In the forest near Hastinapura lived a Nishadha tribe, peace-loving and brave boatmen. They were considered of a class that could not mix with others. Their chief’s son was Ekalavya. Ekalavya enjoyed archery. He asked to be taken as Drona’s pupil. Drona refused his request. Ekalavya, however, made a figure of Drona with mud and, with respect to his teacher, he began to practise archery. One day, Drona saw a dog who could not bark because his mouth was full of arrows shot into it, without injuring him. He searched for the archer who was so brilliant and found Ekalavya, practising before his statue! To test his devotion, Drona asked guru-dakshina from Ekalavya. He asked for the thumb of his right hand, that was necessary for an archer. The worthy Ekalavya gave it! He went on to be the king of the Nishadhas. What is amazing is that he acquired the mastery of shooting with four fingers!
Ekalavya
