Ekalavya was the son of a Nishadha chief. He requested Dronacharya to train him, but Dronacharya refused, as Ekalavya belonged to a tribe and could not be trained alongside the Kuru princes.
Determined to learn archery, Ekalavya made a clay idol of Dronacharya to supervise him during his training.
One day, while Dronacharya was bathing in a river, he was attacked by a crocodile. Arjuna shot five arrows at the crocodile, saving Dronacharya’s life. Dronacharya promised Arjuna that he would make him the greatest archer.
Later, while Ekalavya was training, a dog belonging to the Kuru princes kept barking and disturbing him. Ekalavya skillfully shot arrows into the dog’s mouth without causing it any injury. The Kuru princes were amazed and Ekalavya introduced himself as a disciple of Dronacharya.
Arjuna felt jealous and in order to keep his promise, Dronacharya, accepted Ekalavya as his disciple but demanded Ekalavya’s right thumb as Guru Dakshina. Ekalavya, without hesitation, severed his thumb and offered it to Dronacharya. This sacrifice forced Ekalavya to give up archery.