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Eklavya, a tribal boy from the forest, a jungle boy, came to Guru Droṇāchārya and said, "Sir, I also want to learn archery." Guru Droṇāchārya looked at him. He was an uttama śiṣya, a real disciple. But the Guru was bound by the law of the princely school. Droṇāchārya said, "Boy, you cannot learn here—not that I cannot teach you. You cannot learn here, that is clear." The disciple understood everything. "You cannot learn here; somewhere else you will learn it. I will teach you somewhere else." Eklavya then went to the forest and made a statue of Droṇāchārya, as in the whole story you have heard. When Droṇāchārya later asked him, "Who taught you this knowledge?" he replied, "You, sir." "I did not teach you," said the Guru. Then he saw the statue, and Droṇāchārya smiled. That is called guru-kṛpā, the Guru's grace. There is a poem in the Rajasthani dialect: if a single kind look from the Gurudev falls upon you, you become so holy that millions will salute and adore you. Therefore, we need Guru Dṛṣṭi, for the Gurudeva to look upon us with kindness. And if he looks upon us with anger, that too is a great blessing. Consider this a piece of paper. If fire falls upon it, the paper will burn. Or if this paper falls upon the fire, the paper will burn. So, whether the master thinks of the disciple or the disciple thinks of the master, in both ways the paper—the karma of the disciple—will be burned. The angrier he is, the more his attention is there. When he is more angry with you, he thinks of you more. Thus, Eklavya became perfect in archery. But then Droṇāchārya wanted to test him. How far did his ego remain? Now that he had attained siddhi, perfection, how completely had he surrendered? So the Guru asked, "What will you give me as a donation?" Eklavya said, "Sir, ask what you want. My body, my mind, my senses, my emotion, my intellect, my soul—everything belongs to you." A disciple should never say no. In one thing you must always say yes. If you say no, you do not know what you lose in that refusal. If the Guru asks, "Do you want mokṣa?" and you say no ... Therefore, when Droṇāchārya said, "Give me your thumb," Eklavya complied. This is symbolic, for the thumb is essential for archery. So when you have knowledge and siddhi, in the presence of Mahāprabhujī and Gurujī, we must surrender everything. Then you will receive more. At that time, Droṇāchārya had thousands of disciples, yet Eklavya became immortal. Even today, here in Umāg, we remember him. Why do we think of him? Was it because he was the best in archery? No. It was because of his dedication and his confidence. You should have that same confidence and dedication—not only toward your master but toward your mother, your father, your parents, and your partners—to build a healthy, happy, strong society and family. Accept that you have made a mistake, and when you make a mistake, do not hesitate to correct it. Recording location: Croatia, Umag, Weekend seminar