Tolerance – is when you can take suffering and withstand undesirable situations.
The Mahabharata, an epic from ancient India, is full of stories that teach important lessons. One such story is about tolerance,:
Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Eklavya who belonged to a lower caste in society. Eklavya was very much passionate in learning archery and during the era the best teacher was Guru Dronacharya due to which he was having a great respect for him.
One day, Eklavya went to Dronacharya to learn archery from him. However, Dronacharya refused to teach him as he belonged to a lower caste. Disappointed, Eklavya decided to teach by himself. But he knew that right teaching comes with the blessings from the Guru hence he decides making a clay idol of Dronacharya and practicing in front of it every day.
Years passed, and Eklavya became an expert archer, surpassing even the great Arjuna, who was one of Dronacharya’s best students. When Dronacharya heard of Eklavya’s skills, he was shocked and asked to see him shoot an arrow.
Eklavya agreed, and when he shot an arrow, Dronacharya saw the clay idol and realized that Eklavya had been practicing on his own all these years. Dronacharya was impressed with Eklavya’s dedication and skills but felt ashamed of his own behavior towards Eklavya.
He asked Eklavya what he wanted as a reward for his skills, and Eklavya humbly replied that he only wished to serve and be loyal to Dronacharya. This display of humility and respect from Eklavya deeply touched Dronacharya, and he realized that talent and skill have no caste or class barriers.
The story of Eklavya teaches us that tolerance and respect for all individuals, regardless of their background or social status, is essential. It reminds us that we should judge people based on their abilities and character rather than their caste or class.