharya felt very sad, but he accepted it. He blessed Eklavya and said, “You will always be remembered as a great student.”
Even after losing his thumb, Eklavya kept practicing with his left hand. He remained one of the bravest and most honest students ever.
Moral of the Story
True respect and hard work never go waste. Eklavya’s love for his teacher and his strong will made him great. Sometimes life is not fair, but we should always keep working hard and be true to our goals.
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