I.

Prelude: The Mahabharata tells a tragic story of a highly talented Bhil archer named
Ekalavya whose archery skills were so superior to any of the Pandavas or Kauravas that
Dronacharya had to trick him to forgo archery for life by claiming his thumb as a
gurudakshina. But did the story of Ekalavya end there? No, it did not! His story
continued in bits of pieces all across Mahabharata and I intend to tell you those unheard
stories of this great warrior.
(Source: I recently read a book by the great author Nrisinha Prasad Bhaduri, who had
done extensive research on the Mahabharata, especially on the anti-heroes of this epic.
I had translated the main parts of Ekalavyas story from his book in this post)
This is the first part of my two part series of Ekalavya: The untold story.

II. Introduction
Ekalavyas clan was called the Nishadas or the tribal warriors. Historians say the
Nishadas were spread all over India, from north to south, east to west. Historians believe
the Nishadas were the early inhabitants of India and they existed even before the Aryans
arrived. Though fearless and peace loving the Nishadas were treated as outcastes by
everyone and they lead a secluded life
(An interesting story about the disappearance of the river Saraswati says that she
disappeared only because she found out that if she wanted to reach the sea she had to
flow through the Nishada kingdom, and that is why she chose to disappear rather than
show herself to the tribals)
Ekalavyas father Hiranyadhanu was a well known Nishada king who had his tribal
kingdom not very far from Hastinapur. As a young prince Ekalavya was naturally
attracted towards the royal sports, hunting and archery.

III. Dronacharyas dilemma

A. The reason - As Ekalavya became older he mastered the basic skills of archery all by
himself and one day when he saw Dronacharya teaching the Pandavas and the Kauravas
archery and other lessons Ekalavya approached him and requested him to make him his
student. Dronacharya refused to have him inducted among his royal students. What we
know from the Mahabharata is he did that to ensure that a tribal boy did not mix with
the princes else their status would have been jeopardized. But was that the actual reason
why he Dronacharya refused? Back then gurus like him were allowed to teach the art of
war to anyone they liked, irrespective of their caste and creed (remember, all Kshatriyas
were not kings or princes). Then what could have been the real motive behind his
refusal?
The actual reason for this was much more political. Dronacharya was a resident teacher
of the Kauravas (and I mean Kauravas and Pandavas both, that time there was only one

kingdom named Kuru). He was paid a handsome remuneration to teach the young
princes the art of war and a mere wrong decision would have enraged Bhisma or
Dhritarastra and he could have lost his job. Dronacharya never forgot how he had
struggled to earn a decent living before coming to Kuru, how his little son Aswathama
was made to drink rice water as milk and how his friend Drupada insulted his poverty
and friendship. Dronacharya couldnt have risked it all for Ekalavya. Hence the decision.

B. Suppressed feelings The first time when Dronacharya met Ekalavya (when he
found a dogs mouth was filled with arrows in such a way that it was unable to utter
any sound) he knew that none of the warriors he knew were able to do such a skillful
thing with a bow and arrows. He was definitely curious about the young tribal boy
Ekalavya and when he came to know that he had mastered such skills only by watching
him he was definitely intrigued. Lot of scholars believed that right at that moment
Dronacharya accepted Ekalavya as his worthy and perhaps the best student at heart.
(I would like to point out a small example of Ekalavyas skills, Ekalavya was
meditating when the dog came to the jungle and started barking at him. He was
disturbed by the dog and was unhappy. The dog barked once and never got a chance to
bark again. In that fraction of second the dog needed to let out his second bark
Ekalavya shot seven arrows in its mouth. That was skill !)
But the gurudakshina part where Dronacharya claimed his right hands thumb did not
happen on that same day. It happened some time later.

C. Arjunas manipulation Somehow Arjuna had seen the looks on Dronacharyas

face when he met Ekalavya and feared the worst. As a great archer himself Arjuna
realized Ekalavyas skills in a moment and perhaps he felt that he himself was not as
good as Ekalavya was.
The same night Dronacharya woke up from his sleep by a strange noise outside. He came
out of his room and found it was pitch dark around him. And from that darkness came a
strange hissing sound, as if someone was shooting arrows. Dronacharya took a torch and
followed the sound. Soon he found Arjuna standing in the middle of darkness and
practicing one of the hardest lessons of archery Shabd Bhedi Teer or hitting a target
only by hearing its sound. Dronacharya was overwhelmed by seeing Arjunas skills and
dedication and embraced him in joy. But Arjuna pushed him away and told him that he
was very saddened by Dronacharyas actions the same morning. When Dronacharya
wanted to know what bothered his favorite student Arjuna replied, Acharya, you had
promised me, and Pitamaha Bhisma that you would make me the greatest warrior in
this world and I would be unmatched on earth, in the heavens and in Patala (hell).
Then why do we have someone like Ekalavya who can challenge my greatness?
Dronacharya had nothing to answer, but at the same time he made up his mind that of
had to remain as the teacher of the Pandavas and the Kauravas he had to do something
about Ekalavya even if he had to go against his own principles.

D. Dronacharyas acceptance -We all know what happened next. Dronacharya went
to Ekalavya and asked him to cut off the thumb of his right hand as Gurudakshina.
Now here is the interesting part that we fail to realize. In those times a guru could only
ask for a Gurudakshina from a person who was his student. The moment Dronacharya
asked for the same from Ekalavya it was clear that Dronacharya had accepted Ekalavya
as his student at heart, else he could have never asked for a dakshina from him. And he
accepted Ekalavya as his finest student so tactfully (and sadly) that not even Arjuna had
anything to complain about.

IV. Ekalavyas resurrection

After Ekalavya fell to the ground crying in despair and sorrow after losing his thumb
perhaps the happiest man that time was Arjuna for he had tactfully eliminated his rival.
Even after returning to his palace Arjuna could not control his joy. So to make more out
of it he decided to visit the Nishada kingdom one more time to go and meet (read
humiliate) Ekalavya. So he went to the jungle with a few close friends to meet Ekalavya.
When they reached that place they saw an amazing picture.
Ekalavya was still practicing archery, he was grabbing each arrow with four fingers, he
was gripping them like a child and was trying to shoot. But without his thumb his four
fingers could never provide the support, aim or the grip needed to shoot an arrow, hence
all the arrows he shot were hitting the ground much before they hit the target. Ekalavya
had tears in his eyes but in sheer determination he bit his lower lip, subdued his sorrow
and kept on shooting. Arjuna laughed at him with his friends, mocked him openly and
returned this time even happier.
But the story did not end here, after hearing about Ekalavya, after a couple of years
Krishna went to see him in the same jungle where he lived and what he saw amazed him,
shocked him and scared him. Krishna saw that Ekalavya had regained much of his
former mastery of the bow and arrow (even though never like before) and had emerged
as a great king of the Nishadas.
Krishna knew that this fearless tribal king will one day return for he still had a bigger
role to play on the stages of Mahabharata, he knew Ekalavya will return to seek revenge
on the Pandavas and Kauravas for the injustice that was done to him.
And Krishna was not wrong .

V. Unlikely allies
Not long after Ekalavya cut his thumb and the Pandavas had him eliminated he was
forgotten by the five brothers. Eventually they earned a lot of fame, love and respect of
the people of Hastinapur and were advised by their elders to arrange a Rajsuya Yagya
a Yagya or a ritual to invite and honor the greatest kings of the lands and have them
endorse Yudhistir as the mightiest of them all.
The four brothers set out in four directions inviting kings and emperors. Some accepted
the invitation happily and some were not that lucky (like Yarashandha). During the

yagya it was a custom for the king who was hosting it (Yudhishtir) to pay homage or
respect to the person who he felt was the greatest or bravest. This was never an easy task
as no king would think that he was not the greatest and didn't deserve the respect. When
Yudhistir recommended Krishna as the person who deserved that respect there was
chaos and unrest among the kings. Two kings, namely, Shisupal and Rukmi were arch
enemies of the Pandavas.
Shisupal spoke out loud that anybody present there apart from Krishna was more
eligible for that respect, he mentioned Bhisma, Drona, Drupada and Rukmi, to name a
few. When the Pandavas did not pay any heed to his requests then Shisupal stood up and
said O mighty Pandavas, have you been so forgetful lately? Have you forgotten about
the mightiest of them whom you had destroyed with your vile politics and unclean
tactics? Have you forgotten about the mighty Ekalavya the king of the Nishadas? While
everyone looked in disbelief and shock a man stood up from the crowd and looked
straight towards Arjuna, he was the Nishada king Ekalavya.
No one among the Pandavas were sure who had invited the fearsome Nishada king but it
was clear from that very moment that whatever happened in the past that turned
Ekalavya to a nemesis of Arjuna and he had unknowingly aligned himself with kings like
Shisupal and Rukmi who were the arch rivals of Krishna.
Ekalavya did not confront the Pandavas that day, not even when Krishna killed Shisupal
in front of everyone. But that incident filled his heart with hatred towards Krishna as
well. And he knew they would meet soon and then the tide of events would be much
different.
VI. Retribution
(The events described below can be found in the original Mahabharata and
Harivansh Purana)
A. Buildup - When Krishna killed Sishupal during the Rajsuya yagya a few kings like
Poundrak Vasudev, Rukmi had attacked Krishna. Somehow the skirmish was stopped by
other kings and elders but that incident had planted the seed of revenge in the hearts of
those kings. They had planned to strike Dwarka at the most unexpected time to avenge
the death of their friends, Yarashandh and Sishupal.
B. Unpleasant surprise - When Yudhistir and Duryodhana were gambling in
Hastinapur the three mighty kings, Vasudev, Rukmi and Ekalavya attacked Dwarka at
night. Rukmi and Vasudev led the attack and it took the Yadavs by surprise. The night
was dark and the two kings with their army started slaying the Yadavs randomly. The
Yadavs were brave men too, they quickly gathered their strength and started lighting
torches and fire all around them. That solved two purposes, they could then see their
enemies and the fire somehow kept the horses and chariots at bay. The Yadavs took up
their bows and arrows, swords and clubs and proceeded to attack Rukmi.
The author now described the arrival of Ekalavya in an awesome manner, he wrote
From the light and darkness created by the fire emerged a huge figure, he appeared as if
death himself had risen from the depths of mahakal and stood with a big and awe
inspiring bow in hand.(Dhanurgrihan Mahaghoran Kalantak Yamopaha in Sanskrit).
By the time the Yadavs understood what was happening it started raining arrows on
them. With four fingers on his right hand Ekalavya was devastating with his bow, he

started shooting twenty five to thirty arrows in a few seconds. The Yadavs were getting
butchered like sparrows in front of an eagle. None who managed to escape were not
injured or wounded by him.
Somehow Krishna got to know about this attack on his men and relatives and he soon
appeared in the battlefield with his brother Balram.
C. War of the worlds - Krishna and Balram started fighting fiercely but Krishna soon
realized how deadly and destructive Ekalavya was that night, for he himself was not
spared from his arrows. On seeing this Ekalavya laughed and called out Balram, Krishna
and Satyaki and mocked them (Satyaki Virah-kka Yaswati Mahavalah, meaning O
Satyaki the mighty, are you running from me?).
Somehow Krishna was able to call his men back and started fighting.
Soon Satyaki and Krishna drew the war with Vasudev and Rukmi. That left Balram and
Ekalavya open for a fight. Balram jumped in front of him roaring like a lion and hurling
his mighty club (Gada). Ekalavya shot ten Naracha astra and ten normal arrows at
Balram. Those dismayed him completely and when Ekalavya started raining arrows on
him Balram had to call in additional men to divert Ekalavyas attention. Balram was
definitely unstoppable in Gada-yuddh, knowing this Ekalavya made sure he gave Balram
no chance for a close combat.
At the end of this confrontation it was found that while Ekalavya had killed hundreds of
Balrams men Balram was only able to destroy the tip of Ekalavyas chariot (Dhwaja) and
wounded his charioteer.
D. The takedown - On seeing this Krishna felt he had to intervene else that would turn
into a night of sorrow for the Yadavs. He ran to Balram and whispered in his ears
Brother, to defeat this mighty archer you must break his bow, shoot an arrow to the
middle of the bow, where he is gripping it. Only then can you take him down. On
hearing this Balram started a fierce battle with Ekalavya and perhaps in a moments
unmindfullness Ekalavya gave Balram a chance to close-in on him and he struck his bow
with his Gada thus breaking it in two halves.
This was Balrams chance, he knew his enemy has lost his biggest weapon. He attacked
Ekalavya with his Gada and Ekalavya too grabbed one and counter attacked. However
Balram was the master of close combat with his Gada, he was simply unbeatable.
Ekalavya, on the other hand had no firm grip with four fingers on his right hand that was
needed to match the blows delivered by Balram. Eventually Balram destroyed his chariot
and gravely injured Ekalavya. Krishna, in the meantime had slain Vasudev. Ekalavya had
no option except retreating. Ekalavya jumped into the ocean that was there near Dwarka
and swam away to an isolated island. Thus the night was saved and the Yadavs spared,
but the damage had been done and a great deal of fear had been inflicted at the hearts of
all including Krishna.
VII. The revelation
Nothing much can be found in Mahabharata about Ekalavya after this incident. We do
not know if he led a secluded life on that island or returned to his kingdom. But in Udyog
Parv it is mentioned that Drupada had advised the Pandavas to send a messenger to the
Nishada king requesting him to join them for the battle of Kurukshetra. No prizes for

guessing what Ekalavyas answer was.

During the battle of Kurukshetra when Ghatotkatcha was killed by Karna, Arjun sat
down in despair and told Krishna that he had seen enough bloodshed of his kin already
and he wanted to give up the fight. Krishna then told him, O Arjun, you want to give up
the battle and return home. Do you have the slightest idea what I had done to ensure that
you and your brothers were victorious in this great battle? I had to have Yarashandh and
Shisupal killed for you to be victorious. And you never knew that before this battle
began, I myself had to kill the mighty Nishada king Ekalavya with my own hands, for I
had always feared that involvement in this battle would have turned the tides
completely.
Arjun was shocked. Krishna remained silent for a while and then said, Yes, never before
I had to kill anyone directly, but no man would have been able to kill Ekalavya. Only I
had that power. And I had to do it against my will!!!
Thus ended the story of the mighty and tragic hero of the Mahabharata !

Many of us didnt know what happened to Ekalavya, we were not aware that he was
killed by Krishna himself to ensure that his friend Arjun lived through the battle of
Kurukshetra to tell the tale. Sadly the great epic of Mahabharata sings praises of the
victors, many heroes like Ekalavya had fallen into the void of the forgotten. My
question will always be, are the victors of Mahabharata truly the worthy ones?