Ekalavya: Beyond Immortality

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Just as he was about to slap the young child, who closed his eyes in fear.

Ekalavya quickly arrived in front of the child and caught the hand of the noble young brat, preventing him from hurting the innocent and hardworking boy.

The boy, who had been bracing for the pain of the slap, opened his eyes to see that someone had stopped the noble brat's hand.

"Who are you and why are you interfering?" The Rich brat finally realized that someone had prevented him from slapping the dirty brat.

"Hey, calm down a bit. And why are you getting so angry when your clothes are still clean?" Ekalavya said angrily, feeling like the arrogant fool was intentionally causing trouble.

"What...how dare you try to lecture me!" The Noble arrogant fool became even angrier and pulled his hand away.

"Guards, capture this person and throw him into prison for daring to interfere when I was punishing this disrespectful child!" The noble young master yelled, and four guards quickly appeared, wearing armor and carrying spears.

"Don't you understand human language?" Ekalavya was starting to feel stressed as he dealt with the unreasonable wealthy fool.

"Don't move, just come with us quietly!" The guards surrounded Ekalavya, pointing their spears at him.

"Whoa, there. No need to be so aggressive!" Ekalavya said playfully.

Knowing that this problem wouldn't be resolved unless he took action and silenced the arrogant fool.

"Fine...if you want to do it this way, then who am I to stop you? I already tried to be nice," Ekalavya shook his head and muttered.

"Get him!" The noble young master yelled once more.

"Charge!" The guards shouted and rushed towards him.

"Kid, can you please step back a bit?" Ekalavya turned to the young boy and told him to move away from the scene.

"Swish...!!"

"Bammm...Ooff...Bamnnn...Ahhh!"

"Thud...Thud...!!"

"Now, what should I do with you?" Ekalavya stood in front of the arrogant young master with a cold, intimidating expression, while the four guards had their spears broken and were lying on the ground motionless.

"Huh...!" The young master didn't understand what had just happened. He had only seen his guards charge at Ekalavya, and now they were knocked out.

"Boo!" Ekalavya startled the wealthy kid.

"Ahhh!" The young master screamed and fell to the ground before quickly getting up and running away from the scene.

"Hahahaha!" Ekalavya chuckled at the funny reaction. 

He turned to the young boy, observing him up close. 

'He seems to be around my age, but he's quite thin. Maybe he's been having trouble getting enough food. I should ask him,' Ekalavya thought, imagining the difficulties the boy might be facing.

"Hey there, kid. Are you doing alright?" Ekalavya began, showing concern.

The boy replied, "I'm okay. Thank you for helping me, Arya!" He displayed impressive manners, bowing and expressing gratitude with a genuine smile.

"It's not a problem, but I'm curious, why are you selling firewood in these dangerous alleys?" Ekalavya inquired, feeling intrigued by the kid's situation.

"What choice do I have? I have a sick sister at home, and I need to earn so we can get enough food to survive in this tough world," the kid explained with emotion in his voice.

"Don't worry, kid. You're doing a great job!" Ekalavya reassured him, offering comfort and praising the boy's efforts.

"By the way, who are you, Arya?" the kid asked, growing curious about Ekalavya. He also wanted to know who his savior was. 

"I'm just an ordinary person, named Ekalavya," Ekalavya stated, pointing to himself. 

"Thank you for your help, Arya! I'll surely repay this gratitude, but I need to go back to selling my firewood right now," the kid said, bowing to express his gratitude once more and asking for permission to leave so he could continue selling the firewood. 

"Sure, but if your sister's health worsens, consider taking her to Acharya Vyasa's Ashram," Ekalavya nodded, leaving a message for the kid before departing. 

"Acharya Vyasa? So Arya is a Sishya of Acharya Vyasa!" the kid murmured upon hearing the name Acharya Vyasa.

Feeling a bit disheartened, Ekalavya returned to Acharya Vyasa, who was still engaged in their Pooja (Prayer ritual). 

Thinking that meditating might be a good idea, he settled down beside Acharya Vyasa and began to meditate as well.

Acharya Vyasa, observing Ekalavya's presence, nodded approvingly.

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Next day, 

Acharya Vyasa continued to read the Path of Lord Shiva, while Ekalavya grew tired of meditation. 

Feeling restless, he decided to take a stroll in the garden. Eventually, he wandered to a practice field much larger and better than the one back in his tribe.

On the field, he noticed Sadhana and Veerendra, the grandsons of Kankan. 

Veerendra was practicing his sword swings, and Sadhana was honing her archery skills. 

Ekalavya's curiosity was piqued as he observed their somewhat awkward attempts.

He approached them and stood nearby, watching closely as they practiced.

"Hey there! Mind if I show you a trick or two?" Ekalavya said, as they paused their practice.

"Huh, aren't you Acharya Vyasa's Sishya? What brings you here?" Veerendra and Sadhana turned to Ekalavya upon hearing his call. Veerendra asked curiously.

"Oh, yup, that's me, the Sishya with Acharya Vyasa. I was getting a bit restless sitting over there, so I took a little walk and ended up here!" Ekalavya nodded and explained.

"By the way, my name's Ekalavya. Feel free to call me whatever you like!" Ekalavya grinned and carried on with his introduction.

"So, Arya Ekalavya, what's this trick you mentioned?" Sadhana addressed Ekalavya with a respectful tone and asked in a curious manner about what he wanted to show them. 

"Well, it's nothing too tough, but it can help you relax and get better," Ekalavya responded, motioning for them to come closer. 

Ekalavya then demonstrated a technique to release tension from the body.

He began by pointing out to Sadhana that she was holding the bow incorrectly and that her arrow-knocking speed was slow.

Although he hadn't learned archery cause of his mediocre talent, he recalled the way his tribesmen handled bows and arrows. Those memories were etched vividly in his mind.

After witnessing the improvement in her archery, Sadhana felt a surge of happiness. Veerendra, equally curious, chimed in.

"What about you? What does the weapon you hold mean to you?" Ekalavya posed a simple yet profound question, one that holds deep significance for each person.

"...." Veerendra fell silent, realizing he had no immediate answer.

He had never contemplated this aspect before. Perhaps, to him, the weapons were mere tools to garner fame and recognition on the battlefield.

"Listen, every warrior on the battlefield has a special bond with their weapon," Ekalavya began, wanting to enlighten the young fighter.

"Now, tell me, what drives you to step onto the battlefield and become a warrior?" Ekalavya asked, delving into the motivations that shape one's path.

Seeing Veerendra remain silent again, Ekalavya sighed, thinking he's still just a kid despite being older.

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