Arjuna and the bird's eye

Told in English, Telugu.

Long, long ago, in the great city of Hastinapura, there lived many young princes. There were five brothers called the Pandavas, and there were their cousins, the Kauravas. Every morning, when the sun was just waking up, all of them went to learn from their teacher, Guru Drona.

Guru Drona was the best teacher of archery in the whole land. He could make an arrow fly as fast as the wind and land exactly where he wanted. The princes loved him, and they practised with their bows every single day.

One bright morning, Guru Drona said, "Children, today I have a special test for you. Come with me."

The princes looked at each other. A test! Their hearts went thump, thump. They picked up their bows and followed their guru to the edge of a quiet forest.

There stood a tall, tall tree with thick green leaves. And right at the very top, on a thin branch, sat a little bird. But it was not a real bird. Guru Drona had made it from wood and painted it carefully, so it looked almost alive. It had a tiny painted eye, black and round, like a mustard seed.

"Listen carefully," said Guru Drona. "Your task is to shoot an arrow into the eye of that bird. Only its eye. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Guruji!" said all the princes together.

"Good. But before anyone shoots, I will ask each of you one question."

First he called the eldest Pandava, Yudhishthira. Yudhishthira was a gentle and honest prince. He lifted his bow, fitted an arrow, and pulled back the string.

"Wait," said Guru Drona. "Tell me, Yudhishthira, what do you see?"

Yudhishthira looked up. "Guruji, I see the tall tree. I see the green leaves moving in the breeze. I see the blue sky. I see you standing beside me, and my brothers behind me. And I see the bird on the branch."

Guru Drona nodded slowly. "Put down your bow, my son. Please step aside."

Yudhishthira was puzzled, but he obeyed his teacher and stepped back.

Next came Duryodhana, the eldest of the Kauravas. He held his bow high and aimed.

"What do you see, Duryodhana?" asked the guru.

"I see the tree, Guruji, and the branches, and the bird. I can see the clouds too, and my cousins standing over there."

"Put down your bow. Step aside."

Duryodhana frowned and walked away, grumbling a little under his breath.

Then came big, strong Bhima. "What do you see, Bhima?"

Bhima squinted. "Hmm, I see the tree, and the leaves, and a few fruits up there too, Guruji, and the bird."

Guru Drona smiled softly. "Step aside, Bhima."

One after another, the princes came forward. And one after another, they talked about the sky, the leaves, the branches, the people around them. And one after another, Guru Drona said, "Step aside."

Now the princes began to whisper. "Why won't Guruji let anyone shoot? What is the right answer?"

At last, only one prince was left. It was Arjuna, the third Pandava brother. Arjuna stepped forward quietly. He fitted an arrow to his bow. He pulled the string back, all the way to his ear. He did not look at his brothers. He did not look at the sky.

Everyone held their breath. Even the birds in the forest seemed to go quiet.

"Arjuna," said Guru Drona, "what do you see?"

"I see the bird, Guruji," said Arjuna.

"Do you see the tree?"

"No, Guruji. I see only the bird."

"Do you see me? Do you see your brothers?"

"No, Guruji. Only the bird."

Guru Drona leaned a little closer. "Then tell me, Arjuna. What does the bird look like? Can you see its wings? Its tail?"

Arjuna's eyes did not move even a tiny bit. "Guruji, I cannot see its wings or its tail. I see only its eye. Only the small black eye."

A big, happy smile spread across Guru Drona's face. "Then shoot, Arjuna!"

Twang! The arrow flew from the bow, straight and swift, up, up, up through the leaves. And with a soft tak, it struck the wooden bird, right in its tiny painted eye!

The princes gasped. Then they cheered. "Arjuna did it! He hit the eye!"

Guru Drona put his hand gently on Arjuna's shoulder and turned to all his students.

"Children," he said, "do you see now why I asked my question? All of you are strong. All of you are clever. But when you looked at the target, your minds wandered here and there, to the sky, the leaves, the people. Arjuna gave his whole mind to one thing only. That is called concentration. When your mind is fixed on your goal like this, no target is too small and no task is too hard."

Yudhishthira smiled and hugged his younger brother. "Well done, Arjuna," he said. And the other princes nodded, because they had learned something important that day too.

From then on, Arjuna kept practising with great care, and in time he became one of the greatest archers the world has ever known.

Now, my little one, here is something for you to try. Tomorrow, when you are reading, or drawing, or doing your homework, can you be like Arjuna? Can you see only your book, only your drawing, and nothing else? Let's try together. Close your eyes and think of one small thing, just one. Can you see it? That is your bird's eye.

Good night, little archer.