# एकलव्य (ekalavya)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/ekalavya

एकलव्य (ekalavya) is a Sanskrit word meaning name of a town, a king of the Nishadas brought up by hunters. Its 4 recorded definitions are grouped into 2 contexts, among them Ekalavya, the Niṣāda archer, Ekalavyā, a town.

- **SLP1:** `ekalavya`  **IAST:** ekalavya  **Devanagari:** एकलव्य
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekalavya
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/ekalavya/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** एकलव्या (ekalavyā)

## Meanings by context

### Ekalavya, the Niṣāda archer (3 definitions)
- The name of a son of Hiranya-dhanus and king of the Nishadas  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3) [Printed book page 229,1] एक (eka) — लव्य (—lavya) m. N. of a son of Hiraṇya-dhanus and king of the Niṣādas, MBh. [ ID=39546 ]
- A prince of the Nishadas and a skilled archer who practiced archery before a clay image of Drona and gave his thumb to Drona as a tutorial fee.  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > एकलव्य (ekalavya) [Printed book page 285-1 ] Ekalavya, a Niṣāda prince. § 130 (Aṃśāvat.): I, 67, 2699 (among the incarnations from the Krodhavaśagaṇa).— § 204: Among the kings and princes who flocked to Droṇa by thousands to learn the Dhanurveda was E., the son of the Niṣāda king Hiraṇyadhanus. Not admitted, because he was a Naiṣādi, he in the forest practised weapons before a clay image of Droṇa and became very skilled in shooting. One day when the sporting dog of the princes came upon him he shot seven arrows into its mouth, and thus pierced the dog came back to the Pāṇḍavas, who highly admired the precision of the archer. In order that he might not surpass Arjuna, Droṇa took from E. the thumb of his right hand as his tutorial fee: I, 132, 5241 ( Niṣādarājasya Hiraṇdhanuṣaḥ sutaḥ ), (5255), 5257, 5261, 5262, 5264, 5265, (5265), 5266.— § 289 (Arghāharaṇap.): II, 37, 1351.—§ 296 (Dyūtap.): II, 53, 1915 (among the kings who waited upon Yudhi- ṣṭhira at the rājasūya).—§ 554 (Sainyodyogap.): V, 4 γ, 80 (among the kings to whom the Pāṇḍavas ought to send messengers).—§ 561 c (Kṛṣṇa Vāsudeva): V, 48, 1884 ( ayaṃ sma yuddhe manyate 'nyair ajeyaṃ tam Ekalavyaṃ nāma Niṣādarājaṃ | vegeneva (B. °naiva ) śailam abhihatya Jambhaḥ śete sa Kṛṣṇena hataḥ parāsuḥ. The text is not clear, but seems to indicate that E. has been slain by Kṛṣṇa).—§ 600 (Ghaṭotkacavadhap.): VII, 180, †8210 ( Niṣādaḥ, had been slain [by Kṛṣṇa?]); 181 δδ, 8231 (all. to § 204; E°ṃ hi sāṅguṣṭham aśaktā deva-Danavāḥ | sa-Rākṣasoragāḥ, Pārtha, vijetuṃ yudhi karhicit ).—§ 785 (Anugītāp.): XIV, 83, 2472 ( Niṣādarājño viṣayaṃ ).—§ 793 (Mausalap.): XVI, 6 κ, 159 ( Naiṣādiṃ, had been slain by Kṛṣṇa). Cf. Naiṣādi, Niṣāda, Niṣādarāja. [ ID=3883 ]
- 1. A king of the Nishadas brought up by hunters. 2. A warrior stationed by Jarasandha at the southern gate of Mathura and during the siege of Gomanta.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > एकलव्य (ekalavya) [Printed book page 1-276 ] Ekalavya — King of Niṣadas; was stationed by Jarāsan- dha at the southern gate of Mathurā, and again on the southern gate during the seige of Gomanta; 1 brought up by hunters. 2 [ Footnote: 1) Bhā. X. 50. 11[4]; 52. 11[8]; Br. III. 71. 190.] [ Footnote: 2) Vā. 96. 187.] [ ID=2206 ]

### Ekalavyā, a town (1 definition)
- name of a town  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3B) [Printed book page 229,1] एक (eka) — लव्या (—lavyā) f. N. of a town. [ ID=39547 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); The Purana Index.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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