Invincible Arjuna - Recommended read for leadership PDF

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Tellmewhatyoucansee,Arjuna,’repeatedDrona‘Doyouseethetree?’ ‘No,’saidArjuna. ‘Doyouthenseethebird?’TherewasasenseofrisingexcitementinDrona’s voice. ‘No!Icansimplyseetheeyeofthebird,nothingelse,’respondedArjuna withouttakinghiseyesoffthetarget. ‘Now,shoot!’Dronacommandedinashrillvoice. EveryonewhostoodtheresawArjuna’sarrowwhizzpastandheardasharp click.Thearrowwasstuckinthemiddleofthebird’seye. Thatday,alegendwasborn.Arjunawasdeclaredashreshtha,asupremehuman talent.Arjuna’smostpowerfulweaponwasnothisGandiva.Hispowercame fromekagrata—hisone-pointedconcentration.Arjunare-definedthelimitsof humanachievement.Heconqueredhisenemieswiththeswordofclarityandthe shieldofdiscrimination. Inthiscreativere-imaginingofthestoryofArjuna,DebashisChatterjeemines theMahabharataanddiscoversninepreciouslessonsthatwillenableanyoneof ustobecomeheroesinourownlives.Whetheritisgainingmasteryoverlife, harnessingourwillpower,orprioritisingactionchoices—theselife-lessonsfrom thatmostcharismaticofPandavascantrulyputeachoneofusonthehero-path. Amagicalblendofmythologyandmanagement,thisbookisworthreading,and re-reading,manytimesover.

westlandltd

INVINCIBLE

ARJUNA

DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE INVINCIBLE ARJUNA

NINEMILESTONESONTHEHEROPATH

westlandltd 61,IIFloor,SilverlineBuilding,AlapakkamMainRoad,Maduravoyal,Chennai600095 93,IFloor,ShamLalRoad,Daryaganj,NewDelhi110002 FirstpublishedinIndiabywestlandltd2016 Firste-pubedition:2016 Copyright©DebashisChatterjee2016 Allrightsreserved

978-93-85152-31-3 TypesetbyPrePSolEnterprisesPvt.Ltd.

Thisbookissoldsubjecttotheconditionthatitshallnotbywayoftradeorotherwise,belent,resold,hired out,circulated,andnoreproductioninanyform,inwholeorinpart(exceptforbriefquotationsincritical articlesorreviews)maybemadewithoutwrittenpermissionofthepublishers

CONTENTS Introduction Chapter1 TheBirthofaHero:TheShapingofIdentity Chapter2 Mastery:TheLightofClarity Chapter3 TheArrowofConcentration Chapter4 Love:DesireandDetachment Chapter5 ThePowerofCommitment Chapter6 YogainAction Chapter7 DiscoveringDevotion Chapter8 MotherofAllWars Chapter9 Arjuna’sAwakening:AVisionofTheWhole Acknowledgements: WhyandHowIWroteThisBook

ARJUNAPATH

PRAISEFORTHEBOOK ArjunawasIndia’sfirsticon.Hisskillsasawarriorandanarcherwerebeyond compare. However what made him such a great archer was his powers o concentrationandhisunwaveringfocus.EventhegreatArjunahadself-doubts Thatisalessoninitselfthatthegreatestalsohaveself-doubtsbutarebigenough togotoelderstofindanswerstothem.Thereisnobodybornwhoatsomestage or the other hasn’t been beset with some doubts. It’s how you overcome them that isthe keyto success andgets you tofulfill yourpotential. Iwould like to wish Prof. Debashis Chatterjee the very best in his efforts to understand th challengesthathumansfaceandprovidesolutionstothem.Nobodycaneverbe Arjuna,butweallcanlearnfromhim. SunilManoharGavaskarMorepraiseforTimelessLeadershipProf DebashisChatterjeehasbroughtoutarefreshingandinspiredapproachto theBhagavadGitainTimelessLeadership.Hehasskillfullyoutlinedthe idealsofourmodernsocietyandtheirapplicationsinmanageriallife SwamiTejomayananda,ChairmanandSpiritualHead,ChinmayaMission TimelessLeadershipisbothtimelessandborderless.Itistimelessbecause theprinciplesofleadershipespousedthousandsofyearsagoare contemporary.Itisborderlessbecauseittranscendsallsituationsof leadershipdilemmas,internalconflicts,andultimateresolutions JagdishSheth,MarketingGuruandWorld-RenownedAuthor

INTRODUCTION ARJUNA:THEJOURNEYOFAHERO Arjuna isas old asthe hills andas fresh asmorning dew. Likegrass on earth likehaironskin,ArjunaarosefromIndra’sownself.Arjunaistimelessandye hebelongstoalltimes.Evenourtimes!Arjunaisthestarstudentandthemaste archer; he is the lover and the warrior; he is Dhananjaya—the conqueror o fortune; he is Vijaya—the last word in success. The secret behind Arjuna’ successiscodedbythedivinethatresideswithinthehumanform.Arjuna’sstory isourownunwrittenstory.InvincibleArjunaistheuntoldstoryofthemakingo aheroagainstallodds. Ourworldisdesperatelyinneedofheroes.Heroesdefinethelimitsofhuman achievementandhumanpossibility.Tobebornhumanisinitselftheendresul ofaheroicjourneyofevolution.Thehumanbeingisasupremeachievemento Nature.IttakesNatureamillionyearstoperfectthewingsofabutterflyorthe clawsofatiger.IthastakenMotherNaturebillionsofyearstoevolveahuman being.InIndianmythology,ArjunaisaShreshtha,asupremehumantalent.Yet hemustgoonmanyadventurestotesthismettle. A humanbeing belongsto the onlyspecies on earththat can re-inventitsel over and overagain. It is almost as ifa human is capable of beingborn many timesinonelifetime.Ahumanisfirstbornwhenheemergesfromthewombo his mother. Then, he is born again and again as he discovers new sources o inspiration within himself. But a hero’s journey begins when he discover somethingthatchallenges him.In ordertorise tothe challenge,thefire within must begreater thanthe force ofthe challenge.The challenge drawsout those unborn energies and undiscovered talents within the hero. When the hero recognizesthosepowersashisown,heisabletocraftanewidentityforhimself Whichever powers the hero identifies with, becomes his identity. The many namesof Arjuna—Vijaya,Dhananjaya,and Sabyasachi—arethosepowers tha arewaitingtobediscovered.Thus,Arjunadiscoversthelawofidentity. The hero’spath has neverbeen smooth. Arjunafaces challengesfrom rival

like Karna and Duryodhana. In a world where jealousy wears the mask o competition and camaraderie, the hero needs the power of clarity. He need crystal-clearvisiontogodeepintothemysteryofhumannature.Boththedivine and the devil can sit together within a human being. Arjuna is very unlike hi headstrong brother Bhima, who is wild as the wind. Arjuna achieves with hi mindthatwhichBhimatriestoachievewithhismuscles.Arjunamastersthelaw ofclarityashelearnsfromhismistakesandmissteps. Arjuna’s most powerful weapon is not Gandiva, his indestructible bow, bu hispower of concentration.With thisweapon, helearns toshoot arrowsin the dark and pierces a bird’s eye with unerring precision. Arjuna wins Draupadi’ handandheartthroughaconcentratedeffort.Towininthebattlesoflife,ahero needstoconstantlyfocusonthegoalratherthanontheobstaclesinhispath.Th humanfacultythatkeepsthehero’sfocuspersistentlyonthegoalistheintellect Arjuna’ssharpintellectkeepshismusclesandhismindtogetherinpursuitofthe ultimate. His intellect enables Arjuna to ask questions of Krishna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. His intellect helps him cut through the world o surfaceappearancestogettothedeepersecretsoflifethatKrishnateacheshim Theability toconcentrate isalso thesecret toself-discovery. Thehero reache inside himself to discoverthat his internal resources are much greaterthan the challengeshefaces. Another quality that sets Arjuna apart from the rest is the courage o commitment. Commitment brings with it the urgency to take on a challenge ArjunaisquicktocommithimselftosavingDrona’slifewhenitisthreatenedby acrocodile.Hecommitstoavenginghisson’sdeathbeforethesunsets.Arjuna showshowheroesareunafraidofunwaveringcommitment. Commitment is nothing but a call to action. Arjuna unlike Yudhisthira doe notwastetimestandingonthehornsofdilemma.Heisamanofaction,he’slik quicksilver.His swadharmaisthatofaKshatriya.Hehastoupholdthe dharma of the land and if need be give his life for it. Many times, his need for action bringsArjuna tothe brinkof death. Hefights fiercelife-and-deathbattles with none other than Shiva, the Lord of the Universe. Arjuna demonstrates that a hero’swisdomisforgedinthefireofaction. Everyheromeetsamentorwhoguideshimthroughthetrialsoflife.Arjuna formsanendearingandenduringbondwithKrishna.Withoutthementorshipo Krishna,Arjunawouldhave remainedanordinary fighter.Krishna’sfriendship gives Arjuna hope in despair and wisdom in the middle of a war. Friend complementus.Krishnaisnotanordinaryfriend.Krishnanotjustcomplement butcompletesArjuna. Arjuna also learns the law of desire and detachment. He desires Draupadi

falls inlove with Subhadra andresists the advances ofUrvashi. He learnstha loveisaplayoftwopolaroppositeemotions,desireanddetachment, ragaand vairagya. Desire acts like an accelerator. Detachment works as a break. With desireanddetachmentArjunadrivesthisstreetcarcalledlife. In a hero’s journey, desire deepens into devotion. This secret of devotion i revealedtoArjunabyKrishna.‘Remembermeandfight,’KrishnaurgesArjuna Theabilitytooffereverythoughtandeveryactiontothehigherprinciplewithin usisthelawofdevotion.Devotiontapsintothedeepestpotentialofthehuman heartinwhateverthehuman beingwantsto achieve.Truegreatness, asArjuna discovers,cannotbeachievedwithoutcompletedevotion. The law of devotion reveals to Arjuna the secret to all enduring success Ultimate success comes when the head and the heart come together. For th hero, the distance between the head and the heart is greater than the distanc between earth and sky. Yet, once this distance is bridged, Arjuna becomes whole person. A whole person is an undivided person. His head does not go againsthisheart.Forafighter,theheadandtheheartareconstantlydivided.The fighter divides the world into ‘you’ and ‘I’. For the warrior there is just ‘we’ The warrior usesthe enemy’s resistance togrow himself. Arjuna is devotedto his brothers. He is devoted to Subhadra, his wife. He dotes on his son Abhimanyu. Finally, he is timelessly and deeply devoted to his friend and mentorKrishna.Thisisthesecretofhisinvincibility. Arjunawakesupfromhisdelusiontodiscoverthedeepestsecretofthehero’ journey.Wherehethoughtthathewasonlythishumanbody,hediscoveredtha hewasthedivinespirit;wherehe thoughthewasjustafighterwhofoughthi enemies,hediscoveredthathewasawarriorwhohadonlyhimselftoconquer where he thoughtthat he had travelled thelength and breadth of his world,he discovered that hewas only travelling to the depths ofhis own consciousness wherehethoughtthathewasaloneinhisheroicjourney,hediscoveredthathe was one with all that there was in existence. Thus, Arjuna lived and died as hero—inhisowntimeandforalltimes.

CHAPTER1 THEBIRTHOFAHERO:THESHAPINGOF IDENTITY ‘Mymother’snameisPritha,whichiswhyIamcalledPartha.MyfatherIndra gave methis jewelled crown. Thus,I came to be knownas Kiriti. I wascalled Dhananjaya when I conquered and won the wealth of all the kings in the RajasuyaYagna.Mywhitehorseswere giftedtome byAgni.Thatis whyIam calledSwetavahana.I haveneverfoughta battleby unfairmeans.That iswhy myenemiescallmeBhivatsu.Ifighttilltheveryend,untilvictoryismineandso Iamcalled Vijaya.Iam thatsame invinciblewarrior Bharatavarshaknows a Arjuna.’ Uttara Kumara, the son of Virata, looked on in utter disbelief. His jaw dropped ashe sawthe womanwhom heknew as Brihannalatransform hersel intothewarriorArjunainthewinkofaneye. Theredsariflutteringintheai now revealed a muscularchest. As Arjuna looked up, sheddingthe disguise o Brihannala,theshape ofaman’s faceshowedup inthe firstraysof therising sun.Thebraidedhairdeckedupinribbonswasnowlooseningup.Arjunathen tiedhislong,windswepthairwithawhitecloth.Hisleonineeyesshonelikean arrestedflame.Achiselledchinandsharpnosewereunmistakeablepartsofhi rugged, manly appearance. Arjuna had now come out of his disguise after hi longexile.UttaraKumarahadknownthesameArjunaashiscourtdancer,who put on coy looks and exhibited exaggerated feminine gestures. Arjuna’s word nowpiercedhimlikearrows: ‘Now, that you have heard my many names Uttara, know that I am here t fight for you against the entire Kaurava army who have gathered in front o you.’ Arjuna’shandswerelongandmuscular.Thescarsonhispowerfulshoulder weremementoesfromthemanybattlesthathehadfought.Thepulseonhiswris throbbedandbloodsweptinandsweptoutofhisblueveinsasheitchedtotak onhisopponents.Whenhewalkedtowardshischariot,theearthechoedwithth

firmthrobofhisfootsteps. WithUttaraashischarioteer,Arjunamovedfuriouslytowardthebattlefield Heblewhisconch,theDevdatta.WithhisfamousbowGandivainhishand,he rushed towards the Kaurava army, which was led by warriors like Karna Bhishma, Duryodhana, Ashwatthama, Drona and Kripacharya. Two arrow fromArjunalandedatthefeetofDrona.Then,KripacharyaandBhishmawere also greeted with two arrows each at their feet. This was Arjuna’s gesture o respect to his mentor and his gurus. His teachers, now his adversaries, wer pleasedwithArjuna’sunfailinghumility.Soonasetofarrowswhizzedpastthe earsofDronaandBhishma.Thus,Arjunaannouncedthebeginningofthebattle ThearrowsleftArjuna’sbowintheflashofaneye.ThestringofhisGandiva hummedtirelesslyasifathousandbeeswerebuzzingtogether.Arjunafellupon hisenemiesasaballoffirefallsuponaheapofcotton.Hescorched,devastated and wroughthavoc upon theKauravas. But atthe back ofhis mind lurkedthe thoughtthatevenifhecould,hewouldnotwanttokillhisownteachers. After hehad scattered Bhishma’screscent formation allover the battlefield ArjunathoughtitwastimetoinvoketheSammohanaAstra,aweaponthathad thepowertocastaspellonhisenemies.PrinceUttara’seyesalmostpoppedou asArjuna unleashedthe Sammohana.He sawthe entirearmy ofthe Kaurava fallintoatrance. Arjunathen askedUttara toremovethe uppergarments and the mantles from the heads of his adversaries as tokens of victory. Uttara obedientlyremovedtheyellowsilkdressaswellasallthejewelsfromthemantl ofthemightyKarna.Hethoughthissisterwouldlikeitasagift.Thereafter,h tookawaythesilkwhiteuppergarmentofKripacharya.Finally,hetookoffthe blueshawlofAshwatthamaandbroughtallthespoilsofthewartoArjuna.This wasthewarrior’swayofassertinghisvictorybystrippinghisenemiesofthei honour.Arjunathensalutedahalf-awakeBhishmafromadistance,turnedaway fromthebattlefieldandrodewithPrinceUttaraintothesunset.

WHOISARJUNAWITHOUTHISMANYNAMES? Thehero’sadventurebeginswithaname.Merelyhavinganameisnotenough Theherohas tobeworthyof it.Hehas tolive upto hisnamebyvirtue ofhi characterandactions.Hisnamegiveshimanidentity.Whenachildisborn,th first thing that the family does is find the right name. A name once given becomes like a birthmark that stays on for life. Namakaran, the naming ceremony isa sacredritual. Oncea child isborn, givinga name isalmost lik bestowinga secondbirth tothechild. Througha nameahero isre-born inthe

worldofaspiration. A nameonce givenbecomes like theplot of alifetime story.The name isa code that contains the story of an entire life. The stories of a hero’s life mak himwhoheeventuallybecomesintheeyesoftheworld.Aherocraftshisown story from within himself just as a spider creates its silken web from within Evenasaherogoesforwardonmanyadventuresinhislife,hismindcannotturn awayfromwhoheoriginallyis. Arjuna does not forget the many names that are given to him. These name becomehisstrength,thesourceofhisidentityasaperson.Identityisthename giventoaquality,a guna,anattributeofthehero.Anothermeaningof‘guna’i that which multiplies. Arjuna was a man of many qualities. These qualitie ensuredthathisnameandfamesurvivedbeyondhislifetime.Eventoday,many thousandyearsafterArjunaisbelievedtohavelived,parentsnametheirchildren afterhim!Theabilitytocraftalife-storybasedonone’sidentityisthefirststep to success. If you lose touch with your identity, you become a stranger to yourself and to others. The world acknowledges you in the way you acknowledgeyourownidentity. ThinkofArjuna’spersonality asadazzling diamond.The manyfacesof the diamond are like the many qualities or gunas of the head and heart of a hero Yet,thediamondshinesonlywhenlightpassesthroughit.But,thefacesofth diamondsimplymultiplythelightthatmakesthemshine.Takeawaythatligh andadiamondwouldjustbeapieceofordinaryrock;takeawayhisidentityand Arjunawouldbeanobody.

HEROESAREMADEWHENTHEYAREBORNASONE AreheroeslikeArjunabornormade?Heroesaremadewhentheyareborna one.Greatnessstartswithasparkofdivineinspirationwithin.Thissparkignite thosehiddenqualitiesorgunasthattheheroisbornwith. Arjuna’sfatherPandudesiredasonwhowouldleavehismarkontheworld Every father dreams of a son who would fulfil his unfulfilled dreams. Pandu coaxedhiswifeKuntitogivehimasonbornofIndra.Panducouldnothavea childbecauseofacursethatpreventedhimfromhavingaphysicalrelationship with his wife. Kunti was then reminded of a boon she had received from sag Durvasa.ThesagehadpromisedthatKunticouldcalluponanyGodshewished andhaveachildbyhim.KuntiinvokedLordIndra.Theheavenslitupindeligh andacolumnofthunderrippedthroughthedarkcloudsasIndragiftedKuntia sonwhowouldbethegreatestheroonearth.‘ArjunawillbeNara,theultimat

humanbeing.HewillworktogetherwithNarayana(LordKrishna)topurifythe earthofallitspollutions.NaraandNarayanatogetherwillcompletethejourney ofahumanbeingtowardhisdivinepotential!’Withthesewords,Indravanished intotheskies.PandudidnotliveverylongafterArjunawasborn.Yet,afather’ longing for a son whom the world would soon call ‘the greatest hero’ wa fulfilled. Thus was Arjuna born from Indra. His birth was accompanied by the celebration of the Devatas. Devatas are the higher powers of human consciousness.WeseeveryoftenthattheseDevatashavepowersovertheforce of Nature. Indra is Devaraj, the king amongst the Devatas. He is the lord o thunderandrain.UnderIndra’ssupremecontrolaretheearth’shorses,chariots villages and cattle. He rules over the universe and both our outer and inne worlds. Indra is t...