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708
I am the Soul
But he thought, “If the Acharya does not accept me as a disciple it is his choice, but I have already placed him as my Guru on my heart's throne. Whether he spurns me or accepts me, he is my only Guru.'
And Brothers! The tribal boy went into the forest and built himself a hut. Outside the hut he himself sculpted and installed a statue of Dronacharya. Drawing inspiration from the Gurudev in the form of that statue he set about learning archery. Due to the pleasant feelings within him, the statue of the Guru too continued to inspire. In a short while he became an expert in that art.
Some time later, Guru Dronacharya was visiting the forest along with his Kshatriya disciples. He saw an amazing feat. A barking dog had been silenced by seven arrows shot into its mouth. The dog had stopped barking but not a drop of blood had been drawn. The Guru and his disciples were awe-struck. Who could be such a great archer? They moved in the direction from which the arrows had come. There, standing with a bow in his hand, was a brilliant young boy of a dark complexion and a beautiful body that appeared to have been sculpted out of blackstone. The boy immediately fell at Dronacharya's feet. The Acharya asked him, “Who are you?""
“Lord! I am your own disciple!" "My disciple?”
Dronacharya's ego was hurt. How can this forest-dweller be my disciple? He again asked, “My disciple? No, you cannot be my disciple at all!"
“Lord! I am telling the truth. I had sought refuge at your feet several years ago. I had a yearning to learn archery but you had not accepted me. Yet I learnt this art with your inspiration alone."
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