Buttoo

About the Author & Poem

Toru Dutt (1856–1877): A pioneering Indian poet who wrote in English and French. She is often remembered for her lyrical retellings of Indian legends.

The Poem: "Buttoo" is a poetic retelling of the legendary encounter between Ekalavya (Buttoo) and Guru Dronacharya. The poem explores the noble qualities of loyalty and self-sacrifice. It highlights Buttoo’s incredible discipline in mastering archery through self-study, even after being rejected by the royal teacher due to his social status.

I. Comprehension Questions (Brief Answers)

Answer: Buttoo had gone to Dronacharya to learn the science of archery.

Answer: Buttoo was neither from a royal family nor rich. Hence he was rejected and driven away.

Answer: Dronacharya's science refers to his expertise in archery.

Answer: Buttoo revered Drona as his master because Drona was the best in archery, and Buttoo got his inspiration and knowledge from him.

Answer: i. reverence to Drona.

Answer: Both (c) hinting that his demand for recompense could be damaging or destructive to Buttoo and (d) regretting the rash promise he had made to Arjuna.

Answer: Drona asked for Buttoo's right-hand thumb as recompense.

Answer: He says that he had promised Arjuna that he shall make Arjuna the best archer ever, and there shall be no equal to Arjuna at Archery.

II. Close Study (Extracts)

a) What does 'sad recompense' refer to?
Answer: 'Sad recompense' refers to the compensation or the fee that Dronacharya is asking from Buttoo for having learnt archery indirectly from him.

b) What does it tell us about Drona?
Answer: It tells us that Drona is a very shrewd person, and also a person of his word. He has promised Arjuna that he will make Arjuna the best archer in the world. Now Drona realizes that Buttoo might prove to be better than Arjuna, and so to keep his promise to Arjuna, Drona asks for the gift from Buttoo.

c) If it was 'sad recompense', why did Drona demand it?
Answer: Drona knows that what he is asking for is something very cruel. By asking for Buttoo's right thumb, Drona is ensuring that Buttoo will never be able to use the bow and arrow in his lifetime. Drona is aware that Buttoo worships him as his teacher and is ready to give up even his life for his sake. Yet he takes advantage of this reverence and favours his royal protege, Arjuna. It is 'sad' because Drona has actually not done anything to make Buttoo an expert archer.

a) Why was the thumb severed?
Answer: Drona asks for the right-hand thumb as a compensation for his teaching in absence. In reality, Drona wanted to ensure that there was no rival to Arjuna in archery.

b) Why was there no tear in Buttoo's eye? / What does it tell you about Buttoo?
Answer: Buttoo is truly more 'royal' in sensibility and nobler than the other students of Drona. He had once been rejected by Drona for not being from a royal family and for being poor. But after this incident, Buttoo appears richer and greater than any other person there, even his master.

III. Paragraph Writing

Answer:
• Buttoo was low in caste but still aspired to be a great archer.
• He was very dedicated to pursue knowledge.
• Though rejected by Drona, he still worshipped him as a teacher and perfected archery by himself.
• He was humble and never vain, acknowledging Drona as his inspiration.
• He was emotionally strong; even after unfairly losing his vital thumb and knowing he would never be a great archer, he did not get angry but left the matter to God.

Answer: Drona was the teacher of the Pandava and Kaurava Princes. He lived under their patronage, responsible for making them the best in the land. When Drona realized that Buttoo had turned out to be a greater archer than Arjuna, he foresaw the threat to the princes. Very shrewdly, and rather ruthlessly, he asked for the gift of his right-hand thumb from Buttoo, and eliminated all competition to his richer and more powerful students. He cannot be said to be unfair in his demand given his professional responsibilities, though he was rather heartless.

IV. Poem Summary

Guru Dronacharya and Buttoo (Ekalavya) is a famous story of the Mahabharata era. Drona was a legendary teacher who taught only royal princes. When Buttoo requested Drona to teach him archery, he was refused because it was restricted to royal princes. So Buttoo embarked upon an idea of self study. He installed the clay statue of Drona and was able to gain a level of skill equivalent to that of Arjuna. Once Buttoo was disturbed by a barking dog and filled its mouth with seven arrows in fast succession. Seeing this talent, Drona recalled his promise to Arjuna. As a matter of Gurudakshina, Drona asked for Buttoo's right thumb. Buttoo cheerfully and without hesitation severed his thumb and offered it, taking an oath never to shoot again. Drona purposely asked for the right thumb so that Buttoo would lose his ability to pursue archery. This poem personifies the noblest human qualities of Buttoo towards his master Dronacharya.