Eklavya

Eklavya was the son of Hiranyadhanus who was the chief of the tribe of forest-dwelling hunters, known as the Bhils. He served under King Jarasandha's army as General. 

Eklavya was hurt when he was rejected by Dronacharya because of his lower caste. His father Hiranyadhanus was the commander of the most powerful king of that time, Jarasandha.

 Eklavya however continued on his resolute to master archery. He was once hiding in the forest while guru Drona was teaching the Kaurava and Pandava brothers.

 After they left for the ashram, Eklavya collected the mud on which Guru Drona had walked on.

 As a symbolic gesture of reverence for his Guru's knowledge and footsteps, he made a statue of Drona under a big old well-grown tree with this mud!

 There he started a self-disciplined program of self-study over many years. Accepting the statue as his guru, he practised before it every day!

He gradually became very proficient in it. 

Once he was disturbed by the barking of a dog. He shot arrows in its mouth to shut it up without hurting it!

When this feat came into the notice of Arjun, he was upset that there was a better archer than he was!

 Not wanting to have a rival archer against Arjuna and after seeing that Eklavya had his image as his teacher, Dronacharya asked the later for his Guru Dakshina!

 On being asked what he could offer, Dronacharya asked for Eklavya right thumb! He knew it well that without the thumb he could not shoot properly. 

However Eklavya cut his thumb with a knife and placed it at the Guru's feet!He didnot hesitate! With this deed, he became immortalized as the epitome of an ideal student!