Two great qualities that the Mahabarata teaches everyone are Love and Sacrifice. Ekalavya was a very ordinary person, who was not educated in any field, was brought up in the Forest, but he was a great Archer, who was greater than anyone alive, even Arjuna. When he went to Dronacharya and asked him to teach him Archery, Dronacharya told him that it was meant only for kings and princes, Such was his faith in his teacher, that he made a Statue of Clay of his Master Dronacharya and practised before it for years in the forest, When the Pandavas went into the forest and came face to face with a tiger, Arrows came flying at the Tiger not even allowing it to close its mouth.
Dronacharya immediately understood that the person who did this was no ordinary archer, he went alone in search of in the forest and met Ekalavya practsing before his statue in a secluded place, Dronacharya was a great Sanyasi, a great Warrior, but he wanted Arjuna to be known as the greatest Archer in the World, When the young Ekalavya saw his Guru, He Prostrated, the Shrewd Dronacharya asked him to perform certain tests with the bow and he then understood that this young man was greater than anything Archer he had ever seen As I said before he wanted Arjuna and No one else to be the greatest archer, So he asked for the Young ekalavya for his Right Thumb, Which was the most important for wilding a bow, Ekalavya gave his guru the Dakshina without a moment's hesitation, this is GURU BHAKTHI, He gave away his knowledge that he had acquired only by his own but inspired by his Guru back to his Guru. In the Whole of the Mahabarata. Ekalavya' sacrifice is the foremost and nothing can ever rival it. Giving away your wealth is no sacrifice, but giving your hard earned knowledge as Guru Dakshina is the greatest Sacrifice. This Sacrifice made Ekalavya Immortal. When after conquering Jayadratha, Arjuna asked Krishna whether there was any other Archer greater than him, Then Krishna narrated the Story of Ekalavya to Arjuna. - From Bhagawan's Krishnastami Discourse - August 1962 .
