If you are asked whether it is better to be Arjun with a teacher like Dronacharya or to be Eklavya without a teacher, it is very likely that you will choose to be Arjun. Possibly this is right choice but for a moment consider looking it from another point of view.
Imagine a situation where Arjun is taking aim at the target, shoots, misses the target of bull's eye by 2-inch on the left side. Arjun goes to his teacher Drona who looks at the situation, asks Arjun to hit it again, the same thing happens again. Drona tells Arjun that he is putting more weight on the left foot and asks him to shift a little bit of weight on the right side by 1 inch, again takes aim after re-balancing his weight, shoots and hits the target!
Now consider the same situation for Eklavya. He misses the target by 2 - inch on the left side. He has nobody to turn to, no Guru to ask and get "ready made" solutions. He is worried, he thinks, he shoots again and keeps trying. At night he cannot sleep, and tosses and turns on his hard bed. Next day some more practice but similar results. Next night again no sleep. Possibly on the third day ( like a flash of lightning ) he discovers the role played by the way he balances the weight on each foot. He tries now to lean on his right foot and sooner or later shoots and hits the target!
The question arises: which situation is preferable? While Arjun was getting ready-made answers he could not develop his own ability of struggling and solving the problems which came to him. So every time the problems come, he needs to lookup to someone to guide him. He does this at the battlefield also ( which in a way, in retrospect, is good because mankind got a fantastic thing called the Gita because of this. Of course Lord Krishna would have figured out some other ways of giving us the Gita considering this thing had not happened, is a counter-argument.)
On the other hand, Eklavya had taught himself archery, had a feeling of achievement far, far, fuller and deeper than that of Arjun's and had also learnt the ability of squarely facing the problems which came to him in life by analyzing them, struggling through them and finally winning!
So dear friends, we ask again, is it better to be Arjun with a teacher like Dronacharya or Eklavya who has to find his own answers without a teacher?
source: Stories from Here and There, Ekalavya Education Foundation - By: Sunil Handa - http://www.eklavya.org/storyhere.html
The question arises: which situation is preferable? While Arjun was getting ready-made answers he could not develop his own ability of struggling and solving the problems which came to him. So every time the problems come, he needs to lookup to someone to guide him. He does this at the battlefield also ( which in a way, in retrospect, is good because mankind got a fantastic thing called the Gita because of this. Of course Lord Krishna would have figured out some other ways of giving us the Gita considering this thing had not happened, is a counter-argument.)
On the other hand, Eklavya had taught himself archery, had a feeling of achievement far, far, fuller and deeper than that of Arjun's and had also learnt the ability of squarely facing the problems which came to him in life by analyzing them, struggling through them and finally winning!
So dear friends, we ask again, is it better to be Arjun with a teacher like Dronacharya or Eklavya who has to find his own answers without a teacher?
source: Stories from Here and There, Ekalavya Education Foundation - By: Sunil Handa - http://www.eklavya.org/storyhere.html
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