Ekalavya’s Thumb and Angulimala’s Garland Of Fingers
Ekalavya’s story is that of a low-born forest boy, rejected by the Brahmin teacher Drona, and who then trains alone before a clay idol, masters archery, and surrenders his thumb when Drona discovers that his own prize student Arjuna has acquired an unwanted rival. The student’s thumb-offering is presented as devotion. The violence embedded in the transaction is not presented at all. …















