Ekalavya - Tribal hero who brahmin's couldn't stand

In another chapter of Brahmin arrogance and subjugation of India's tribals and lower classes one should read the tale of Ekalvya



Eklavya is the story of young tribal boy. This story is a very important part of the Mahabharatha.

Eklavya was a young tribal boy. He loved to accompany his father who was a tribal chief on hunting expeditions. One day he came across the gurukula (school) of Dronacharya. Drona was instructing the Pandavas and Kauravas in the art of warfare. Eklavya stood transfixed as he saw the wonders that a bow could do. He thought of the many times that he and his father had missed their aim, while hunting deer. These boys, he thought, never seemed to miss anything. Their teacher was teaching them all the tricks.

Eklavya asked his father about this grand looking man who was teaching the young boys. His father explained that the man he was seeing was none other than the great Dronacharya, who was famed for his prowess in warfare. He had been able to lift a ring, which had fallen into a well using thin blades of grass - such was his skill!

"Oh! How I wish I could learn from him," said Eklavya.

"Son, he has been engaged by Bhishma to teach the princes of the Kuru dynasty." Replied his father.

"I shall try," replied a stubborn Eklavya.

He went to Dronacharya, and asked him to accept him as a student. Drona refused, telling him that he taught only kshatriya, and Brahmin youth. A dejected Eklavya then took a decision. He would become the best archer, and his teacher would be Dronacharya. He went deep into the forest, which was his home and fashioned a statue of Drona out of clay. He worshipped this clay image and took it to be his Guru. He practiced with bow and arrows relentlessly and gradually became very good in the art of archery. All this time he never forgot to tend to his clay Guru.

One day, Eklavya heard a dog barking loudly. Seeing that the dog was distracting him, he took up his bow and shot five arrows into its mouth. He shot the arrows in such a way that the dog, though unhurt, could no longer close its mouth. It ran whimpering to Dronacharya's gurukula.

The princes and Drona saw the Dog and wondered who had shot the arrows in such a wonderful. After finding out that it was Eklavya, who said that he was Dronacharya's student, Arjuna was upset. He reminded Dronacharya of his promise that he would be the world's best archer. How could Dronacharya have taken up a tribal boy as his student and made him a better archer too, wondered Arjuna.

Drona went to Eklavya with all his students, where he saw the boy practicing in front of his clay image, which had fresh flowers around it. Eklavya ran to him and fell at his feet saying, "Guruji, thanks for coming here, after so many years of learning from your image, I have the good fortune of seeing you."

With his heart full of admiration for the young boy, Dronacharya said, "My boy, you have successfully completed your education. Now it is time for my Guru Dakshina. Will you give me whatever I ask of you?" Eklavya happily replied in the affirmative. Drona then said, "Eklavya, you made me your Guru even though I rejected you. For my Dakshina, give me your right thumb."

Eklavya looked at him amidst stunned silence, and then slowly but surely walked up in front of his guru's clay imaged, and taking out his knife, he cut of his right thumb. He knew he would never be the best archer now, as without the right thumb it is not possible to let go one's arrows.


What this story reveals

Arjuna had an ego problem and couldn't stand a lower class tribal being better than him at archery so he and his brahmin guru Dronacharya through treachery tricked the Tribal hero Ekalavya to cut of his thumb

The purpose of this story and why it is present in the mahabharata is to show the tribals and the lower classes their true places which according to the brahmins was under the thumb of the ruling classes( the ruling class was formed by an alliance between brahmins and kshatriya's)


Today after thousands of years of brahmin oppression the tribals are reasserting themselves and winning the war against upper class oppression

A bloody caste war has been going on in India for the last 3 decades

There are many private armies in india some of the important ones are

The ranvir sena of the upper classes
and the dalit panthers (modeled on the black panther party of america)
of the lower classes.
and the third being the naxalites also of the tribals and lower castes

All three armies have massacred people from rival classes in this war

The upper class kshatriyas and brahmins have been masscaring lower classes for the last thousand years and it is only in the last 3 decades have the lower classes found the will to resist and retaliate against brahmin oppression.

As of today the Ranvir Sena has been decimitated and the lower classes are winning with the naxalites today controlling large parts of India mostly in the forests and rural areas

Within a decade the tribals and lower classes in India might overthrow the corrupt government of the rich and establish a people's
government.

 

let me tell you the current chapter of Sudra ignorance, The above post.

 

Are you calling me a sudra ?

 

It is pretty obvious isn't it?

 

It is true in a sense. Shudra word has many meanings, one of which is ignorant. And I am afraid I must class you under this category, for you state several tales as fact, without ever having studied or read the original scripture, thereby losing out on very important nuances and getting all the wrong meanings. In fact your entire approach is only aimed at making it seem as though all things Hindu are ignorant, wrong, or foolish. The arrogance that thinks that all the several generations of great saints and scholars are fools, while you alone are wise enough to pass judgement upon one and all, is indeed laughable.

The only reason you deserve any respect is because the divine consciousness lies hidden within you also. Well hidden.

 

Well, I think one who is so fiery does deserve respect, its just that the fire we see should be fueled by Mr. Knowledge rather than Mr. ignorance in his heart. The fire can be used to cook food or burn the house, you pick what you want to do.

 

Actually, that is the only reason anyone deserves any respect.