Week 6 Story: The Greatest Archer

Ekalavya wiped his brow as the midday sun beat down on him from above. Gritting his teeth, he tried pulling the bowstring back for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning. And, for the hundredth time, the bowstring snapped back as his missing thumb failed to hold it in place.

"Dang it" he exclaimed, lowering his arms. "I know I can do this. I should be able to do this. Why am I making it so hard?"

For, Ekalavya was facing no easy task. No, for he was determined to regain his formidable skills as an archer. Skills that his idol, Drona, stole from him when he demanded Ekalavya cut off his right thumb. I will gain back every part of my skill that I lost and show Drona and Arjuna who the real greatest archer is! he thought to himself, as he gathered his bow and again lifted it towards the target.

For many days and weeks, Ekalavya practiced. Through rain and wind and snow, he practiced. And on one day, the unthinkable happened. Ekalavya, turning to grab another arrow out of habit, straightened as he heard a thunk. Shocked, he whipped back towards his target. The arrow he had managed to fire had flown true! Sure, it was not a bullseye, not yet, but Ekalavya knew it was just the start.

Ekalavya lifted the arrow onto his bow, and took a breath. Letting it loose, he aimed the arrow at the target and pulled the bowstring back, which, after weeks of practice, was getting easier and easier. Taking aim, he fired off another arrow, and this one landed on the target, closer to the bullseye than before. He smiled. He was back!

Many months later, Ekalavya had, after much sweat and many tears, regained fully his archery skills from before his guru-fee to Drona. He was again able to feel peace and happiness when shooting his bow, and had, over time, forgotten any anger he had held towards Drona. After all, why does anger matter when he was the greatest archer in the land?

One day, Ekalavya was hunting in a nearby forest. Spotting a deer, he took aim and then fired two arrows at once, hitting the deer in both eyes. Smiling with satisfaction at his quick kill, he hopped down from his tree and made his way over to the deer. When he was almost there, however, he heard a rustling sound in nearby bushes. Turning slowly, in case it was a larger animal, he was surprised when none other but Arjuna stepped out from behind a tree!

"Ekalavya!", Arjuna yelled. "How did you make that shot? I couldn't have done it, and I am the best archer around, especially after you lost your thumb!"

Ekalavya smiled. "Well, my friend, it was just luck, and practice. Ever since I cut off my thumb for Drona, I have spent every waking second practicing with my bow. And now I have become even better than before!"

Arjuna was gobsmacked. His rightful title of the greatest archer had been stolen from him again! But, it was too hard for him to be mad at such a cheerful person as Ekalavya. It was clear from his observations that Ekalavya was born to be an archer. As he stood there staring at Ekalavya in disbelief, an idea formed.

"Ekalavya! You wouldn't mind showing me some of your secrets, would you?"

Ekalavya smiled. "I'd love to! I love anything involving archery. And who knows? Maybe soon we'll share the title of Greatest Archer."

And with that, the two men formed a relationship that started off as the comradery of men learning together, and ended with them becoming close friends. And, in the end, Ekalavya was happy to share the title of The Greatest Archer with his friend Arjuna.

Man Shooting an Arrow in front of a Pink Sky.

No Changes Made. 06-23-2015. Source: pixy

Author's Note: The main inspiration for this story came from Tale 35 from Tiny Tales from the Mahabharata by Laura Gibbs. This tale, "Drona Demands Payment" details how Drona, the guru to both the Kauravas and the Pandavas, learned that a man, Ekalavya, had been inspired by a statue he had made of Drona to learn archery so well that he became the best archer in the land. However, Drona had promised one of his true pupils, Arjuna, that he would be the best archer in the land. Thus, Drona sneakily demanded that Ekalavya pay him the guru-fee by cutting off his right thumb, so that Arjuna would be the better archer. When I read this, I was angry for Ekalavya, who clearly idolized Drona so much that he did not even question his demand. I thought that it would be interesting to show what might have happened after by having Ekalavya practice until Drona's guru-fee ended up being for nothing. And, to make it better, I thought it would be nice if Arjuna and Ekalavya ended up being friends and more skilled at archery than Drona could have taught them. Additionally, I made Ekalavya angry with Drona at the beginning, despite nothing in the story indicating he was angry, because I wanted to show how he was able to grow past that anger and become a better character. Thus, this is my interpretation on how the events of Tale 35 might've ended.

Bibliography: Part A, Page 4, Tale 35 of the Tiny Tales from the Mahabharata by Laura Gibbs. Link: Tale 35.