A young man was the student of a great master of tar. And someday the student had gone to meet another master of tar. Since the second master wanted to learn the first master's knowledge but he was so selfish to accept being the student of the first master, so he said to the young student that you had not understood your master's knowledge, the non-experienced young student started to prove that he has understood his master's style, and then he started to convey all the knowledge in this way:
 
S) "My master plays the Neyshaburak like this." And he played the melody.
 
M) "But this is not the Neyshaburak, this is Neyriz." And the student played the second melody in order to prove that he also knows the second one.
 
S) My dear son, this is Noruz-e-Saba.
 
M) "What do you say? Noruz-e-Saba is something else." And the student played the Noruz-e-Saba angrily!

 

 

 

Ekalabya, the son of the chief of a tribal group, went to Derona to learn archery. Derona was the very best teacher of archery in the world. He had been appointed to teach the children of the king, and Arjuna, one of the princes, was his favorite pupil. Drona refused to teach Ekalabya, because he was from a tribal clan, considered to be a lower class. Ekalabya went into the forest. He built an image of Drona, worshiped it as a guru, and continued to practice archery. One day, Drona's princely disciples went out hunting in their chariots. With them, they took a dog. While the princes were looking for game, the dog wandered off, got lost, and came upon Ekalabya. As soon as the dog saw Ekalabya, it began to bark annoyingly. Ekalabya, who was trying to concentrate on his archery practice, shot seven arrows almost simultaneously, and with them knitted the dog's lips together.

 

When the dog returned to the princes, they were astonished at the extraordinary skill by the unknown archer, and, humbled by the thought of the prowess, they praised him. They searched for him, and, when at last they found him, they asked his name and the name of his teacher. Ekalabya answered, "I am the chief of my tribe, and my teacher's name is Drona." The princes returned to Drona and admiringly related the story of Ekalabya's feat. When Arjuna was alone with Drona, however, he said affectionately, "Didn't you once embrace me and tell me that I was to be better than the others, that there would never be a pupil of yours who could excel me? How is it that you have another, a chief, who is not only better than I, but also the best in the world?"

 

Drona took Arjuna back into the forest. When Ekalabya saw Drona, he immediately embraced his feet and touched the ground with his forehead. Then, he declared himself to be Drona's pupil and stood submissively before him with hands folded. Drona said, "If you are my pupil, the you must give me my fee at once." Joyfully, Ekalabya assured Drona, "I will keep nothing from my guru." "Give me your right thumb", Drona demanded. Without a moment's hesitation, with loving smile and a clear mind, Ekalabya cut off his thumb and gave it to Drona. Thereafter, when Ekalabya shot only with his fingers, he saw no longer as fast as he had been before. Arjuna's fear abated, he became the beat archer in the world, and Drona's word proved to be correct!

 

This story is from the great book, Aloke Dutta, Tabla (Lessons and Practice), 2nd Edition, Texas, 1995, pp 160-170.