A scrolling story · for children aged 5 to 11 and their grown-ups
Wholehearted devotion (Samarpan)
Ekalavya, a boy of the forest, longs to learn archery from a great teacher. With no one to teach him, he shapes an image of the teacher from clay and practises before it every day with complete devotion. While others are distracted, his gaze stays on his aim.
Scroll down, or use the arrow keys, to walk through the story. Nothing is narrated: it is made for reading aloud together.
Act 1 · The World & the Conflict
Act 1 · card 1 of 3
Deep in a green forest lived a boy named Ekalavya. His family were woodsmen and hunters, and he could move between the trees as quietly as a deer. More than anything, Ekalavya dreamed of becoming a great archer: the kind who never misses, whose arrows fly straight because his mind is steady.
Act 1 · card 2 of 3
There was a famous teacher of archery in the kingdom, but he taught only the princes of the royal school. Ekalavya had no one to train him. Did he give up? No. He shaped an image of the teacher he admired from river clay, placed a garland of wild flowers around it, and bowed before it every morning with his whole heart.
Act 1 · card 3 of 3
Then he practised. Every day, in the sun and in the rain. A carved wooden bird sat high on a branch as his target. His arms ached, his fingers grew sore, and many arrows flew wide. But each morning he bowed again, kept his teacher in his heart and tried once more. Slowly, his arrows landed closer and closer.
Act 2 · The Crossroads
Act 2 · card 1 of 2
One afternoon, just as Ekalavya drew his bow, a crowd of children burst through the trees, laughing and shouting. “Ekalavya! There’s a fair in the village! Sweets, swings and puppets! Come and play!” They tugged at his sleeve and chased butterflies around his target. His arrow wobbled. His eyes darted everywhere at once.
Act 2 · card 2 of 2
The fair sounded wonderful, and he was tired. But the sun was already sinking, and he had promised himself one hundred arrows today. He had shot only fifty. The children were his friends, and he did not want to be unkind. His heart felt pulled two ways, like a bowstring stretched too tight.
The crossroads · every path is a kind one
Tap a path to see where it leads. You can open all three: there is no wrong answer.
Ekalavya chose Satya (truth). He lowered his bow and told his friends honestly, “I’d love to come, but I’m practising for something very important to me. Will you save me a sweet?” The children were surprised, and then they respected him. They tiptoed away, whispering, “Shh! Ekalavya is practising!” Honest words had made space for his work.
Ekalavya chose Dharma (doing what is right). “I promised myself one hundred arrows,” he said with a grin. “When they’re done, I’ll race you all to the fair!” The children groaned, then cheered and ran ahead to save him a place on the swings. Ekalavya turned back to his target with a light, happy heart.
Ekalavya chose Shanti (peace). He did not grow cross with his noisy friends. He smiled, closed his eyes and took three slow breaths. The laughter did not go away, but it moved to the edge of his mind, like birds singing in faraway trees. In the middle, where his attention rested, everything was calm and clear.
Act 3 · The Inner Awakening
Act 3 · card 1 of 2
Ekalavya raised his bow once more. He did not see the swings, the butterflies or the setting sun. He saw only the wooden bird’s eye, and in his heart, his teacher. His breathing was still. His gaze did not waver. Twang! The arrow flew straight and true, into the very centre of the target.
Act 3 · card 2 of 2
This is Samarpan (wholehearted dedication): giving our whole heart to what matters most. In Dhyan (meditation), seekers of Brahm Gyan (divine knowledge) learn to rest their attention steadily within, on the Divine Light a true Guru reveals. A mind gathered in one place grows strong, calm and clear, and then even hard things become possible.
Try it tonight
Tonight, when you do your homework or practise something you love, try the archer’s way. Put away one distraction, like a screen or a noisy toy. Take three slow breaths, choose one small target (“just this page” or “just ten minutes”) and give it your whole heart. Then go and play, and enjoy that fully too.
The heart of the story
Single-minded devotion opens powers inside us that talent alone never reaches.
Inspired by Ekalavya in the Mahabharata (Adi Parva); the end of the original is left out for young c
