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 of
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 the
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 yet
he belongs to all times. Even our times! Arjuna is the star student and the master
archer; he is the lover and the warrior; he is Dhananjaya—the conqueror of
fortune; he is Vijaya—the last word in success. The secret behind Arjuna’s
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 of
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 result
of a heroic journey of evolution. The human being is a supreme achievement of
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 itself
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 of
his mother. Then, he is born again and again as he discovers new sources of
inspiration within himself. But a hero’s journey begins when he discovers
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 that
are waiting to be discovered. Thus, Arjuna discovers the law of identity.
The hero’s path has never been smooth. Arjuna faces challenges from rivals
like Karna and Duryodhana. In a world where jealousy wears the mask of
competition and camaraderie, the hero needs the power of clarity. He needs
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 his
headstrong brother Bhima, who is wild as the wind. Arjuna achieves with his
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, but 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’s 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. The
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 of
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 reaches
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 of
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 does
not waste time standing on the horns of dilemma. He is a man of action, he’s like
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 of
Krishna, Arjuna would have remained an ordinary fighter. Krishna’s friendship
gives Arjuna hope in despair and wisdom in the middle of a war. Friends
complement us. Krishna is not an ordinary friend. Krishna not just complements
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 that
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 is
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 the
hero, the distance between the head and the heart is greater than the distance
between earth and sky. Yet, once this distance is bridged, Arjuna becomes a
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’s
journey. Where he thought that he was only this human body, he discovered that
he was the divine spirit; where he thought he was just a fighter who fought his
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 a
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 as
Arjuna.’
Uttara Kumara, the son of Virata, looked on in utter disbelief. His jaws
dropped as he saw the woman whom he knew as Brihannala transform herself
into the warrior Arjuna in the wink of an eye. The red sari fluttering in the air
now revealed a muscular chest. As Arjuna looked up, shedding the disguise of
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 his
rugged, manly appearance. Arjuna had now come out of his disguise after his
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 words
now pierced him like arrows:
‘Now, that you have heard my many names Uttara, know that I am here to
fight for you against the entire Kaurava army who have gathered in front of
you.’
Arjuna’s hands were long and muscular. The scars on his powerful shoulders
were mementoes from the many battles that he had fought. The pulse on his wrist
throbbed and blood swept in and swept out of his blue veins as he itched to take
on his opponents. When he walked towards his chariot, the earth echoed with the
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 arrows 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 of respect
to his mentor and his gurus. His teachers, now his adversaries, were 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 out
as Arjuna unleashed the Sammohana. He saw the entire army of the Kauravas
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 mantle
of the mighty Karna. He thought his sister would like it as a gift. Thereafter, he
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 their
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 his
character and actions. His name gives him an identity. When a child is born, the
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 like
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 make
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 names
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’ is
that which multiplies. Arjuna was a man of many qualities. These qualities
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 the
diamond simply multiply the light that makes them shine. Take away that light
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 as
one. Greatness starts with a spark of divine inspiration within. This spark ignites
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 sage
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 delight
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 ultimate
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’s
longing for a son whom the world would soon call ‘the greatest hero’ was
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 forces
of Nature. Indra is Devaraj, the king amongst the Devatas. He is the lord of
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 inner
worlds. Indra is the master of indriyas or the senses. He is the master-force
behind all the energies and actions of a human being. Arjuna’s greatest break
was that he was born with such divine potential. With his birth he inherited
Indra’s powers.
Arjuna was truly destiny’s child.

ARJUNA’S SWADHARMA SHAPES HIS IDENTITY

Swadharma is human capability and duty, which is prescribed according to one’s
nature and unique circumstances in life. While sanatana dharma is the universal
code of conduct, swadharma is an individual code of conduct. Universal dharma
demands non-violence, yet a warrior’s swadharma prescribes that he has to
engage in war to defend his country or his cause. When universal dharma and
swadharma come into conflict, it is swadharma that prevails.
Arjuna’s swadharma determines his unique identity. Swadharma shapes his
body, mind, intellect and emotions to fulfil the purpose for which he was born.
Each one of us is born for a unique purpose. Our desires are unique to us. Our
body and mind follow the law of swadharma to fulfil our desires. When we
identify ourselves with a certain desire, the power within us that takes us to the
object of desire is swadharma. Arjuna is born with the desire to be the greatest
Kshatriya in Bharatavarsha. A Kshatriya’s calling is to uphold kshatra or rule. A
Kshatriya’s greatest desire is to uphold the rule of law as the king of his land. A
true Kshatriya lives by the mantra:
I will not give in to my enemies who want to ruin my kingdom and my people.
Even if I have to sacrifice my life for it, so be it. With all the might of my hands,
all the power of my will and the utmost devotion of my heart, I shall fight to live
by my swadharma. I will not attack women and unarmed enemies. I will not rest
until the evil of wrongdoing, adharma, is removed from the world and from my
own heart. I would prefer to die on the battlefield than to live with the fear and
disgrace of not fulfilling a Kshatriya’s swadharma.
Arjuna’s deepest desire to emerge as a great warrior is supported by his
swadharma. Desires, when repeated, leave their impressions in our minds. Our
body and mind transform these genetic impressions into expressions in real life.
The following story of Draupadi’s marriage to the five Pandava brothers
illustrates how what happens to people is a result of their swadharma:
Arjuna won the right to marry Draupadi through a tough contest in her
swayamvar. By a strange turn of fate, Arjuna had to share his wife with his four
brothers. On the face of it, this might seem strange given that it was Arjuna who
had made a heroic effort to win Draupadi’s hand in marriage. Yet, this story of
Draupadi’s life will tell us why Draupadi had five husbands:
In a previous incarnation, Draupadi was the wife of sage Moudgalya and her
name was Indrasena. Her husband died early due to leprosy. Longing for a
perfect soul mate she prayed to Lord Shiva with great devotion. Shiva appeared
before her and asked her what she desired. On seeing Lord Shiva, she was
astonished. In that confused mood, she repeatedly asked five times, ‘I want a
husband.’
‘You are blessed with five husbands but only in the next birth,’ said Shiva. ‘I
would wish for a husband with many qualities of the head and heart,’ insisted
Indrasena. ‘It is impossible to find all those qualities in one single man!’ Shiva
answered half in jest and half in earnest. This was the reason for her marriage to
the five Pandavas.
We actualise the higher powers of human consciousness by invoking a
Devata. The Devatas respond to our desires and often give us a boon. These
boons manifest according to our swadharma. Heroes are responsible for living
according to their natures which are guided by their deepest desires. This is the
law of swadharma. This is their destiny.

ARJUNA IS A TREASURE OF TALENTS

Every human being is born with unique talents. As we have seen, these talents or
gunas come from one or more of the Devatas—the supreme powers that govern
the human body and mind. Devatas are more clearly forces of Nature, including
human nature. Courage, valour, purity and persistence are some of the gunas or
aspects of human nature. These gunas are also force multipliers. They spread far
and wide by natural processes, like the fragrance of a flower or the flow of a
river. They are Nature’s supreme qualities that manifest in the human form.
When they came of age, the Pandava brothers came to be known for their
unique qualities. Their fame spread far and wide—beyond their forest home. The
one whose complexion was bright, like glittering gold, whose nose was sharp as
an eagle’s, whose eyes were large and reflective and whose face was broad—was
Yudhishtira. The one who walked like an infuriated elephant, whose booming
voice and burning coal-like eyes made the heart beat faster, whose shoulders
were broad as a shield, and whose arms were long and thick—was Bhima. That
tall, handsome, dark-complexioned youth whose shoulders were like those of a
lion, whose movements were as swift as a cheetah’s, and whose eyes were large
and expansive like lotus-leaves—was Arjuna. Highly skilled in the use of both
his hands, Arjuna was also known as Sabyasachi. Nakula was tall, slim and
handsome and believed that none was his equal in good looks. Sahadeva was
soft-spoken, patient and had a passion for animals and astrology.
Each one of the five brothers was adept in using a specific weapon. While the
eldest of the Pandavas, Yudhishtira, was skilled in the use of a spear, the second
brother Bhima was a master of the mace. Arjuna, the third Pandava was
incomparable in his mastery of the bow and arrow. Nakula and Sahadeva were
skilled in throwing knives and the use of the sword respectively. Yet, Arjuna
outshone his brothers by virtue of his talent and his temperament.

HERO = TALENT + TEMPERAMENT

Heroes are self-made. A person becomes a hero not just by what he is, but also
by what he identifies with. Mere talent is insufficient. In order to undertake the
hero’s journey, what is needed is great temperament. The hero’s temperament is
determined by how he reacts to a situation. Someone who is identified with a
pleasing situation will react favourably to it. Likewise, someone else who finds a
certain situation unpleasant will react negatively towards it. A hero’s
temperament is characterized by adaptability and the persistence of attention and
intensity.
Yudhishtira, Arjuna’s elder brother had great moral intelligence. However, he
was rigid in his temperament, addicted to gambling and loved the easy life. Once
he took up a position, it was difficult to get Yudhishtira to change. He lost a
whole kingdom and gambled away his wealth and wife in a battle of dice. Bhima
was gifted with a powerful body. However, he was easily distracted. Bhima’s
teacher Dronacharya wanted him to stick to the mace as his weapon. However,
Bhima was not satisfied being a one-weapon man. He tried his hands at many
things. He was also a glutton. Very often his stomach ruled his head. Bhima’s
Kaurava cousins Duryodhana and Dushasana knew that Bhima was irritable
and quick-tempered. They would get Bhima to react to their provocations at will.
His temperament got Bhima into trouble quite often. Arjuna, however, was not
just hugely talented but also temperamentally much stronger than his brothers.
He would start the day with the worship of his gurus. Then, he would persist in
his practice of archery until his broad shoulders and fingers screamed in pain.
Arjuna learnt to treat his enemies with both force and forgiveness. He knew
forgiveness was a way of reclaiming mental composure. Arjuna forgave his
teacher Drona when he appeared to be partial to his own son during lessons.

HOW ARJUNA PAYS DRONA’S TEACHING FEE

The Pandavas and the Kauravas were becoming accomplished in wielding
weapons under Dronacharya’s guidance. One day, Drona decided the time had
come when he could demand his gurudakshina, his teaching fees. Assembling his
students together, Drona said, ‘Seize Drupada, the King of Panchala in battle
and bring him unto me, alive. That shall be my most desirable fee.’ The young
students were excited by the challenge and said in unison, ‘So be it!’
They speedily mounted their chariots, and stormed out to bestow upon their
guru the fee he had demanded. Those lions among men laid siege to the capital
city of the great Drupada, Kampilya. Duryodhana and Karna, the mighty
Yuyutsu, Dushasana, Vikarna, Jalasandha and Sulochana – these and many
other Kshatriya princes all wanted to outdo each other to become the foremost
fighter of the attack. The princes, riding in chariots and following the cavalry,
entered Drupada’s capital. They rode into the capital and scattered Drupada’s
cows by force. Cow theft, gau-haran, was the greatest provocation to a king, as
cows were considered one’s real wealth. When Drupada came out to protect his
precious cows against the invaders, the Kaurava army attacked him with a
shower of arrows and a war cry. The King of Panchala, Drupada and his
brothers were not easy to subdue. They counter-attacked the Kauravas with
great ferocity.
Arjuna, beholding the pomp and pride displayed by the Panchala king,
addressed his teacher Drona, and said, ‘We shall exert ourselves only after the
Kauravas have tried their best. Drupada can never be taken on the field of battle
by any of these cousins of mine.’ Having said this, the son of Kunti waited
outside the town at a mile’s distance from it, surrounded by his brothers. Then,
Arjuna brought his four brothers into a huddle and whispered, ‘We will not
directly attack Drupada and his army like the Kauravas are doing. We will wait
for him to tire out after a long fight. Only then can we capture him alive as our
guru wants us to.’ Arjuna’s strategy made sense to the Pandavas, although
Bhima was itching to fling himself straight into battle.
Meanwhile, Drupada and his army were putting up a great fight. They rushed
forward and dispersed the Kaurava princes. Both Duryodhana and Karna
became frightened as the citizens of Panchala began to throw various missiles
including kitchen utensils at them. The Kauravas broke ranks and fled towards
the Pandavas, who were waiting on the outskirts of the city.
It was now Arjuna’s turn to capture the tired King of Panchala. He saluted
Drona and stepped onto his chariot. He advised Yudhishtira to refrain from the
fight. He then appointed Nakula and Sahadeva as the protectors of his chariot
wheels. Bhima, mace in hand, rushed forward and led the charge. Even as
Bhima was bringing down the enemies’ elephants with blows from his mace,
Arjuna covered the King of Panchala in a shower of arrows. There was such a
remarkable lightness of motion in the movement of Arjuna’s arms that it was
difficult for anyone to detect an interval between his fixing the arrows on the
bowstring and letting them off. Standing in the middle of the battlefield with
perfect fearlessness, Arjuna seized Drupada as an eagle seizes a huge fish after
agitating the waters of the ocean. Bhima then tied him up with a thick rope. The
Pandavas then put Drupada on their chariot and brought him before Drona.
Drona looked at the lowered eyes of the humbled Drupada as he said, ‘My
students will let you go only after you part with half your kingdom.’ Drupada
had no choice but to agree. Drona then looked at Arjuna with the kind of pride
that a successful coach reserves for a student who has performed brilliantly.
Duryodhana went green with envy seeing how Arjuna had outclassed everyone
else. Drona drew Arjuna towards him and gave him a long and heartfelt hug.

HERO’S JOURNEY: WHERE TALENT MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE

WORLD
Just as a muscle grows through repeated exercise, human energy grows through
repeated use. Human energy grows around a seed called identity. Arjuna
develops an identity as the greatest archer of his time. He does this in two ways.
Firstly, he thinks and reflects on what he is really good at. Unlike Duryodhana,
he does not allow the emotion of envy to get in the way of his self-evaluation.
Secondly, Arjuna becomes conscious that he grows only when his talent benefits
the world. Arjuna’s goal, unlike that of the Kauravas, is not just to display his
fighting capabilities. He is keen to make a contribution to guru Drona by
capturing Drupada alive. Whereas Duryodhana sabotaged his own chances by
fighting Drupada unthinkingly Arjuna used both tact and talent to capture the
King of Panchala.
As an archer sharpens his arrow and a carpenter sharpens his saw, a hero
searches deep within for his identity. A great identity yields great possibilities in
life. Arjuna has learnt by heart what the ancient rishis of the Upanishads have
taught:
You are what your deepest nature is
As your nature, so is your will
As your will is, so is your deed
As your deed is, so is your destiny.
A deep and clear identity gives the hero greater action choices. The search for
our true identity is kind of a talent search within the self. A hero’s talent lies
latent within the self. It sleeps within him as seeds of possibilities. When
discovered and nurtured, the seeds grow and flower. This flowering of his talent
is a hero’s true vocation. When his talents and the world’s needs overlap, therein
lies the hero’s and in this case, Arjuna’s calling.

A hero’s journey is no different from that of a fertile seed’s that has decided to
become the forest. A single seed has the blueprint of a whole forest etched
within it. However, the seed needs to mobilize its inborn intelligence in the same
way that Arjuna mobilizes his talent for archery. The seed connects with the
energizing power of the soil, sunlight and water. The hero connects with the
human and material resources in his environment. Once this connection is made,
one solitary seed can chart the destiny of a whole forest. Arjuna raises his
identity, his own self-worth, by serving his guru with his talent.
A HERO GROWS WHEN PEOPLE START RELYING ON HIM
Arjuna grows by giving. When a hero gives his energy, his time and his life for
others, his mind expands. When his mind expands, others are touched by his
generosity. The more he touches the hearts and minds of others, the more they
rely on him for protection, security, direction and leadership. The more people
rely on him, the more they contribute to the hero’s growth. This is the story of all
heroes, of all times.
Another name of Arjuna was Anagha, one with a pure heart. Arjuna’s nobility
of heart was often seen in his magnanimity towards his enemies. He showed
compassion toward his adversaries. Arjuna was also known as Parantapa, one
who conquers and disciplines his enemies. When Agni the god of fire was
burning Khandava forest, a demon called Mayasura, came running out of it. He
went to Arjuna and begged him to save his life. Arjuna agreed and protected him
from the rising anger of Agni, even though he knew that Maya was an asura, an
adversary. Mayasura was so relieved, he gushed in gratitude. He said, ‘You have
saved my life. How can I be of help to you? I am a gifted architect and can
construct wonderful places of illusions.’ Arjuna said, ‘Well then, can you build a
magnificent palace for my brother Yudhishtira in Indraprastha that will be our
new capital?’ Mayasura built a palace for the Pandavas that was truly magical.
The corridors of the palace were lit up by the glow of precious gems. Every room
was made with such rare and fine marble that the floors looked like pools of
water. The walls of the palace of illusions were made of crystals and the halls
where people assembled were full of flowering trees. Due to his gratitude to
Arjuna, Mayasura contributed generously to his life.
Arjuna is always ready to take responsibility on behalf of his five brothers.
Although each of the Pandava brothers has unique talents, it is usually Arjuna
who takes the ultimate call. He is ready to sacrifice his personal comfort and
accept voluntary exile for transgressing upon Yudhishtira’s privacy. This is why
he is so admired. His nobility is seen in his large-heartedness towards his
enemies even when he has defeated them. He even touches his adversary, the
Panchala King Drupada’s heart. Drupada is delighted to give his daughter
Draupadi in marriage to Arjuna. Arjuna’s human errors are forgiven by his
brothers and his followers as he is always for giving rather than taking. When we
are for giving, we are forgiven. When we are for getting, we are forgotten.
Arjuna has learnt the law of giving from his ultimate teacher and mentor
Krishna. The hero’s universe is an open, ever-growing, self-giving, self-
sacrificing system. Under Krishna’s guidance, Arjuna calibrates his actions as
acts of service to others. The dedication of his heroic actions to a larger cause
gives Arjuna the supreme energy of success.

Krishna teaches Arjuna, how to be an ati maharathi—the ultimate warrior.

Just as Indra gave Arjuna the gift of being born as a hero, Krishna teaches
Arjuna the art of dying as a hero. The hero fights not to avoid death but to live a
full life. Arjuna does not want to be saved, he wants to be used in the service of
others. When a grain of corn falls on the earth and decides to remain a grain, its
identity as a grain is lost over time. Yet, when the same grain decides to sacrifice
itself to the soil, the grain becomes a seed and bears much fruit. From one grain
of corn are born millions of grains that make our earth prosperous.
Such is the journey of a hero.
 CHAPTER 2

MASTERY: THE LIGHT OF CLARITY

The word ‘Arjuna’ means white light. Arjuna stands for spotless clarity. The
human mind often becomes like a muddy lake polluted with dirt and dust. The
pollutants of the mind are greed, anger, lust, jealousy and ego. The hero has to
fight these five demons of the mind to achieve clarity. Clarity gives the mind its
natural power. Through clarity the mind of the hero is able to correct itself.
Clarity leads the hero towards the journey of invincibility. Clarity is the
foundation stone of mastery. Arjuna learnt of the steps towards mastery from his
many teachers: Kripacharya, Dronacharya, Bhishma and finally Krishna.
Arjuna’s teachers gave him a clear goal in life: he had to serve humanity by
becoming the world’s greatest archer. Clarity is another name for vision. True
vision is the memory of the divine, awakening in the human. This memory of
divine potential is a treasury of knowledge. The hero discovers this treasury
when clarity dawns on him.

ARJUNA HITS A TARGET OTHERS CANNOT EVEN SEE

Drona was the greatest guru of archery in his time. Such was his mastery that he
could retrieve a ball that had fallen into a well with arrows made of mere blades
of grass. He was a guru beyond compare. Bhishma, the grandfather of the
Pandavas and Kauravas appointed him as the head of the school where he was
asked to impart the art of warfare to the hundred Kauravas and the five
Pandavas. The children of other kings too later joined the school. Drona agreed
to teach his pupils on one condition: his students had to use their skills to
capture his sworn enemy Drupada, King of Panchala at the end of their training.
Arjuna quickly became Drona’s favourite disciple. Just as Yudhishtira became
an expert in throwing a spear and Bhima in wielding a mace, Arjuna became
highly skilled with the bow and arrow. One night when all the students were
dining in the light of a lamp, a huge gust of wind blew out the lamp. Arjuna
continued eating his meal in the dark. It was then that a thought flashed in his
mind like a streak of lightning: if in the dark I can bring the food in my hand to
my mouth, why can’t I shoot an arrow and hit a target in the dark? With this
clarity, he began practising hitting targets when blindfolded. Gradually, he
became skilled at shooting in the dark.
Arjuna realized that every target had its own sound. Every object in the
universe has its own vibrations. Vibrations are nothing but sound waves. When
his focus on his target became absolute, Arjuna could spot any object just by
hearing its unique vibration: he would identify a tree by the unique rustle of its
leaves, a deer by the sound of its movements through dry grass and so on.
Arjuna’s senses were so sharp that he could hit distant targets by listening to the
faintest of faint sounds. Arjuna also achieved mastery in shooting arrows with
both his right arm and left arm and became known as Sabyasachi, the
ambidextrous archer. Arjuna would stay back and practise archery even when
the other students had retired for the day. Yet another thing that made Arjuna so
different from the rest of the boys was that he would never shoot an arrow
without first closing his eyes and visualizing how the arrow would travel through
the air and pierce a target, before the arrow actually did so. He also always
venerated and bowed to his Guru before he undertook any challenge. Drona was
extremely pleased with Arjuna’s progress. With adoring eyes the mentor
marvelled at how his protégé Arjuna had outclassed everyone, including his own
son Ashwatthama.

MASTERY IS BRINGING THE WHOLE OF WHO WE ARE TO WHAT

WE DO
Mastery in any field begins with a simple lesson. We have all learnt this lesson
in childhood. Our first teachers – our parents, taught us to become comfortable
with the different aspects of our growing body. Parents ask children something
as simple as, ‘Tell me where your nose is?’ and then children raise their tiny little
fingers toward their noses and touch the tip. The proud parents break into a
round of applause and pose the next question, ‘Now tell me where your belly
button is?’ For a child, correctly identifying the nose was a challenge in itself.
However, discovering the belly button becomes quite an achievement!
Understanding how the different parts of your body work together to produce an
action or a result is an important step in achieving mastery.
Think of a simple action like walking. We learn to walk by walking, not by
thinking about walking. More than two hundred muscles in our body have to
come together to enable us to walk. Just to take a single step forward requires the
co-ordination of forty different muscles. The first goal of walking is to move the
body forward or backward. The second goal is to do this in the most energy-
efficient way so that we can walk for a long time without getting tired. The third
goal is to make the movements of joints and muscles as painless as possible
during a walk. Our body has to learn to perform all these actions by harmonising
different body parts into one grand orchestra of movement.
Mastery is more than the co-ordination of muscle and bone. It is about
bringing the whole of us to what we do. Think of someone who is inspired. If he
is an archer like Arjuna or a rifle shooter, can he claim that only his eyes and
hands are inspired? What about the rest of the body? Inspiration is about
bringing the whole body into a state of heightened energy. The heart, the hands,
the muscles and the mind, all come together in one synchronized step. Have you
seen a tiger crouching before it pounces on its prey? Similarly, the master archer
must gather the whole of himself in stillness before he hits a target.

MASTERY IS NOT A HABIT BUT A PRACTICE

Did you know that a master in any field has to devote at least ten thousand hours
to doing something before he can hope to become a master? This is three to four
hours of deliberate practice daily for ten years at a stretch. A painter has to paint
for hours on end before he can hope to become a Picasso. A master like
Bismillah Khan had to play the shehnai for hours at a stretch before he became
the master of his musical instrument. A cricketer like Tendulkar had to spend
thousands of hours at net practice before he could lay claim to the title of
‘Master Blaster’.
However, as Arjuna’s life teaches us, mastery is not merely a habit but also
the result of deliberate practice. You need ten thousand hours to create a habit,
good or bad. However, the difference between forming a habit and practising is
this: a habit is unconscious, while practice is a conscious process. Practice
involves two things: failure and feedback. Many times a master in the making
has to go through failure and loss of face. Our habits make us blind to our follies.
When face to face with failure, we get feedback on which of our habits do not
work for us. A master is challenged to outgrow habits that are not useful.

On one of his many adventures, Arjuna visited the site of Ram Setu, a bridge in
Dhanushkodi in South India. Looking at the bridge he arrogantly questioned if
Rama was really as great an archer as himself. If Rama had really been such a
great archer in his lifetime, why did he not build a bridge of arrows, Arjuna
wondered. Why did he have to struggle with a monkey army for the bridge?
Arjuna sincerely wished that he could meet Hanuman personally and get the
answer to this question. Angered at Arjuna’s tone and his misplaced arrogance,
Hanuman appeared before him as an ordinary monkey. Hearing Arjuna’s
complaint, Hanuman mocked Arjuna and said, ‘How could he? How can a
bridge of arrows hold the weight of us monkeys?’ Arjuna shot back, ‘It is
certainly possible. I will show you how you can build such a bridge now if you
want.’ Hanuman then challenged Arjuna to prove his superiority to Rama by
building a bridge of arrows that could bear the weight of even one monkey.
Arjuna proposed a wager with the disguised Hanuman: ‘If I am not able to
build a bridge of arrows and if you are not able to walk on it; I, Arjuna, will
voluntarily set myself on fire and burn to death.’ Thereafter, Arjuna got ready to
build the bridge with a shower of arrows. Hanuman sat in a corner chanting the
name of Ram. When the bridge was built, Hanuman, still uttering Ram’s name,
kept his tail on it. The bridge collapsed, shattering into pieces.
On seeing this, Arjuna was dejected. As per the conditions of the wager, he got
ready to enter a blazing fire. A true Kshatriya, Arjuna was not worried about
dying. He felt miserable that his lifelong lessons in archery proved to be of little
use. Hanuman felt compassionate towards him and tried to dissuade Arjuna from
carrying out the terms of the wager. But Arjuna was adamant. He lit a fire and
was about to jump into it when an old man came along. Seeing Arjuna ready to
jump into the fire he wanted to know what the matter was.
Arjuna recounted the entire story. The old man then said, ‘For any wager you
need a third party as witness. Now who is your third party?’ Both Hanuman and
Arjuna were puzzled as there was none. The old man said, ‘This is not a valid
wager as you did not have a judge. Now Arjuna, can you rebuild the bridge? You
Hanuman, can you sit on that bridge that Arjuna will build? I will be the witness
this time. Whoever fails will get into the fire.’ This time, Hanuman was
overconfident. He thought that he could bring down any bridge that Arjuna built.
Arjuna felt that doing it the second time was not going to change the result. Low
in spirits, he prayed constantly to his friend and mentor Krishna and built his
bridge with a torrential release of arrows. As soon as Arjuna completed the
bridge, Hanuman hit his tail upon it, supremely confident that the bridge would
collapse into pieces. Strangely nothing happened this time. The bridge stood
firm. Desperate, Hanuman put one foot on the bridge and then another and was
soon jumping on the bridge with great ferocity. Yet the bridge of arrows
continued to stand. Hanuman was about to accept defeat. But he felt that
something was amiss. He went up to the old man and asked, ‘Who are you?’
Eventually, the old man revealed himself to be Krishna. He said that he had to
intervene in the guise of a third party. Krishna gave feedback to both Arjuna and
Hanuman. He reminded Arjuna of his arrogance and reprimanded Hanuman for
allowing his love for Rama to become a thing of excessive pride. Regaining his
composure, Hanuman pledged to be present on Arjuna’s battle-flag as his
mascot during the Kurukshetra War and help him there. Arjuna learned the
lesson of a lifetime.

THE MASTER AND THE PATH OF MASTERY ARE IDENTICAL

Mastery is a journey and not a destination. Mastery is a human process and not a
target. Just as a gymnast masters movement and balance, the hero masters his
mind and emotions. The natural mind is like the clear water of a lake that is not
polluted by dust and mud. What pollutes the mind is an excess of these five
enemies: greed, anger, lust, jealousy and ego. When these enemies attack the
mind, it behaves like a drunken monkey that is possessed by a demon and bitten
by a scorpion. The monkey is a metaphor for a restless and greedy mind.
Drunkenness is a symbol of lust. The demon stands for anger and ego. Finally,
the bite of the scorpion represents the pangs of jealousy.
Arjuna’s struggle is about freeing himself from these five enemies. He has to
overcome Duryodhana’s jealousy while growing up. He has to tide over the
longing and lust of Urvashi, the celestial nymph. Arjuna has to tame his own
restlessness and greed when confronted with battles and the rewards that come
with each victory. He also has to conquer the raging anger that erupts when his
son Abhimanyu is killed in violation of the laws of dharma. Finally, Arjuna has
to rise above his bruised ego when his mother Kunti unknowingly asks him to
share his wife Draupadi with his four brothers.
Mastery of life can be attained only by living intelligently. Life provides no
opportunity for replays. Arjuna is a true Kshatriya. He knows that life happens in
the moment. He knows that in the battlefield called life, death dwells
precariously, like a dew drop on a blade of grass. A Kshatriya fights not to defer
death but to savour life. He does not want to be safe and get rusted out; he wants
to flame out like a huge bonfire. A master can savour life only when he steps
away from the five pollutants of the mind into the clear light of reason and
intelligence.
This is why the path of the master and the master himself become one. The
master, in any game, is the product of practice. A devoted follower gushed after
an extraordinary performance by a famous musician, she said, ‘Sir, I could give
my life for such a performance.’ The master of music exclaimed, ‘I actually gave
my life for this kind of performance.’ Both aspiration and performance meet
upon the river called life. When this becomes clear, the master is no longer
competing with the world. He is only discovering his natural capabilities. Arjuna
recognizes in Krishna, a master’s true face. This face is not wrinkled with the
stresses and strains of life. The Master’s face is peaceful, sublime and smiling.
This too is the face of clarity.
 Like charity, clarity begins at home. This home is who we really are. We are
the light of clarity that gives meaning to our world. Clarity is our spontaneous
state. Think of this body of ours. Most of us harbour a mistaken belief that we
are this dense mass of flesh, blood and bones that sits on a sofa listening to
inspirational music. Yet the same dense body is transformed into a lightness of
being, a featherlight sense of who we are as the music transports us to a sublime
state. So are we the physical body or are we that clear intelligence that holds the
different parts of our body together? If you examine your body objectively, you
will recognize that what you define as ‘your body’ is nothing but an assortment
of food and drinks from the earth that you have put together. There is a natural
intelligence that has transformed corn, water, cereal and soda into a shape and
form called ‘body’. The body is a rented storehouse, a temporary apartment
where one is a guest for this lifetime. There is nothing really personal about the
body—it is a make-believe structure put together by an impersonal intelligence
that ripples in silence through one’s mind, one’s emotions and one’s biological
rhythms.

ARJUNA KILLS A CROCODILE

Drona often told his students, ‘Man is a learning animal and the whole universe
is a school. Sometimes life tests you . You have to deal with life’s ultimate
challenges as they occur. Life gives you no chance for replays. Mastery in any
field is about being present in life. You have to learn to watch, smell, touch, taste
and feel this living presence if you have to excel in any field.’
Once Drona was taking a bath in the river. His students noticed that their guru
was struggling to free his left arm from the mouth of what looked like a
crocodile. The crocodile bared its teeth and snapped at Drona. Drona appeared
to be struggling against the ferocious reptile. He shouted for help. His son
Ashwatthama was too shocked. All the students were also too startled to think of
a way to rescue their teacher. They stood by the bank of the river watching
helplessly.
Before any of the students could gather their wits, Arjuna let loose two of his
sharpest arrows, which rippled through the water. The wounded crocodile left
behind a red trail of blood as it loosened its hold on Drona. Soon the crocodile
turned towards the bank of the river where Arjuna was standing. Fearlessly,
Arjuna shot one arrow after another until the crocodile sank into the river. Thick
bubbles of blood oozed out of its body. It was a spectacle that remained etched in
the minds of all who watched.
Smiling from cheek to cheek, Drona came out of the water and hugged Arjuna
as a father would hug his son. Ashwatthama felt a pang of jealousy like the jab
of a knife. He wished that he and not Arjuna had been the one to save his father.
Duryodhana stamped his feet in disgust as he realized that Arjuna had killed the
crocodile before any of the other students could even draw an arrow from their
quivers.
Looking at the rest of his students Drona said, ‘You should not even pretend to
be like Arjuna. Look at the presence of his mind. Look at his willingness to serve
his teacher.’ He continued as he glanced at Arjuna with a soft, affectionate gaze,
‘That crocodile incident was a piece of drama that I created to test your skills. I
could have easily saved myself from the jaws of the crocodile whenever I wanted.
I cried for help merely to draw your attention to a challenge before you. No one
except Arjuna responded to the challenge in time. For this I will present to
Arjuna the Brahmasira Astra as a gift at the end of training.’
Drona then turned towards his hundred-odd students and said, ‘Mastery is
about surrendering to the present. Surrender is much more than the ritual of
touching the feet of the guru and bowing to him. Surrender to the guru means
surrendering your body and mind to the demands of your discipline. Your
discipline is archery. The bow and arrows are the extension of your arms. You
must learn to use your tools mindfully like you use your own hands and feet.
Observe every action of Arjuna; follow him from one moment to another. You
will understand what I am trying to tell you.’

ARJUNA’S CLARITY COMES FROM SITUATIONAL

INTELLIGENCE
If one asked Arjuna this question: ‘If there is a fight between a crocodile and a
bear—who is likely to win?’ Arjuna would simply say, ‘It depends on the
situation. If the bear tries to fight a crocodile in water, the bear will lose hands
down. However, the bear will have a winning chance if the fight is on land.’ Real
mastery comes from a quick assessment of an unpredictable situation. Arjuna
can visualize a situation, explore options for action and act rapidly, like an eagle
swooping on its prey in one seamless motion. He does all this in the blink of an
eye. Situational intelligence is a gift that helps Arjuna navigate the unpredictable
world that lies before him.
Victory in the world begins with clarity. Heroes achieve victory twice. First,
the victory is achieved in the mind and only then in real situations. Everything
that Arjuna ever achieves, he does it first in his mind. When faced with a
challenging situation, Arjuna turns to his mind, which provides him with a clear
picture of what the situation is. Arjuna’s mind is like a magic lantern. Such a
mind turns obstacles into opportunities. His clear mind sees the crocodile not as
a threat but as an opportunity to rescue his teacher.
Arjuna’s mind clearly sees through dvandva—the universe of duality. Every
situation in the world appears as a pair of opposites. For every valley there is a
hill; for every night there is a day; inside every crisis lurks an opportunity. When
the mind visualizes a situation as nothing but a play of opposites, it is easy to act
on the situation.The enlightened mind realizes that no situation is permanent and
that every situation changes in the course of time. Situational intelligence is
nothing more than the belief that we are infinitely greater than our situations.
Our real nature is infinite compared to the finite situation that we find ourselves
in. Whenever Arjuna’s mind begins to believe that he is greater than his
situation, he finds success. On the other hand, whenever Arjuna loses this self-
belief, he finds himself in trouble. Whatever Arjuna’s mind can visualize and his
heart can realize, his hands can actualize.
 CHAPTER 3

THE ARROW OF CONCENTRATION: FORM,

FOCUS AND FLOW

Drona’s academy was Bharatavarsha’s best place to train both muscle and mind.
The boys strained their hands and shoulders, lifting heavy metal bows. Their
biceps rippled as they took aim. Then there was unending practice with swords,
spears and maces. The princes had to learn to fight on racing chariots and ride
on elephant-back. Drona was a strict taskmaster. He would not tolerate
indiscipline and sloppiness in his students. When their muscles ached from hard
practice, he would take the princes to a quiet corner in the ashram to meditate.
They were taught to recite mantras so that their minds would become still. Even
as the last lingering rays of the setting sun crept out of the temple, Drona’s
students filled the ‘cow-dust hour’ chanting shlokas from sacred texts.
Drona would address his students saying, ‘Just as a potter learns to shape a
clay pot, the hero learns to shape his mind. A hero’s luminous mind influences
the entire world just as the light of the sun sets the whole horizon on fire. Before
the hero can command others, he must learn to command his own mental forces.’
Drona was the perfect master. He not only had knowledge and experience of the
art of war, but also the rare ability to communicate and inspire. A good archer
becomes an expert in launching arrows. But only a great guru knows how to
launch his students into a higher orbit of excellence. Drona was both: a great
archer himself as well as an excellent guide to his students.
However, Drona sensed that he had a problem on his hands. He had his own
mental battle to deal with. His son Ashwatthama, no less a skilled archer, was
not as good as Arjuna. Drona the teacher had to win over Drona the father by
giving Arjuna recognition above his own son. Drona’s greatest dilemma was to
give everyone clinching proof that Arjuna was indeed the greatest.
One morning, Drona gave his students a break from the usual routine of
training. He had decided to set up a competition to test the concentration of the
boys. He hung a small wooden bird on the branch of a tree. The bird was almost
hidden by leaves. He then said, ‘Pay attention boys, I want to see who amongst
you can strike the eye of that wooden bird that is hanging from that tree at a
distance.’
The bird appeared as a small brown leaf from where the boys were standing.
Drona’s voice rang like a bell as he spelt out the instructions: ‘Each one of you
will be given one chance to hit the eye of that bird. Before you shoot, I shall ask
you a question. Only when I give the go-ahead, can you release the arrow, not
before. We will begin with the oldest among you.’ The princes, who were experts
in hunting down wild animals, thought nothing much about the target set by their
teacher. Yet, they were curious to know who would hit the eye of the bird first.
Drona first invited Yudhishtira, the oldest among the princes, and pointed
towards the tree. Yudhishtira, his face eager with anticipation, narrowed his eyes
and surveyed his target. Drona asked, ‘Tell me Yudhishtira, what do you see out
there?’ Yudhishtira, who had a keen eye for detail began to describe everything
that appeared before him. ‘I see a wooden dove, maybe a vulture, the dry branch
and also a beehive on that tree. I can see the leaves swaying in the breeze and
some bees hovering over the hive. I can see the river flowing, the sand bank,
some other trees, the blue sky . . .’ Yudhishtira went on describing everything he
saw. He was wondering when Drona would command him to shoot. Drona
interrupted him rather sternly, ‘That’s enough, Yudhishtira. Put down your bow
and arrow. You don’t need to shoot. Next please!’
Yudhishtira stepped back, rather confused. It was now Duryodhana’s turn to
step forward. Drona repeated the question: ‘Duryodhana, what do you see?’ The
crafty Duryodhana thought it would be a good idea to begin by pleasing his
teacher, ‘I see my guru Dronacharya standing here. I see all the sons of Pandu
and Dhritarashtra. I can see Bhima scratching his chest and Yudhishtira’s sad
eyes. Then I can also see the jungle and the tree where something that looks like
a bird is hanging.’ Drona’s lips twitched in irritation as he said, ‘Step back,
Duryodhana. You don’t need to shoot.’ Duryodhana looked at Drona accusingly
as he dragged himself back with great reluctance. It was then Ashwatthama’s
turn. Nervously, Drona’s son rattled off whatever he saw in front of him. Even he
seemed to have failed the test as Drona asked him not to shoot. Finally, it was
Arjuna’s turn. He stood beside his teacher and crouched to touch his feet. Then,
with an unwavering gaze Arjuna looked toward the tree.
‘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 only see the eye of the bird, nothing else,’ responded Arjuna
without taking his eyes off the target.
‘Can you not see the river and the sky? Or perhaps your brothers around
you?’ Drona asked.
‘No guruji, all I can see is the bird’s eye and nothing else,’ Arjuna said, his
gaze fixed on the target.
‘Now, shoot!’ Drona commanded.
Everyone who stood there saw Arjuna’s arrow whizz past and heard a sharp
click. The head of the wooden bird then fell down with a dull thud on the ground.
The arrow was stuck to the middle of the bird’s eye.
A thrill of joy crept through Ashwatthama’s spine as he recognized why his
father had smiled so indulgently when Arjuna was taking aim. ‘Sadhu! Sadhu!’
cried out the princes. Bhima began beating his chest triumphantly even as
Duryodhana moved away quietly.

CONCENTRATION: WHEN LESS IS MORE

A hero has to travel the path of success twice: first in his mind and then in the
real world. Whatever happens to us in the outer world of appearances begins in
our mind. The hero crafts his success story by shaping his mind.
The ordinary human mind is scattered. This state of mind can be described as
vikshipta. The mind, through the five senses is turned on to whatever catches its
attention. Think of Yudhishtira. His mind is lost in details. What does he see
when Drona asks him to look at the target? He sees leaves swaying in the breeze,
the river flowing, the sand bank, some other trees and the blue sky. His train of
thought consumes his attention. Therefore, the attention that he is required to
give to the real task takes a backseat.
When it is not scattered, the human mind is agitated. This state of the mind is
called kshipta. An agitated mind swings like a straw caught in the gusty wind of
emotions. Think of someone possessed by anxiety or anger. Can he concentrate
on anything worthwhile? Duryodhana’s mind is agitated. When Drona asks him
to focus on the target what does Duryodhana see? He sees Bhima scratching his
chest and Yudhishtira’s sad eyes. Duryodhana’s mind is caught in the emotional
web of jealousy and rivalry. He obviously cannot see the target clearly because
his mind has been muddied by unnecessary thoughts.
Arjuna knows the art of concentration. When his turn comes, his mind
becomes ‘one-pointed’—ekagra. With concentration, Arjuna is able to discard
unwanted thoughts and unwanted emotions. When Drona asks him whether he
can see the tree or the bird, Arjuna responds by saying that he can see nothing
but the eye of the bird. Arjuna is totally focussed on the goal before him. He can
command his entire body, his broad shoulders and his long arms to do exactly
what they are supposed to do: to point the arrow towards the eye of the bird.
Arjuna’s most powerful weapon is not his Gandiva but his ekagrata, his
power of concentration. With this weapon, he learns to shoot arrows in the dark
and pierces the bird’s eye with unerring precision. The mastery of ekagrata starts
with the removal of excess information and distractions from the mind. The
simple mantra to achieving ekagrata is: less distraction, more concentration.
Concentration happens when less is more. Think of these: less food, more
appetite; less garbage, more cleanliness; less noise, more clarity in hearing.
While the diffused light of the sun is spread over a large space, it can be brought
to a small point of focus through a lens. This focussed light can become a
powerful energy source. Can you imagine the power of less as more? Take this
example: the weight of the internet that spans our entire world is less than a
lemon. The internet is stored and delivered using 540 billion trillion electrons.
These billions upon billions of data-in-motion, that is moving electrons on the
internet, add up to roughly fifty grams in weight. This is less than how much one
healthy lemon weighs. You can now see the possibility of concentration of
energy inside a small volume of matter. How does Arjuna achieve this
concentration of energy? He does it with the power of the intellect.

INTELLECT: CATCHING THE BUTTERFLY MIND

On another day, Arjuna tells Krishna in the middle of the battlefield:
The mind is restless, O Krishna, turbulent, strong and unyielding.
It is as difficult to control the mind as it is to control the wind.
 Think of a butterfly flitting from one flower to another. How easy is it to catch
a butterfly with your hands? It is probably as difficult as grasping the wind.
Krishna agrees that this is difficult. However, he says that it is not impossible:
Without doubt Arjuna, the mind
Is unsteady and hard to hold
But practice and dispassion can restrain the mind.
Krishna first describes the problem: the mind is unsteady and difficult to hold
still. Why is it so? The mind is nothing but the movement of thoughts. The
movement can be restless because of agitation caused by emotions. The flowing
mind is stubborn because it is attached to objects of the senses. Finally, the mind
is unyielding because it wants to move through familiar paths created by old
habits. Having analysed the problem, Krishna also gives Arjuna the solution.
The only way to hold the mind still and make it steady is through practising
concentration and inculcating dispassion towards obstacles. What are obstacles?
Any object, thought or emotion that comes in the way of a goal is an obstacle. A
good archer sees the obstacles; a great archer sees only the target. How does a
great archer like Arjuna see a target and not the obstacles? Arjuna achieves this
by constantly knocking on the door of his mind and discovering his intellect. The
intellect holds the key to concentration.
Intellect is that human faculty which helps us to think; it is separate from the
mind. It is like a cricket umpire or football referee who implements the rules of a
game. The umpire cannot take sides in a game. He has to be dispassionate
towards the emotional appeals of rival players. The umpire has to intervene and
regulate the game. Therefore he has to be an objective witness. The intellect
stands apart from the flow of thoughts in the mind just as a traffic policeman
stands apart from the flow of traffic and controls the movement of the vehicles.
Arjuna’s intellect regulates his wandering mind and brings it to the point of
focus.
The agitated and scattered mind is preoccupied with memories of the past and
anxieties of the future. Arjuna’s intellect helps his mind remain fully occupied
with hitting the eye of the bird without any other preoccupation. A mind without
a cultivated intellect spends most of its time swinging between the past and the
future. It is the intellect that holds the mind to the present moment. A mind
focussed in the present moment is like a butterfly that has found the nectar inside
the heart of a flower. Thoughts are like the rapid fluttering of the wings of a
butterfly. When a butterfly sits still on a flower, its wings fall still. A steady
intellect discovers a stillness of energy within it. It is this stillness that is the
point of power behind heroic actions.
FORM, FOCUS AND FLOW: THE THREE SECRETS OF ARJUNA’S
MIND
Heroes cultivate a meditative mind. A meditative mind is more than just a mind
capable of concentration. In a concentrated mind our attention is limited by our
goals or our targets for a certain period of time. Even an ordinary mind can
concentrate on a pleasant object or experience. It is so easy to freeze our glance
on a beautiful face or a sensational image for a considerable period of time.
However, the real challenge is to be able to turn our attention away from what is
pleasurable or preya to the preferable, that is shreya. Arjuna can easily pull his
mind out of the pleasing surroundings of the beautiful forest and flowing river to
the preferable work at hand, which is to perceive only the eye of the bird.
The first stage of creating a meditative mind is to form the mind. A goal gives
direction to a mind. Goals create boundaries for our attention. If the goal is to eat
a mango, the mind will go in the direction of a mango. While forming a mind,
attention is handcuffed and chained to a goal. This is called dharana or holding
the mind to a form. Before the mind achieves a state of dharana, the hero has to
gradually withdraw the mind from other forms. This state called pratyahara
involves withdrawing the senses from external distractions. Arjuna achieves this
much more easily than Duryodhana or Yudhishtira.
Let us see how Arjuna does better than the other princes in forming his mind.
There are several million bits and pieces of information streaming in and out of
Arjuna’s mental space every minute. The moment he forms the image of the eye
of the bird in his mental space, Arjuna re-creates the target in his own mind.
How does he do that? From the vast streams of information Arjuna selects only
those bits and pieces that make up the eye of the bird. Thus he is able to hold and
fix his attention on the target.
In the second stage, Arjuna has to maintain unbroken focus on the bird’s eye
for some period of time. The process of keeping the target in one’s unbroken
focus is called dhyana. Whereas dharana was about fixing attention on an object,
dhyana is about sustaining attention. The difference between the two is the
difference between dripping oil drop by drop from a bottle to a pan and pouring
oil in an unbroken arc from a bottle to a pan. Like the stream of oil, attention
moves from the mind to the target. This is the stage when Arjuna confirms to
Drona that he cannot see the tree or the sky or anything else except the eye of the
bird. At this stage Arjuna is using his intellect to overcome the mind’s
distractions and keep his physical and mental actions going in a set direction.
Arjuna has learnt the technique of moving from concentration to consistency.
This consistency of attention, like the smooth flow of oil, takes Arjuna to the
state of dhyana.
In the final stage, Arjuna forgets himself completely, like a painter who is lost
in his painting. The mental vibrations of the archer Arjuna achieve unity with the
physical vibrations of the target. This state of unity exists at the edge of the
human mind. At this stage the boundary between the mind and the target is
removed. The mind becomes the target, as it were.
This is the third stage of attention called samadhi.
Samadhi occurs when concentration and consistency reach a deep state of
awareness. In the state of samadhi, the hero experiences the stillness of the
present moment, as if diving into the calm depths of a turbulent sea. The fears
and inhibitions in Arjuna’s mind are gone. In this flow state Arjuna becomes a
true disciple of his enlightened teacher Drona. The state of samadhi that Arjuna
enters into can be expressed in these beautiful lines:
Come to the edge of the mind, the teacher said.
We are afraid, they said.
Come to the edge, the teacher said again.
Only one Arjuna came. The teacher pushed him
And Arjuna flew!

CONCENTRATION TO AWARENESS: MEETING REALITY

WITHOUT RESISTANCE
The human body is the focal point for higher human capabilities. This body is a
store house of powers, vibrations and energies that go beyond our physical
senses. The body is a meeting point of the physical and non-physical dimensions
of a human being. Have you ever wondered how this body converts a few grains
of rice that grow in the soil into blood, bones, brains, thoughts and emotions?
Concentration is the means through which a human being moves from the
physical to his non-physical capabilities. You cannot teach a cow mathematics or
a language because the cow cannot concentrate long enough to understand the
harmony of abstract numbers and words. A human being can learn mathematics
because the human intellect is able to hold still and concentrate the mind long
enough. It is concentration that makes the difference between animal and man
and between an ordinary man and a heroic man. Concentration is that which
magnifies us. We are more than just a biological event. Our body is a pulsation
of energy that vibrates for a lifetime. Your heart beats 2.6 billion times in a
lifetime of 68 years, without a break! Isn’t that a miracle in itself? When there is
a fatal heart attack, the pulsation simply stops. The heart stops beating as the
conscious energy that runs the heart leaves our body. Have you ever wondered
how the heart learnt to beat in the first place? Every heartbeat of ours is a
signature of the non-physical conscious energy that we actually are.
We grow from the base of conscious energy as a tree grows from the soil. A
tree is nothing more than an individualized form of universal energy. When you
think of a tree, think of the roots, the deep soil, the rain that nourishes the soil,
the sunshine that keeps the tree alive, the clouds that bring the rain that nourishes
the soil and the tree. You would realize that a single tree germinates and
terminates in the infinite cycle of Nature. You can see one tree coming out of a
seed. But think of the trillion trees than can emerge from just one seed, which is
part of the boundless cycle of life. Can your mind grasp or your eyes see the
infinite conscious energy that a seed is? A small seed is nothing but the
concentrated life cycle of a whole forest. The forest is invisible within the seed.
Similarly, the higher powers of human nature are concentrated within the human
body in invisible form.
When our concentration deepens, we unlock the power of awareness. From
dharana to dhyana to samadhi is the journey from concentration to awareness. In
the state of pure awareness, the human mind crosses the many barriers between
the human body and its larger reality. If the seed had the gift of awareness, it
would go beyond the barrier of its shell. The seed would go on to discover that it
is actually a forest in seed form. Concentration is a relationship with the
particular object or goal, and awareness is a relationship with the whole of life.
When his concentration deepens into the state of samadhi, Arjuna becomes truly
aware.
 A master archer does not see the obstacles in the way of hitting the eye of the
bird, he sees with clarity the goal beyond the obstacles. Arjuna cannot expand
his biceps beyond a finite material limit. But he can expand his awareness
infinitely. Heroes take on challenges and solve persistent problems by increasing
their awareness. When Arjuna becomes aware that the powers that reside within
him are much greater than the challenges in front of him, he can take on any
challenge.
Think of a problem, any problem, as a pinch of salt. If you put that pinch of
salt in a spoonful of water, the water will taste very salty. Now if you put the
same pinch of salt into a cup of water, the water will be a little less salty. Finally,
if you put the same pinch of salt in a lake full of water, the salt will almost
vanish. When the conscious energy that you are expands to become like a vast
lake of water, your problems will most certainly go away. You will have greater
capability to cope with your problems. This human capability, called awareness,
is able to see the reality beyond the barriers:
Many princes were locked up
In a prison in which they were both the jailors and the jailed.
While all the princes saw the barriers of prison bars!
Only Arjuna looked beyond and saw the twinkling stars!
 CHAPTER 4

LOVE: DESIRE AND DETACHMENT

Chitrangada spoke to her lover Arjuna:

‘Do not put me above you on a pedestal as a deity to be worshipped. Do not
leave me behind with callous indifference. If you truly love me, Arjuna, keep me
by your side as you walk the path of danger and daring. If you allow me to share
the great dharma of your life, then you will truly know the heart of a woman.’
Arjuna took Chitrangada as his wife, and lived in her father’s capital for three
years. Soon, a son, Babruvahana was born to them. Since Arjuna had promised
her father that he would not take her or her son away from their homeland in
Manipur, he took leave of Chitrangada, Babruvahana and Chitrangada’s father
and set out again on his travels.
On his journey, Arjuna remembered how he had once won the hand and heart
of Draupadi in a swayamvara in another land:
King Drupada’s daughter had cast a spell on all who had come to win her
hand in marriage. Her celestial beauty was already the stuff of folklore. Her
large lotus eyes could captivate gods and men alike. Her complexion was dusky,
her hair dark-blue and wavy; her nails, shining like copper, were carved like the
shell of a tortoise. She moved with the elegance of a swan. Draupadi was
carrying a golden plate with a white garland on it meant for the hero who would
marry her.
Beauty is an intoxicating flame that mesmerizes both the holder as well as the
beholder.
The kings who had gathered there from all over Bharatavarsha could hardly
take their eyes off her. Someone said that her waist was as slender as a palm
tree. They muttered in muffled voices about the curl of her lips and the swirl of
her hips. One could almost hear a collective groan as she walked past the
assembled crowd. Their eyes were riveted to the rising and falling arc of her
bosom as she moved up on the stage set for her. Her body had the sweet
fragrance of a blue lotus that spread like forest fire. One glance from her was all
it took to set hearts aflame.
Draupadi swept her eyes over her suitors. Duryodhana appeared to be
thrilled as though he was the one Draupadi was looking for. Each of the five
Pandava brothers who had come to the swayamvara in the guise of Brahmins
was smitten by her charms.
Draupadi was also known as Panchali. Some called her Krishna because of
her dusky complexion. Her father Drupada had put up a dazzling display of
wealth on this special day. Flowers and perfumes adorned the arms and
shoulders of the warriors. Beautiful serving women with glittering jewels on
smeared sandalwood paste on the foreheads of the visitors. Musicians played
haunting ragas. The hall was decorated with curtains studded with precious
jewels. The eyes of the competitors were feasting on King Drupada’s treasures.
Yet who did not know that the real treasure draped in the finest silk was
Draupadi herself. It was difficult to miss her quiet intelligence and the hint of
fire in her eyes. Fire was indeed Draupadi’s second nature. She had lived with
an unquenchable thirst burning in her all her life. No one except Krishna knew
that this fire in her would bring about the downfall of the Kauravas one day.
Dhrishtadyumna announced to Draupadi the names of the many kings who
had gathered there. His voice was like the rumbling of low thunderclouds as he
announced the contest: ‘Look, there is the metal fish device rotating from the
ceiling. Here is the bow and here are five arrows. You have to hit the moving
target up there and make it fall through the hole that you see. You cannot look at
the target directly. He who hits that fish target by looking at its reflection in the
pool of oil below will win the hand of my sister.’ This was as great a challenge as
one could imagine.
One by one all the kings tried their luck in stringing the special bow called
Kindhura. It had strings made of steel. King Shishupala, the mighty King of
Chedi, was able to bend the bow but the string snapped and he fell. The kings
watching this expressed fake sympathy. Then, King Jarasandha was flung on one
side by his failed effort. Duryodhana fell on his knees and another king fell flat
on his nose. There was laughter and muffled anguish all around. Drona’s son
was determined to see nothing else but the eyes of the fish, but at the crucial
moment all he could visualize were Draupadi’s eyes. His arrow too missed the
mark and what came down was not the fish but a few feathers from his
misdirected arrow. After that it was Karna’s turn. He strung the bow with
effortless ease and bent down to shoot the target. It was then that Draupadi
spoke firmly and clearly, with a touch of pride, ‘Wait! I cannot marry this man,
Karna. He is the son of a low-born charioteer.’
Karna stood stunned, insulted and shocked, his vision blurring. In that
moment, he heard his heart break. It was the softest of sounds, like the falling of
a flower from a tree.
The crowd broke into murmurs. If Karna could not do this, who else could,
they asked each other.
It was now Arjuna’s turn to approach the great bow. He stood up from the
Brahmins’ gallery. Since no one knew that Arjuna was disguised as a Brahmin,
they speculated: How could a poor Brahmin compete with Kshatriyas for
Draupadi’s hand?
Arjuna was truly the centre of the spectacle with his hair tied in a top knot like
a Brahmin. Unconcerned about the noise around him he went around Kindhura,
his eyes bright and unblinking. He prostrated himself before the magnificent
bow. With a smile on his lips he strung the bow with his own hands. Before
anyone could realise what was happening, Arjuna had taken aim and had
brought the metal fish down.
Draupadi walked breathlessly towards Arjuna and with her heart nearly
missing a beat, placed the jasmine garland around his neck.
The Brahmins swarmed like summer bees towards Arjuna who was still in
disguise. There was confusion in the air about who this handsome young man
was. The kings murmured about the disgrace they faced as no Kshatriya had
been good enough to win Draupadi’s hand in marriage. How could that be?
Could a Brahmin even compete in the swayamvara, they hissed in frustration.
Then, a fight broke out. Krishna tried to intervene and pacify the angry kings.
Bhima and Arjuna fought their adversaries with great power. It was a
challenging escape for the Pandavas amidst battle cries and the flashing of
swords. Arjuna, clutching Draupadi’s trembling arms slipped out of Drupada’s
palace with his four brothers. As they rode back to the potter’s house, Draupadi
looked at her husband’s arms and the battle scars on them.
‘Are you the legendary Arjuna?’ she asked. Arjuna simply smiled.
The Pandavas, followed by Draupadi, reached the house of the potter where
their Mother Kunti was eagerly waiting for them to come back after seeking
bhiksha, as Brahmins are meant to do. Kunti was inside the house and so she
could not see them coming. ‘Ma, we have brought you alms,’ they said, half in
jest. Kunti was used to their bringing alms mostly in the form of food and so she
said as usual, ‘All five of you please share among yourselves whatever you have
got today.’
Following this, when Kunti came out she saw the lovely Draupadi standing
beside Arjuna. Lifting Draupadi’s face by her chin Kunti looked at her
admiringly. She then turned to Yudhishtira and said, ‘Oh my God! What have I
said? Have I spoken a lie in my life? How can all five of you share one woman
as wife?’ Yudhishtira consoled his mother by saying, ‘Do not worry mother, I will
sort this out.’ Turning towards Arjuna, Yudhishtira said, ‘You have won
Draupadi’s hand and it is but proper that you alone should marry her.’ Arjuna
was silent for a while as he had nothing much to say. Draupadi looked at Arjuna
in expectation. Arjuna finally spoke out to Yudhishtira, ‘You are the eldest of my
brothers. According to dharma I cannot marry before my elders like you or
Bhima.’ Arjuna was caught in a dilemma. He could not falsify his mother’s
words, nor could he violate dharma. He had to rise above his longing for
Draupadi to serve the higher laws of life. However painful, Arjuna had to accept
that Draupadi would not be exclusively his. Yudhishtira was thoughtful for a few
moments. Then he said, ‘Mother has said that we should all share Draupadi.
What can be more sacred than the words of a mother? Arjuna, we all love the
woman whose heart you have won. Let us all marry Draupadi. The matter is now
settled.’
Draupadi was silent as she was too dazed by the day’s happenings. She
glanced wistfully at Arjuna. She was thinking if Arjuna would turn around to see
the deep longing in her eyes for him. There was a vacant, faraway look on
Arjuna’s face. It was difficult to say what was going on in his mind.

KAMA: DESIRE MAKES EVEN THE GODS HUMAN

Draupadi had yet another name, Yagnaseni, as she was born of a sacrificial
fire. Like a raging fire that is not satisfied with all the sacrificial wood and ghee
offered to it, Draupadi’s beauty left all the kings who sought her with
uncontrollable desire. Whoever looked at Draupadi was stung by the arrows of
Kama, the deity of desire. Kama is the principle of sexual desire that moves
every living being in our universe. Kama has many names. The first of these is
abhirupa, that which is beautiful. Beauty enchants the senses with its symmetry
and harmony just as Draupadi’s beautiful form captivated the kings. The second
name for Kama is darpaka or inflamer. Desire inflamed with pride and passion
the hearts of those who were possessed by Draupadi. Kama is also known as
gridhu or lustful and mara, the deluder or destroyer.
Desire is as unpredictable as the wind. It is difficult to say when desire arises
and when it subsides. That is why Kama is depicted as one without a body.
There is a fascinating story in the Matsya Purana about how Kama strung his
bow and struck Shiva on his chest with a flower-tipped arrow:
The arrow of Kama pierced the heart of Shiva. He instantly felt desire rise
deep within him. However, in a moment, he had regained control over his mind,
and desire was overcome by anger. Enraged, Shiva opened his third eye and
glanced at Kama. Such was the power of his gaze that the God of Desire was
instantly reduced to ashes. News of Kama’s death soon reached his wife Rati.
She rushed to Shiva and fell at his feet. With tears in her eyes, she said, ‘What
will become of me now? I have lost my husband, more precious to me than life
itself. Why don’t you kill me too?’ By now, Shiva’s anger had cooled down. He
lifted the curse, saying, ‘Don’t lose heart, your husband is not really dead. I have
simply burnt his physical body, of which he was very proud. From this day on, he
shall live as a bodyless spirit. Rati, you as his devoted wife shall be able to
experience his physical form. To everyone else on earth, Kama shall remain
invisible.’ From that day onwards Kama is said to strike at the hearts of gods
and men alike as a disembodied spirit and fills them with the fragrance of desire.
Desire works like a magic potion. It ignites the heart and dazzles the mind.
The invisible force of desire can transform a body of flesh and blood into a
golden haze of dreams. Draupadi evokes desire in the minds and hearts of those
who want her. It is not as though these men fall in love with her, they just fall in
love with their own desire that her presence evokes. They simply project their
desire onto her physical appearance. Desire is made up of two elements: shakti,
the divine energy that is coiled up in the human body and maya, the magical
veiling power of desire that charms and deludes.

The tree of desire has its roots in shakti and the ever changing leaves and flowers
of this tree are the projections of maya. The leaves and flowers come and go,
changing with time and the passing of seasons. The force of desire cannot be
stopped by suppression. You can cut all the leaves and flowers of a tree yet you
cannot prevent the spring of desire from growing them back again. The invisible
root of the tree of desire—the divine power that makes a man or a woman so
desirable, has to be acknowledged and understood with humility. The secret
power of shakti and its many hidden forms have to be harnessed with sensitivity.
Arjuna learns the secret of harnessing desire as he grows in his relationships.

SMALL WORK, GREAT LOVE: THE SECRET OF HARNESSING

DESIRES
Desire is a gift that existence bestows upon a human being. Only a human mind
possesses such subtle capacity to desire. A buffalo has no desire to visit a
swayamvara. An animal cannot concentrate long enough to desire something
beyond the basic instincts of food, safety and mating. If one examines the
anatomy of human desire one will find that desire starts with the narrowing
down of concentration upon the object of desire. Only a human being is capable
of such focussed and persistent attention. Repeated focus on what we desire
brings about a flow of energy between the subject and the object of desire.
Many warriors like Arjuna are visited by desire. Yet, a hero is able to achieve
the desired goal, unlike a million others. The hero’s secret is Iccha Shakti. The
masculine principle ‘Iccha’ is the focussed will. Patience and perseverance, the
feminine principle, is ‘Shakti’. Arjuna’s will was focussed on hitting the eye of
the fish. He did not keep visualizing the beautiful eyes of Draupadi while he was
directing his willpower on the target. The kings who failed to hit the target did
not have the feminine virtue of patience to sustain their willpower on a single
point of focus. Drona’s son, who was one of the contenders, knew this trick, yet
he could not help but think of Draupadi’s eyes even as he was looking at the
target.
Heroes understand that the fulfilment of desire lies in the meeting point of
masculine will and feminine patience. This meeting of will and patience takes
place at our deepest source. Our source is deeper than our physical body or our
thoughts. Our human source is the life energy that creates our body and
illuminates our mind. The most precious resources of Nature, whether it is oil or
water or coal are buried deep within the earth. Similarly, the most precious
human resources of focussed will and fortitude, patience and perseverance are
hidden deep within the source of our human life. It takes a deep diver like
Arjuna to go to the bottom of the ocean of life and bring back those pearls to the
shore of human achievement.
Fulfilling a desire is therefore anything but an ordinary task. Arjuna is
successful because he knows a precious secret of human nature. Arjuna’s mantra
of fulfilment of desires is simply this: small work with great love. Small work is
about narrowing down attention to the object of desire. Small work is about
focussing the mind towards a goal and away from goal-irrelevant activities.
Great love is about waiting for our deepest human source to work out our desires
towards fulfilment. Small work is like a concentrated seed. Great love is soil,
sunshine, water and air which the seed needs to fulfil its potential. Have you
worked hard enough when you planted the seeds of your desire? Now, get out of
the way and let the great love of Nature do the rest!

DESIRE AND THE DESIRABLE

Arjuna falls in love with several beautiful women, Ulupi, Chitrangada and
Subhadra. Celestial women like Urvashi fell for him as a moth falls for a flame.
Yet, Arjuna is careful not to violate the law of dharma even when desire
overwhelms him.
Urvashi, the alluring Apsara of Indra’s court, was smitten with desire for the
dark and manly Arjuna. She spent a restless night tossing and turning on her bed
with her mind fixed on Arjuna. On a moonlit night she got up from bed and
walked towards Arjuna’s mansion. Her unbound hair caressed her shoulders like
dark playful clouds flirting with the moon. Her skin, like molten gold, glowed
with drops of sweat. When she entered the doorway of the mansion she looked at
Arjuna. Then, smiling seductively and with pleading eyes Urvashi said, ‘Today
in Indra’s court I saw you glancing at me. I have never seen a man like you. I am
burning with desire for you. Do take me, Arjuna.’
Arjuna was clearly embarrassed. He closed his ears with his hands and
looking down said, ‘Please do not let me hear those words. I did look at you in
the court of my father but not with the eyes of lust. I had heard a lot about your
romance with my ancestor, the great Pururava. I looked upon you as a mother.
You are more beautiful than I had ever imagined. But, you are a mother to me
and my dharma will not allow me to think of you otherwise.’ Urvashi shot back,
‘We Apsaras are forever young and ageless. The rules that bind ordinary mortals
do not apply to us. It is a man’s obligation to satisfy a woman who desires him.
Do not refuse me, Arjuna.’ Yet, Arjuna would not budge from his decision.
Urvashi’s lips curled in anger and her eyes became blood red. She hurled a
curse at Arjuna. ‘You have refused my love, now accept my curse. You will lose
that manliness you are so proud of. You will become a laughable eunuch dancing
for the amusement of women.’
Dejected by the experience of that night, Arjuna went to his friend Chitrasena
who consoled him: ‘Arjuna, you have achieved what great munis and rishis have
not been able to do. Not even gods could resist Urvashi as you did. I will plead
with Urvashi to reduce your curse to just one year. This curse will serve you as a
great boon in the thirteenth year of your exile.’
Arjuna has mastery over his desire. He knows how to surrender his desire at
the feet of the desirable. This way a hero can break the limiting power of human
desire and acquire super human strength. When sexual desire cannot be
contained within the bounds of marriage, it has to be kept within the confines of
conscious control and proper social conduct. This is the law of dharma. By
exercising self-control and keeping dharma as a measure of what is desirable and
what is not, Arjuna wins the battle with himself.

KAMA AND SAHADHARMA: THE LAW OF UNITY OF DESIRES

Arjuna’s romantic adventures always remains within the bounds of dharma.
When King Virata proposes to marry his daughter Uttara to Arjuna for protecting
his kingdom, Arjuna refuses to accept the proposal. In the guise of the eunuch
Brihannala, Arjuna had taught Uttara the fine art of dance. Arjuna knows that it
is a violation of dharma for a teacher to have a romantic interest in a student. He
asks for Uttara’s hands for his son Abhimanyu instead.
Arjuna courted Subhadra with great perseverance. He eloped with her on
Krishna’s advice and eventually married her on the basis of dharma. He went on
a self-imposed exile for accidentally interrupting the privacy of Yudhishtira and
Draupadi when they were together as man and wife. Arjuna understood love as a
dynamic balance of desire and detachment. Desire was the path of his outgoing
energy or pravritti; detachment was the path of inner purification or nivrritti.
When desire and detachment were in dynamic balance, Arjuna experienced true
love.
Heroes honour the women in their lives. Arjuna obeyed Kunti’s words without
question even when she mistakenly asked all five brothers to share Draupadi as
their wife. In the days of Mahabharata the status of a teacher was greater than ten
scholars; higher than ten teachers was the status of a father. But a mother’s status
was higher than that of a father. There was no guru who was considered greater
than the mother. It was believed that Gods resided wherever the mother was
honoured. Arjuna lived the dharma of his age.
Draupadi was not just an object of desire for Arjuna and his brothers. She was
the uniting principle that kept the Pandavas together. In Draupadi’s lifetime the
Pandavas were never separated from one another. A wife is often referred to as
sahadharmini. Marriage is nothing but sahadharma or the shared dharma of man
and woman. In shared dharma both man and woman share their enjoyment as
sambhoga. The experience of sambhoga is not just of the body but also of the
mind. A man and a woman occupy and share each other’s minds. They become
one mind and one heart.
A hero’s journey is never complete until he achieves unity of the head and the
heart. Arjuna discovered that the distance between the head and the heart was
greater than the distance between the earth and the moon. He felt a debt of
gratitude to the extraordinary women like Draupadi, Subhadra, Chitrangada and
Ullupi who graced his life. He remembered how they taught him to marry his
intellect with his heart. Arjuna was born a manly warrior; the women he loved
and lived with made him a complete man.
 CHAPTER 5

THE POWER OF COMMITMENT

On one occasion during the Pandavas’ twelve years in exile, Arjuna decided to
go to the Himalayas on a quest for knowledge. He wished to pray to the Devas.
He believed that the Devas knew all the secret laws of matter and mind. They
also had the knowledge of the world’s most powerful weapons. Arjuna was a
committed learner and hungry for new knowledge. He could easily give up food
and sleep and the cosy comforts of married life for the austerity of a pilgrimage
in the mountains if such a desire struck him. Arjuna took leave of his brothers
and went to bid farewell to Draupadi. She said, ‘My Arjuna, the honour and
happiness of the Pandavas rests on you. May your commitment to being an
invincible warrior bear fruit. May you succeed in your mission of getting new
weapons. May the Devas give you all that Mother Kunti had prayed for when
you were born.’ Draupadi’s quivering voice betrayed the hurt that she had felt
when Kunti’s words had alienated Arjuna from her.
Lost in his thoughts, Arjuna made his way through thick forests and reached
the mountain called Indrakila. One day, he met an old Brahmin monk. The monk
looked at Arjuna and spoke to him very gently, as though they had known each
other for a long time: ‘I can see that you are clad like a Kshatriya and you have
with you some strange weapons. What is a warrior like you doing in the
mountains? There are caves and quiet places of meditation for monks who have
conquered anger and passion.’ Without losing his focus Arjuna said, ‘I seek arms
that will make me invincible. Please bless me so that I can acquire those rarest
of rare weapons in this devabhumi, the home of the Devas.’ The Brahmin then
said, ‘Dhananjaya, what is the point of asking the Devas for weapons? Instead
why not ask for the usual pleasures of life or seek the enjoyment of the good
things that the Devas get in the higher realms of heaven?’
Arjuna shook his head and politely refused to accept the monk’s offer. He had
committed to acquire the greatest weapons available to mankind. The old monk
was impressed. He then revealed his true identity to Arjuna. ‘I am Indra,’ he
said. He was indeed the King of Devatas and the celestial father of Arjuna. Indra
had come to seek the pleasure of meeting his own son in Indrakila. Arjuna was
overwhelmed by a strange feeling for his celestial father as he bowed before the
thousand-eyed Indra. For every son, his father is the first hero. Arjuna felt the
same for Indra. Indra was very pleased with Arjuna’s singular commitment. He
counselled, ‘If you are blessed by the vision of the three-eyed Lord Shiva, you
will receive a divine weapon. Do your penance before Shiva.’ Then, like a
passing dream, Indra disappeared.
Arjuna went further up the mountain and lived an austere life. He survived on
the fruits and leaves of trees. He fasted often and prayed har to obtain the grace
of Shiva. Moved by Arjuna’s devotion, the Lord of Lords Shiva appeared, in the
guise of a hunter, with his wife Uma. The Lord was in hot pursuit of game in the
form of a boar. The beast started charging toward Arjuna who shot an arrow
from Gandiva into its body. Almost at the same moment Shiva put the boar to
sleep with a shaft from his bow, Pinaka. Arjuna’s pride was hurt. The unknown
hunter then made a sudden appearance with his wife. Arjuna screamed at the
hunter, ‘Who are you? How dare you aim at the game I was shooting?’ The
hunter curled his lips in contempt and replied, ‘This forest is full of wild animals.
We who live in the forest have the right to our game. Who are you, if I may ask,
to trespass here? Your body does not seem tough enough to make you a hunter. If
you have the guts, fight it out with me. The winner claims the dead boar.’
The challenge made Arjuna’s heart pound quicker. His blood began to boil.
He took aim with Gandiva and hurled an array of snake-like arrows in the
direction of the hunter. To his amazement Arjuna saw that the arrows seemed to
have no effect on the stranger. They fell back like storm-tossed rain from the
peak of a mountain. When his arrows were all gone Arjuna tried to strike the
hunter with his bow. But the hunter snatched Arjuna’s bow away with ease and
burst into a ripple of laughter that echoed in the distant hills. Arjuna realized
that this was no ordinary hunter. He drew the last weapon he had, his sword.
Even the sword was broken to pieces as it made contact with the hunter’s rock-
like frame. Left with no other ammunition, Arjuna wrestled with the hunter with
his bare hands. The hunter so overpowered Arjuna with his iron grip that he
gasped helplessly for every breath. It was then that the light of recognition
dawned on Arjuna. He realized who the hunter was. He remembered Indra’s
words. He knew this was the penance that Shiva was making him go through. He
fell at Shiva’s feet. In a voice mixed with admiration and repentance Arjuna said,
‘Forgive me, my Lord. I did not know who you were.’
Shiva smiled and reassured Arjuna, ‘I not only forgive you, I give you back
your Gandiva. In recognition of your valour and your commitment to be nothing
but the best, I hereby bestow on you my marvellous weapon, Pasupata. This is an
irresistible weapon and the most destructive personal weapon that I possess.
Pasupata can be discharged by the mind, the eyes, words, or even a bow. Arjuna,
take care that this weapon is never used against lesser enemies or by lesser
warriors. You must use it with utmost caution. Pasupata is capable of destroying
all creation and annihilating all species.’ Saying this, Shiva vanished from sight.
Arjuna’s eyes became misty. Deep gratitude welled up in him. As if by a
magical touch his battered and bruised body was restored to perfect health. He
felt lighter and a hundred-fold stronger than before. It seemed to him that Shiva’s
voice was whispering to him from the distance: ‘Climb farther up the mountain
and pay your respects to your father, Indra.’ Arjuna could not believe his senses.
Did I really receive the healing touch of Shiva? Did I really meet the Lord
himself in face-to-face combat? How lucky I am! He was overcome with joy. His
heart was full of surrender to the grace of Shiva. His commitment to have
nothing but the best weapon in the world had been gloriously rewarded.

COMMITMENT IS LIKE A MENTAL MUSCLE

The hero’s real work begins the moment he commits to something greater than
his present reality. Commitment is like a mental muscle. The more the hero
exercises this mental muscle, the more he grows in tenacity. Arjuna’s life is a
carnival of many temptations. His youthful and handsome body is ready to
embrace many sensual pleasures. Brave warriors bow before him. Beautiful
women swoon on him. His fame envelops him like a cool and soothing breeze
that announces the onset of the rain. Yet, Arjuna decides to sacrifice all
enjoyment in the present to gain power for the distant future. He grows by
delaying gratification.

To live with the pain of the present in order to achieve a gain in the future
requires heroic commitment. Arjuna’s commitment is to get the best of the
astras, such as the famed Pasupata from the Devas. The Devas live in
treacherous mountains and dense and unwelcome forests. In order to reach them,
the human body has to give up many temptations and endure several hardships.
Many have the physical capacity to endure hardship. Yet, those very few who
become heroes have the mental commitment to sacrifice the desires of the
present for a desirable future.
Therefore the Devas make sure that only the most committed of men and
women reach them. They test their heroes before they bestow the boons that only
they can give. The Devas are Nature’s sublime creative powers and have greater
vision than ordinary humans. That is why they are said to have many eyes. Many
eyes symbolize greater vision. Vision reveals to the Devas the secret laws of
Nature. Vision brings knowledge. Knowledge brings power. The most powerful
astras of the world are nothing but a creation of the vision of the Devas. When
human beings want to be blessed by the Devas’ vision, they must go on a
mission like Arjuna. Such missions open the doors of human perception.
Mission leads to vision. A mission is a deep commitment to a cause greater than
oneself. Commitment is mental muscle power. Arjuna’s commitment to attain
invincible power makes him overcome the temptations of the good life offered
by Indra.

COMMITMENT IS THE ENERGY THAT IGNITES ACTION

When challenged by Shiva in the disguise of a hunter, Arjuna is quick to take
action. In unequal combat with the all-powerful Lord, Arjuna stretches every
muscle. When his arrows run out, he confronts Shiva in hand-to-hand combat.
Defiant in his loss, Arjuna is also valiant in his defeat at the hands of Shiva.
The human body-mind complex is an organization of energies. On the surface,
the energy appears dense like our physical body. As we go deeper, the energy
becomes finer and more subtle. Commitment is a deep source of energy. Only
when a hero acts out of deep commitment do the Gods come forward to help
him. Commitment cuts through the defences that our human nature puts up
before we can reach our divine potential.
A human being is a web of intimate energy systems organized in a hierarchy
of increasing subtlety. Nervous energy is finer than physical energy. If there is a
nervous breakdown, there will be a physical breakdown. Mental energy is more
subtle than nervous energy. If the mind is not clear, the nerves become agitated
and jittery.
Commitment comes from a crystal clear mind. This kind of mind helps
prioritise action choices. To commit to one goal is to give up on many other
goals. In a world of plentiful choices, commitment to a singular goal is the most
difficult thing to practice. Arjuna puts all his effort into the pursuit of a single
goal: to get the astras that will make him invincible. When human effort reaches
its peak, the human energy system becomes ready to receive the grace of divine
energy. Arjuna gets the Pasupata only after he stretches his energies completely.
Arjuna’s body-mind itself becomes a mature instrument that is ready to receive
and use the Pasupata.

ARJUNA HAS SOMETHING TO DIE FOR

A hero cannot become great unless he has something to die for. Arjuna discovers
extraordinary powers within himself when he stakes his whole life for
something. When he has something to die for, his whole life energy comes to a
focal point. At this point, the most extraordinary things begin to happen. The
moment Arjuna commits himself to avenging his son Abhimanyu’s death, he
moves the wheels of fate in his direction. The Battle of Kurukshetra changes
direction in favour of the Pandavas from this one commitment of Arjuna. Arjuna
is at the centre of unforeseen events; he has meetings with the Devas and
receives divine assistance from Krishna. These things, which he could not even
have dreamt of, pave his way to success.
On the thirteenth day in the Battle of Kurukshetra, Arjuna asked his brothers,
‘Where is Abhimanyu?’
Yudhishtira pulled in Arjuna close to his chest as the sound of weeping men
and women filled the air.
Arjuna then learnt that the chakravyuha, the death trap of battle formation
that Dronacharya had laid to capture Abhimanyu, had achieved its purpose.
Yudhishtira recalled stone-faced what Abhimanyu had said before entering the
chakra. He had said that he knew the secret of breaking into the enemy chakra,
but he did not know how to get out. Drona’s strategy of keeping Krishna and
Arjuna occupied elsewhere in battle ensured that Abhimanyu was unprotected
and helpless. As Abhimanyu went inside the chakra, Jayadhratha moved in to
close the circle and prevented the Pandava brothers from entering the chakra to
help Abhimanyu.
Arjuna’s hair stood up at the back of his neck as he heard how valiantly
sixteen-year-old Abhimanyu fought against the might of the Kauravas. That
Brahmin fox Dronacharya, his own guru had plotted his son’s death. Seven
seasoned warriors attacked the disarmed Abhimanyu like a pack of wolves.
Karna killed Abhimanyu’s horses and then shot him on the back. Then Drona
sprayed him with arrows. When his arrows were broken, a blood-soaked
Abhimanyu fought back by picking up a chariot wheel. That sweet boy of sixteen
was driven into the jaws of ugly monsters. Finally, Dushasana’s son smashed his
head and clubbed him to death. Yudhishtira could hear Abhimanyu’s cry and was
helpless as Jayadhratha kept the Pandavas at bay. As Abhimanyu lay dying,
Jayadhratha kicked his shattered head and boasted about how he was able to get
Arjuna’s son killed.
This was a turning point in Arjuna’s life. Until then, he had been reluctant to
fight his own teachers, Bhishma and Drona, out of gratitude. But Abhimanyu’s
murder changed all the equations of the battle. Drona, once his revered teacher,
was now his sworn enemy. It was a Kshatriya’s dharma to avenge the death of a
son who had been killed in such an adharmic way.
‘How could you let my son die like that?’ a grief-stricken Arjuna asked
Yudhishtira. His lips quivered in unspeakable anguish. The eldest of the brothers,
struck by guilt and sorrow, had no answer. It was then that Arjuna’s jaws became
hard as steel. His eyes were cold and distant as though he had lost his will to
live. A raging voice burst out from this throat: ‘I will kill Jayadhratha, the killer
of my son, before the sun sets tomorrow. Or else, I will end my life by walking
into the fire.’
There were murmurs of disapproval from the Pandavas as Arjuna made his
life-or-death commitment to avenge Abhimanyu. They knew that the Kauravas
would now guard Jayadhratha like a well-kept secret. They feared there was
every possibility that Arjuna would have to walk into the fire as a jackal-like
Jayadhratha could easily hide himself until sunset. ‘Take your vow back,
Arjuna,’ they said. ‘We have lost our dear Abhimanyu and now we cannot afford
to lose you.’ Arjuna rose like a mountain, steadfast in his commitment. A pall of
silence descended like a curtain on the faces of everyone watching Arjuna. His
brothers looked towards Krishna to dissuade him. But Krishna surprised
everyone as he said, ‘As long as his friend Krishna lives, Arjuna will not walk
into the fire.’
 The next morning, Dronacharya devised a new chakra to defend Jayadhratha
from the wrath of the avenging Arjuna. Bhima, Satyaki and Arjuna tore through
the Kaurava army. Arjuna cut through the many lines of defence put up by
Dronacharya. The Kaurava army was scattered and severely wounded by the
ferocity of the attack. Yet, Jayadhratha was nowhere in sight. Arjuna’s eyes
looked up to the sky. The sun seemed to be moving westward with the speed of an
arrow. All around, red dust rose from the hooves of speeding horses. Arjuna’s
horses were hurt and exhausted as the day almost wore out. Krishna caressed
them and had them drink some water. Even as they snaked their way forward,
Arjuna and Krishna could barely see Jayadhratha’s battle banner. There were
thousands of men from the Kaurava army who were protecting Jayadhratha with
their spears and shields. It seemed nearly impossible to catch a proper glimpse
of Jayadhratha. Duryodhana egged on his army, ‘Hold on my men, the sun will
set soon and we will all see Arjuna burn.’ Indeed, the sun started to go down the
western horizon.
At that dramatic moment, with the sun nearly set and columns of warriors still
between Arjuna and Jayadhratha, Krishna whispered to Arjuna: ‘Now, get ready
with Shiva’s gift to you, the Pashupata! String it to your bow.’ Silently, Arjuna
did as he was told. All of a sudden the darkness of a solar eclipse fell on the
battlefield. The Kaurava army howled in joy. Duryodhana announced that the
sun had set and that Jayadhratha could not be killed anymore. The walls of
spears and shields protecting Jayadhratha came down. Jayadhratha’s
triumphant laughter rippled across the battlefield. That was enough of a clue for
Arjuna. He could measure his target without seeing it, just by just the sound
made by the target. His focussed mind located Jayadhratha’s presence from the
sound of his laughter. As if by a magical wave of the hand, Krishna brought back
the setting sun to linger on and blaze away in dazzling light. Arjuna’s fingers
released the Pashupata, which severed Jayadhratha’s head from his body.
Jayadhratha’s head flew past the orange orb of the sun. Krishna had finally
saved the day for Arjuna. With his Sudarshan Chakra, Krishna had hidden the
sun from sight, such that it appeared as though night had fallen. At that
opportune moment, Arjuna fulfilled his commitment, before Drona could
complain to Krishna about the trick that was played.
The Kauravas had first violated the code of ethics by killing an unarmed
Abhimanyu. The rules of combat had been broken by Arjuna’s enemies in the
first place. From now on, for Arjuna and the Pandavas, rules no longer applied
in the battle. Krishna’s will prevailed over Nature. When a man commits his
whole life to a goal, the divine takes over to enable whatever the human being
aspires to achieve.
IF SUCCESS IS THE FRUIT, COMMITMENT IS THE ROOT
There is a difference between a passing interest and deep commitment. Whatever
catches our fancy for some time can become an object of interest. Mere interest
is generated by sensory energy: those flickering sensations that we experience as
pleasure. When one is interested, one pursues the object of interest when it
pleases us. But, when one is committed, one goes beyond pain and pleasure in
pursuit of results. Success comes from results and not from interests and
intentions.
Commitment is like the roots of a tree. The deeper the roots of commitment
the more likely it is for the tree to bear the fruits of success. Think of Arjuna as
the tree of a heroic life. His many achievements on and off the battlefield are the
result of his undying commitment to a purpose. This enables him to live out his
full potential.
Arjuna’s real commitment then is to the divine potential within himself. He is
Indra’s son. When Arjuna reaches his pure potential, a world of opportunities
opens up before him. The environment around him vibrates with the intensity of
his emotions – his anger, his anguish and his aspirations. When Arjuna stands
firmly for something, everything around him seems to fall in place. Some call
this luck; some say it is divine intervention. Ultimately, fortune favours the man
of action.
Arjuna’s decision to walk into fire in the eventuality of not avenging his son’s
death before sunset would appear to be an odd and insane decision. Even the rest
of the Pandavas seemed to think it was a promise that was destined to fail.
Everyone knew that Jayadhratha was well-protected by the Kauravas. The
dividing line between insanity and commitment is very thin. When Arjuna
makes a promise, however insane it may seem, he keeps it. When he sets a goal,
he achieves it and when he makes a commitment, even the gods honour it.
In a hero’s journey, a commitment is the bridge between the hero’s mission
and his current reality. No hero is powerful enough to fulfil a mission single-
handedly. A hero is an ordinary mortal. He has human flaws. Yet he does his best
and surrenders to the divine to do the rest. A hero’s surrender to a superior
wisdom transforms his weakness into invincible power. When Arjuna is found
wanting, Krishna covers up for him. Krishna hides the sun in such a way that he
changes day into night and night into day.
For Arjuna, Krishna is much more than a friend. Krishna is the divine
potential within his own self. Like many heroes before him, commitment takes
Arjuna to the very depths of his human potential. In doing so, Arjuna rediscovers
his fire. Only this time, the ignition comes from his inspired heart. A hero who
commits his life fully in his own time, becomes an inspiration for all times!
 CHAPTER 6

YOGA IN ACTION

Duryodhana turned out to be a land grabber. He refused to give up even a

needle-point of land that he had stolen from the Pandavas. Krishna’s attempts at
mediation did not work out. Duryodhana would not yield without a fight.
Soon, the scene was set for the Battle of Kurukshetra to begin. Krishna was
the focal point of attention as he and his army could tilt the balance of forces in
either direction. Duryodhana came to Krishna’s home in Dwarka, while Krishna
was in deep sleep. Duryodhana entered Krishna’s bedroom and occupied a chair
close to his head. A couple of minutes later, Arjuna came in and sat at Krishna’s
feet. Arjuna was a learner. For a learner it is necessary to be humble. So Arjuna
sat at the feet of the one who had the wisdom. The rival warriors, Arjuna and
Duryodhana, were waiting for Krishna to wake up. Arjuna was watching
Krishna’s face patiently so that he could greet him. Duryodhana was impatient;
he wanted to get on with the business of war by enlisting Krishna’s support.
Duryodhana to himself (looking anxiously at Arjuna): What is this crafty
Arjuna doing here? I am sure he has come to beg Krishna for his army. Irritating
fellow! But, he must remember I entered the room first. He’d better remember!
Arjuna to himself (in a reflective mood): Krishna looks so peaceful. I hope we
do not disturb his sleep.
Krishna eventually opened his eyes. His long eyelashes twitched and his gaze
first fell on Arjuna sitting at his feet. A smile spread over Krishna’s face like a
fresh new dawn.
Arjuna bowed his head, folded his palms and bent down to touch Krishna’s
feet. He felt grateful that Krishna and he had met after a long time.
Duryodhana was ill at ease. He had wanted to be the first to grab Krishna’s
attention. He therefore faked a muffled cough, letting Krishna know that he was
also there to stake his claim for Krishna’s support. His brows wrinkled in anxiety
as he saw Arjuna drawing closer to Krishna.
Krishna (still looking at Arjuna): There, my Arjuna, what a joy is it to see you.
Please tell me how I can help?
Duryodhana (shuffling his feet and coughing louder): Krishna, I was the first
to come here to meet you. I came before Arjuna. How come he gets to speak his
mind first? You have to be fair. Please give me the first hearing.
Arjuna simply smiled, sensing Duryodhana’s restlessness, and he lowered his
eyes to gaze at Krishna’s feet.
Krishna (smiling from ear to ear): It may be true Duryodhana that you came
before Arjuna. Yet, it is also true that my eyes fell on Arjuna first because he was
sitting at my feet.
Duryodhana (mumbles in protest): But, but, first come is first served …
Krishna (with a disarming smile): Duryodhana, let us not start a fight here.
We can resolve the matter very peacefully. Besides, Arjuna is your younger
brother. Why don’t you give him a chance to speak first?
Duryodhana was not happy at all. He smiled reluctantly as he waited for
Arjuna to speak. He was a worried man because his uncle Shakuni had briefed
him about the importance of Krishna’s support in the ensuing battle. He
wondered if Arjuna would walk away with Krishna’s powerful army.
Arjuna (looking adoringly at Krishna): Dear Krishna, I want you by my side
in the battle.
Duryodhana (looking menacingly at Arjuna, jumped in even before Arjuna
could finish his sentence): Krishna! Even I was about to ask for the same.
Arjuna is getting his wish and I will be left with nothing.
Krishna (with a glitter in his mysterious eyes): I can see that both of you need
my help. I am related to both the Kauravas and the Pandavas. I am therefore
duty-bound to help both of you. Let us resolve the problem this way: I have
decided not to fight in this battle. I shall be on one side, and my entire army will
be on the other side. Now you decide whether you want me or my warriors.
Arjuna you go first!
Duryodhana (biting his nails) kept thinking that Krishna was being partial.
He was sure Arjuna would ask for Krishna’s powerful and well-trained warriors.
Arjuna (his heart leaping in joy): Krishna, if you are there, who needs your
army? I would like you to be by my side.
Duryodhana now thought that Arjuna had made a fool of himself. How could
Krishna who was unable to fight be of help? He thought: I must clinch this deal
before this mindless Arjuna decides to change his mind. Then turning to Krishna
he said: Are you sure you will not lift your arms and fight? I would certainly
settle for your army then.
Krishna: Duryodhana, a promise once made will not be broken. Well then, you
take my entire army, and Arjuna will have me by his side.
 Arjuna (bowing in gratitude): Thank you, Krishna. You are all that I wanted.
Duryodhana: I am glad, Krishna, that I have your army. Let Arjuna have your
advice. But please do not forget your promise. Keep your word, won’t you,
Krishna? Please make sure that not a single soldier from your army goes to fight
for Arjuna.
Krishna: Duryodhana, rest assured I shall not fight. I shall only give whatever
assistance Arjuna asks for. Arjuna, then why don’t I become your charioteer?
That way I won’t have to fight.
Arjuna: Krishna, since you have decided to help, please be my charioteer.
Krishna: Tathasthu, rest assured. I will be your charioteer, your sarathi,
Arjuna. But remember, I shall not fight.

ACTIVITY IS NOT ACTION

Duryodhana and Arjuna present two contrasting pictures when they are before
Krishna. While Duryodhana is engaged in restless activity, Arjuna practises
conscious action. The hidden energy behind activity is a turbulent mind.
Duryodhana’s mind is in turmoil with thoughts of competitive rivalry. He is
bitten by the stings of jealousy as he sees Arjuna approach Krishna ahead of
him. He is unable to relax. His mind cooks up conspiracy theories involving
Krishna and Arjuna. Duryodhana’s uncle Shakuni had introduced the poison of
intrigue in his mind. Duryodhana’s mind is now a cocktail of negative emotions.
He perceives his situation differently from what it actually is. He makes a topsy-
turvy choice in letting go of Krishna and accepting his army instead.
Activity is a mechanical process. There is no consciousness involved in
activity. Imagine a toy-maker who has made a toy horse that starts to move as
soon as a button is pressed. The toy horse does not move mindfully, it moves
mechanically. The toy horse is not conscious of its activity. Duryodhana is
somewhat like the toy horse that simply moves at the press of a psychological
button. A current of jealousy runs through him. A flood of emotion sweeps aside
his reason. It is as though Duryodhana is held hostage by his own restlessness.
He is incapable of meaningful action. He expresses this restlessness with his
shuffling feet, fake coughing and barely concealed anxiety.
Arjuna, on the other hand is far more relaxed in the company of Krishna. His
mind is like a placid pool of water that reflects the reality of his situation
accurately. Think of an image of the moon reflected on the surface of a calm
pool of water. The moon will be visible clearly and without distortion. From this
relaxed state Arjuna appraises his situation clearly. He makes the right choice by
asking Krishna to be by his side.
In any activity, the mind is at work independent of the situation. If you press
the button of a toy horse, it will walk, irrespective of whether it is walking into a
fire or walking into water. In conscious action, the body and the mind act
according to the demands of the situation. When someone engages in conscious
action, he develops situational intelligence. See how Arjuna positions himself
consciously at the feet of Krishna. He thus places himself in the right situation to
make eye contact with Krishna when he awakens from sleep. Duryodhana is so
full of himself and his worries that he becomes blind to the situation.
When consciousness is brought to activity, one understands the meaningless
nature of many of one’s mindless motions. For instance when one moves one’s
feet restlessly while reading a book, one is engaged in mindless motion. Moving
one’s toes has nothing to do with reading the book. The movement of the toes is
a meaningless activity. When one becomes conscious of such meaningless
movements, they stop by themselves. This prevents vital energy from being
wasted. Real action follows from conscious understanding of the energy behind
the action.
Arjuna’s action of choosing Krishna over his army proves to be the most
decisive factor in the Battle of Kurukshetra. Krishna is the creative power and
his army is his creation. The creative power is always greater than the creation.
The creator of a toy horse is greater than the toy. Krishna alone is greater than
his entire army. Krishna is the imperishable source; his army is a resource.
Krishna is quality, his army is quantity. In the field of work the quality of a
single action is far superior to a meaningless quantity of many random actions.
Think of buttoning a shirt. You can perform the activity of filling the buttonhole
with as many buttons as you want. However, if the first button is wrongly
fastened, the entire alignment of buttons will go wrong. Therefore, one has to be
alert and conscious of how one buttons up. Arjuna gets the first button right by
choosing Krishna. It is a conscious action. Duryodhana has only managed to get
a large army that can engage in activity. Under the wrong leader they are now
like misaligned buttons and they prove to be worthless without the leadership of
Krishna.
ARJUNA THE WARRIOR BECOMES ARJUNA THE WORRIER
Arjuna asks:
Krishna, if you say that knowledge is superior to action,
Why then do you advise me to engage in such terrible action in the Battle of
Kurukshetra?
Arjuna thinks knowledge and action are two different paths. He is not able to
reconcile a life of contemplative knowledge with the path of terrible action that
the war with the Kauravas demands. Arjuna is confused about how enlightened
knowledge can lead to war and destruction.
Arjuna is a warrior by nature. It is natural for a warrior to take quick action on
the battlefield. Yet, for once, suspended in the middle of a battle, Arjuna is
unable to lift his bow and arrow. The warrior becomes the worrier as he says to
Krishna:
My mind is in a whirl seeing my own kin facing death at my hands.
My mouth is dry with fear.
All my limbs are shaking. My bow keeps slipping through my hands.
My skin burns, my brain reels and I am not able to stand on my feet.
Arjuna is fighting a battle within his own mind. He is emotionally attached to
his larger family. Family is something we are familiar with. When we are
attached to a family, we are simply attached to familiar thoughts and emotions.
This attachment of Arjuna is coming in the way of his attaining true knowledge.
Arjuna seeks clarity from Krishna in his confusion:
Tell me, Krishna, one thing for certain: knowledge or action. I can follow only
one path.
Krishna rises to the challenge as he responds:
At the beginning of Time I declared two paths: the path of contemplative
knowledge and the path of selfless action. Both these paths lead to the same
goal: yoga or unity with your pure potential.
Krishna does his best to clear Arjuna’s doubts and put his worries to rest.
Imagine two mountain climbers who decide to reach the peak. They take two
different routes to the mountain: one of knowledge and another of action. If the
knowledge of the one is pure and the action of the other is selfless, they will both
reach the same peak. This peak is called the state of yoga. A mountain peak has
no length, no breadth and no dimension. It is a dimensionless point where all
dimensions merge.

ARJUNA’S INACTION IS ALSO ACTION

Krishna tells Arjuna that his indecision and inaction in the Battle of Kurukshetra
is of no use. He says:
By not performing work you will never find the freedom of yoga, Arjuna,
By giving up action no one attains his pure potential.
Arjuna has an illusion that yoga is about sitting quietly with eyes closed and
doing nothing. Krishna says this is not yoga but foolishness. No one can actually
prevent action by simply restraining the organs. One can sit quietly in a room but
one’s mind can still be noisy and active with thoughts. The whole of Nature,
including human nature, is nothing but constant movement and action. Our heart
continues to beat in a specific rhythm, planets move in their orbits—all of Nature
participates in the grand symphony of ceaseless action. So, Krishna says:
No one can rest even for an instant without action.
For one is always made to act by the force born of Nature.
In short, Krishna says inaction is nothing but an illusion. Arjuna’s so-called
inaction in refusing to fight is nothing but negative action. It is negative action
against the dharma of a warrior whose duty it is to act in a battlefield. Arjuna’s
indecision is also a decision to do nothing. If Arjuna thinks that he is doing yoga
by doing nothing, he is engaging in hypocrisy. Krishna says:
Just restraining the organs of action yet thinking of sense objects,
Is nothing more than pretence, Arjuna.
Krishna’s solution for Arjuna is to take the first step of moving from inaction
to action:
Perform your obligatory action Arjuna, for action is superior to inaction.
Even the bare maintenance of the body will not be possible if you are inactive.
Even on the path of knowledge one needs to sustain the body through
nutrition and exercise. By energetic and cheerful performance of one’s duty one
can serve oneself and the world better. One can gradually reach the highest peak
of work through selfless action. This peak state of karma yoga or yoga-in-action
is where Krishna leads Arjuna.
YOGA IN ACTION
When work becomes worship, it is transformed into workship:
Work + Worship = Workship
Krishna shares the secret of attaining the highest peak of action with Arjuna.
When someone begins to work with deep attention and love, work becomes
more and more engaging. It is the attention we give it that makes work engaging.
Doing work that we love to do never tires us. A great footballer rarely gets tired
of playing football, a great writer is hardly ever tired of writing, and a loving
mother is never fully exhausted while looking after her child. The love for our
work makes our effort seem effortless. Love expands human capacity to enable it
to work towards its full potential.
The state of reaching our full potential while we work is what we can call
karma yoga or yoga-in-action. In this state, the mind enters a flow state. In this
state, action becomes effortless.Therefore, Krishna says that energetic selfless
work gives us a glimpse into who we truly are—our ultimate potential. In the
state of effortless action, we still work very hard, yet we do not feel the drudgery
as our innermost being transcends our physical nature, and we reclaim the
experience of the highest spiritual dimension that is within us.
Imagine the experience of a gardener who after a season of back-breaking
work sees the first flower bloom in spring. The gardener experiences delight as
he observes the flower. The gardener has done sincere work so that the flower
could bloom. Yet the gardener has not really grown the flower—the flower has
grown by itself, effortlessly, with the coming of spring. With the effort of his
body and mind, the gardener has merely created the right conditions for the
flower to bloom. The flowering is a result of happening and not doing. This is
how selfless effort and effortlessness work together. Although the gardener may
think that his effort has grown the flower, in reality the flower grows by its own
nature. Krishna shares with Arjuna the information that effort is made effortless
by the law of Nature:
All actions, Arjuna, are performed by Prakriti, the modes of Nature.
The ignorant, deluded by the ego, think, ‘I am the doer.’
Krishna helps Arjuna discover the effortless principle of Prakriti that works
spontaneously through us when we are engaged in selfless action. It is not the
action itself but the spirit behind the action that makes the action effortless. A
cranky old machine cannot achieve frictionless movement until it is greased and
oiled properly. The grease and oil of the spirit within our cranky body-mind
makes the action seem smooth and effortless.
Karma yoga or the spirit-in-action simply means work that is linked with the
transcendental spirit that flows through us. When we do our work in the spirit of
worship, the quality of the work is transformed. Even ordinary work becomes
extraordinary when it receives the kiss of the spirit. Through work we reach our
pure potential. At the mountain peak of our potential the two paths of knowledge
and action become one.

‘What happens when I perform yoga in action?’ asks Arjuna of Krishna.

Krishna replies that while you are in the state of yoga-in-action, you gain the
highest knowledge. This is the knowledge of who you really are. Highest
knowledge and selfless action merge at the peak of pure potentiality.
At the peak Arjuna, you will become like a seed. The seed is where both the
knowledge of the tree of life and the active force for manifesting that knowledge
are present. The seed is the ultimate fusion of knowledge and action. From this
seed anything is possible: one seed can become a whole forest. You will become
invincible Arjuna, when you learn this deep secret of yoga in action.
 CHAPTER 7

DISCOVERING DEVOTION

Arjuna had never felt his heart ache like this before. These moments would
forever be etched in his mind.
Eklavya, dressed in leopard skin, stood before a mud statue of Drona. He held
a bow and an arrow with fowl feathers stuck to it. These were the kind of arrows
that Nishadas, the tribals living in the forest used, to hunt down their prey,
Arjuna thought. Eklavya had done the seemingly impossible. He had seen
Yudhishtira’s dog barking ferociously at him in the middle of the forest where the
Pandavas had gone on a picnic. Eklavya had let loose seven arrows from his
bow that locked the dog’s mouth in the shape of a muzzle. He did it so skilfully
that the arrows had simply immobilised the jaws of the dog without hurting it.
Even Arjuna, Bharatavarsha’s most promising archer, could not accomplish this
extraordinary feat.
When Drona came to see what was happening, the boy in the leopard skin
rushed to touch his feet. Drona stepped back and asked, ‘Who are you?’
With a sparkle in his eyes, the boy told his tale: ‘I am Eklavya, son of the
Nishada chief, Hiranyadhanus. Some time ago I had come to you with a dream
in my eyes. I wanted you to teach me. You told me that I would not be welcome
there as I was not a Kshatriya. You had said that the young princes who were
your students would make my life miserable for I was different from them. You
had also said that you had promised to make Arjuna the best archer in the world
and I would be an unwanted competitor. Your final bit of advice to me was that I
could learn a lot about archery by myself.’ Arjuna stood motionless and Drona’s
piercing eyes softened a little. Eklavya wiped a teardrop with the back of his
hand as he continued his story.
‘Even though you did not accept me as your disciple, I decided to devote
myself to you, by thinking of you as my guru. I left your ashram that day and
came back to the forest. I crafted an effigy of yours with straw and clay. I
worshipped your image every morning with flowers, fruits and leaves. I
meditated on your form in the evening. In between, I practised archery until my
fingers were sore.’
Arjuna had just witnessed perfect devotion and discipleship. Without any
coaching and without learning the sacred scriptures, a boy from the forest had
mastered the art of archery. Arjuna looked at Eklavya with both admiration and
anxiety.
Eklavya crouched at Drona’s feet. His humility touched Arjuna. Drona lifted
him up with both his hands. To Arjuna, Drona’s face appeared to be surprisingly
stern. He asked, ‘Are you really devoted to me?’
This made Eklavya cry again. He nodded his head saying, ‘Yes!’
Drona spoke, his voice barely concealing his excitement, ‘If you consider
yourself my disciple, then I should ask for my tuition fee, my gurudakshina, from
you!’
Eklavya’s eyes lit up again as he thought Drona had finally accepted him as
his disciple.
It was then that Arjuna heard the most cruel words that he had ever heard
spoken:
‘Then give me your thumb, the one on your right hand.’
The moment stood still for Arjuna. He saw Eklavya, the Nishada outcaste,
take out a crescent-shaped arrow from his quiver and in a flash, chop off this
right thumb. The severed thumb fell at the feet of Drona and then a gush of blood
oozed out of the hand. Arjuna turned his face away as he could not bear to look
at Eklavya any more. He knew that Eklavya would never be his rival ever again.
With no trace of pain on his face and his eyes soft as he looked up at Drona,
Eklavya said, ‘To the world I may be just another disciple among your many
disciples, but in the heart of Eklavya, you, Dronacharya, were my whole world.’

DEVOTION IS CHOICELESS LOVE

Arjuna learnt his first lessons in devotion (bhakti) from the supreme sacrifice of
Eklavya. Bhakti is that thin line between dedication and madness. Eklavya’s
sacrifice of his right thumb is an act of apparent insanity. With this, he loses his
prowess with the bow and arrow for ever. But, Eklavya didn’t care about his
future success or failure. A devotee who is a bhakta does not save his body for
tomorrow. He lives a life of passionate intensity, committing himself fully to the
present.
Arjuna learnt that devotion is much greater than belief in someone or
something. Belief is an intellectual thing. You may choose to believe or not
believe in someone. But devotion is about choiceless love. It is about love
without any strings attached to it. Believers look for evidence to justify their
belief. If they do not find evidence, believers often change their beliefs. Eklavya
does not change his guru because he is rejected by him. Instead, he creates a
replica of Drona and dedicates his self-taught lessons in archery to his guru. A
bhakta like Eklavya makes no choices. He is already the one chosen by fate to be
his own guru. The bhakta simply dissolves his ego in the pool of unconditional
love that he experiences in his own heart. Many years later Krishna instructs
Arjuna on how an inspired devotee works:
Arjuna, a true devotee works independently of the world outside.
He draws his inspiration, equanimity and ecstasy from the source within
himself.
In the depth of devotion a bhakta experiences real humility. Like Eklavya, he
begins to glimpse a world greater than his personal success and ambition. He
finds a purpose greater than a self-seeking goal. He is humbled by the enormity
of life that he sees within himself. The greatest bhakta gives up his ego and calls
forth a life that is timeless.
Arjuna knew that at the very moment Eklavya cut off his thumb to offer it as
gurudakshina, he had achieved immortality. He knew that whenever Arjuna’s
great exploits in archery were remembered, Eklavya’s sacrifice would be
recalled with awe and reverence.

DECODING DEVOTION
Here is what Krishna discloses to Arjuna as the secret of devotion:
Fix your mind on me only.
Place your intellect in me.
Then, you shall live in me alone.
Krishna knows that it is difficult for Arjuna to be devoted to something as
abstract as truth or love. Arjuna is a Kshatriya warrior by temperament. His
mind is very often rooted in the physical world of action. Arjuna is where his
mind is. If his mind is caught in the whirlpool of wishing and willing, of desire
and doubt, it cannot devote itself to the highest formless truth. Grasping the
formless requires very fine discrimination and detachment. Krishna prescribes
something simpler to Arjuna. He shows him the path of devotion and dedication:
Listen, Kunti’s son: All that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give
away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, do it as acts of devotion to
Me.
 Complete devotion to his form, as Krishna suggests, eventually leads to the
awareness of formless truths. Then Krishna recounts the following story to
Arjuna:
A minister once went to his spiritual mentor seeking advice on how to improve
his relationship with his boss, the King. The minister was devoted to the King.
But the King was always suspicious of his motives. He was worried that the
minister was plotting to overthrow him. The minister found the King a difficult
man to get along with.
The minister’s mentor advised him, ‘For the first fifteen days, simply listen to
every word that your King says. Listen very attentively and be careful not to miss
a single word!’
The minister diligently followed the mentor’s instructions and came back after
a couple of weeks reporting a slight improvement in the relationship, ‘The King
seems a little more relaxed when he talks to me.’
‘Now,’ said his mentor, ‘for the next fifteen days, listen to everything that your
king has left unsaid, between words.’
The minister devoted the next fifteen days to listen to the unexpressed
emotions of the King. He understood the unspoken intentions behind the King’s
actions. Two weeks later, the minister came to thank his mentor for the deep
understanding that had now developed between him and his King. He said, ‘I am
more devoted to the King and he now trusts me a lot more.’
Just as words and silence together create understanding, the form and the
formless together create the fabric of truth. Krishna is inviting Arjuna to fix his
mind on the truth that Krishna embodies in his physical form. Ordinarily,
Arjuna’s mind is fixed on his likes and dislikes. Whatever he likes engages him
and whatever he dislikes repels him. Devotion includes both likes and dislikes
and goes beyond both. Therefore Krishna says that Arjuna has to lift his mind,
which fluctuates between its likes and dislikes. He urges Arjuna to lift the mind
to a higher point. This higher point is where the physical form of Krishna merges
with Krishna’s formless essence. Imagine a cube of ice melting into a glass of
water. The form of ice dissolves in water leaving behind a cooling effect.
Devotion is that cooling effect that is caused by the merging of the form with the
formless.
How can Arjuna control his fluctuating mind, caught between likes and
dislikes? Krishna suggests that he can do so by standing apart from the mind’s
movements, like a traffic policeman stands apart from the flow of traffic.
Devotion is about this standing apart from or disidentification with the traffic of
thought and emotion, and identifying with the power of the Sovereign Self.
Krishna is the representative of the Sovereign Self, which is forever free. This
Sovereign Self is our deepest source. The traffic of cars is controlled by the
traffic policeman and the policeman is controlled by the magistrate. Similarly,
the traffic of likes and dislikes is controlled by our internal policeman called the
intellect. The intellect in turn is controlled by the Sovereign Self. To use another
example, the Sovereign Self is like uninterrupted power supply (UPS); the
intellect is the software and the mind is the hardware. The software directs the
hardware only when the UPS of devotion to the Sovereign Self is activated.
Just as someone flying in an airplane places complete trust in the pilot and
sleeps peacefully during the flight, Krishna says, ‘Arjuna, entrust the reins of
your mind and intellect to me.’ In essence, Arjuna is advised to rise above the
likes and dislikes of his personal self and connect in devotion and love to that
impersonal Sovereign Self that is Krishna. Krishna, as the Sovereign Self, is the
pilot who can steer Arjuna’s mind and intellect in the right direction. When
Arjuna is able to establish trust in Krishna, his mind will not be hijacked by the
distractions of the world of likes and dislikes. This state of mind is clearly
described by Krishna to Arjuna:
He by whom the world is not agitated and who cannot be agitated by the
world.
He who is free from likes and dislikes, envy, fear and anxiety.
He is the one that has truly learnt the art and practice of devotion.

THE ART AND PRACTICE OF DEVOTION

Krishna describes to Arjuna three steps to become a true devotee:
First, surrender to the highest intelligence that controls your mind and your
intellect. Second, dedicate all that you do to the intelligence that governs the
universe and keeps even mighty planets spinning in their orbits. Finally, trust this
mighty intelligence to guide your mind and intellect in the most effective and
efficient way.
Devotion is the means and love is the highest goal of devoted work. Whatever
or whoever we completely devote ourselves to, fully occupies us. Eklavya was
full of Drona, Arjuna was full of Krishna, Duryodhana was full of his scheming
uncle Shakuni. If we devote ourselves to ignorance, then we grow in our
ignorance; if we devote ourselves to that which we like, we simply perpetuate
our desires for our likes; if we devote ourselves to the higher intelligence of
love, beyond likes and dislikes, we begin to embody that love.
The ultimate evolution of a hero is expressed in a return to the principle of love
that keeps him and his people together. The Pandavas were dedicated to each
other and worked towards a common goal like the five fingers of a hand. Arjuna
was fighting to make Yudhishtira the king and not to grab the throne for himself.
The keynote of Arjuna’s devotion was always this: to dedicate his best efforts to
something other than himself. Krishna defines the work of an ideal devotee for
Arjuna:
One who goes beyond censure and praise, who is silent and steady-minded in
his devotion—that man is dear to me.
A hero who has one eye on praise and another eye on blame is certainly not
attentive to the work at hand. The hero as a devotee bases his decisions on what
should be done rather than what he likes to do. The devotion is to the process of
work rather than to pleasure-seeking or pain-avoiding behaviour. Krishna tells
Arjuna, ‘Do not devote your attention to the urges of your ego, instead work for
the simple truth that your work plays only a small part in achieving a result.
Results come from multiple factors that include a larger intelligence beyond your
comprehension. Your actions, Arjuna, are like a little ripple in the ample ocean
of cause-and-effect. When you renounce any reaction to censure or praise from
the outside world, you will acquire a silence and steadiness of devotion to your
work. That is when you will come close to me. That is when you would be dear
to me.’ Thus Krishna assures Arjuna that when a hero rises above blame or
praise for work, he evolves to his highest nature and his deepest potential. At this
stage his devoted work truly becomes worship.
The practice of devotion is not about emotional excess. It is about dropping
the emotional baggage of the mind to move towards a singularity of purpose.
Devotion leads to the discovery of the creative source in our heart. Devotion is
about educating the body, mind and the senses to connect to the divine that hides
inside the human.
Krishna clearly defines the steps for Arjuna to become a great devotee:

1. The devotee sees himself as an instrument rather than as a doer of actions.

He adopts the attitude of, ‘I work with the knowledge and the power of the
Sovereign Self that is the primary doer.’ He thus travels on the path of
action without the excess baggage of ego and anxiety that comes from
performance pressure.
2. When a devotee performs an action with a feeling of love and reverence
for the Sovereign Self, he brings greater energy to his action than if he
were to do the same mechanically. Meaningful action is more energising
than mechanical action.
3. The devotee practises giving up the obsession of gaining a particular
result. When his heart is full, his personal wants reduce in number. The
devotee then gains the knowledge that there are many different ways of
achieving a result. ‘My way or the highway’ may not always be the best
way.

NIMITTA: THE DEVOTEE AS AN INSTRUMENT OF THE DIVINE

Krishna whispers this unforgettable mantra in the ears of Arjuna:
Nimitta-matram bhava savya-sacin
Arjuna, just be an instrument in the hands of the divine!
This is the ultimate summit of devotion. The devotee becomes an instrument
for the expression of divine energy. Krishna is asking Arjuna to be like a hollow
bamboo flute through which the song of divine inspiration will be played. For
this, Arjuna needs to be fully in the present. To be fully in the present, Arjuna’s
mind has to stop oscillating between the burden of the past and anxieties of the
future. Such a mind does not alternate between likes and dislikes. When Arjuna
is alive to divine inspiration he becomes a nimitta – an instrument. What
prevents Arjuna from being a nimitta? Krishna’s answer is that fear of the future
is the obstacle, anger is the obstacle, and anxiety to achieve future success is the
obstacle. This is another way of saying that the shadow of the ego is the
obstacle, because anxiety, anger and greed are various facets of the ego of
Arjuna. How does Arjuna break the barrier of the ego? He has to learn to see
divine will as higher than his ego’s needs.
In the final analysis, the devotee seeks the freedom that comes from the
renunciation of narrow self-interest as prompted by his ego. Such renunciation is
like an individual wave dissolving in the ocean. In the psychological universe,
what dissolves is merely the false notion that the devotee had of being separate
from the divine. The devotee was never the doer, the divine was the doer and the
devotee was the instrument. When the false notion that ‘I am the doer’ dissolves
into the ocean of wisdom—peace and evenness of mind surround the devotee,
like the calmness of the deep sea.
Arjuna wants to see the cosmic form of Krishna. Krishna says that it is
impossible to see his cosmic form with the ordinary eyes of a mortal. Krishna
bestows divine vision upon Arjuna. In a flash of insight, Arjuna sees the entire
cycle of creation and destruction. Arjuna goes through a whole range of
emotions from terror to wonder to gratitude.
There in the body of Krishna, Arjuna saw the whole universe with all its
infinite parts.
Seeing this extraordinary universal form of Krishna, Arjuna gushed in
gratitude:
I cannot not tell you Krishna, how I felt when I first met you. But I remember
how my ego seemed to vanish when I was with you. In your presence Krishna, I
truly became whole.
 CHAPTER 8

THE MOTHER OF ALL WARS

It was the mother of all wars. The battleground of Kurukshetra was filled with
the stench of the dead and the dying. Vultures circled the sky almost
continuously. Sixteen days had passed since the battle had begun. The Kauravas
were downcast and despondent. Drona was dead. Dushasana was gone.
Bhishma was down and out. Duryodhana’s only hope was his friend Karna
whom he believed could alter the course of the war by getting the better of
Arjuna.
It was clear to everyone that either Karna or Arjuna would survive the
ultimate duel. Legend has it that the last night of a hero passes as swiftly as a
flash of lightning. Both Karna and Arjuna had spent a restless night before they
took each other on. Now, in broad daylight, Karna’s chariot stood face-to-face
with that of Arjuna’s. Karna had already come to know that he was Kunti’s
abandoned son and by birth the sixth Pandava. Karna shaded his eyes to look at
Arjuna. He knew Arjuna was his own brother. Yet, by a strange turn of events he
was locked in the most decisive yet painful combat of his life with him.
Ashwatthama had tried to prevent this fight. He had pleaded with
Duryodhana, ‘Look, let us declare peace now. You can still stop this war. My
father Drona is gone. Both Arjuna and Karna have lost their sons. Dushasana
has met with a gory death at the hands of Bhima. It is futile to fight any more.
The war can come to an end if you want it.’
Duryodhana shook his head helplessly. ‘This war has gone too far ahead. The
seeds of hatred have borne many poisonous fruits. There is no going back now.’
Saying this, he fell silent. The continuation of war was inevitable.
Arjuna was Indra’s son and Karna was Surya’s child. The gods of rain and
sun were arrayed against each other as their favourites geared up to do battle.
King Shalya was Karna’s charioteer while Krishna was Arjuna’s. Arjuna went
around his chariot and his weapons in a pradakshina, drew close to Krishna and
asked, ‘Who will win today?’ Krishna propped up Arjuna’s spirits with inspiring
poetry: ‘The sun may drop down from heaven and fire may lose its capacity to
burn, but you will not fail, Arjuna.’ This made Arjuna feel almost invincible.
Shalya likewise did his bit in lifting Karna’s morale: ‘Why are you wavering,
Karna? You are the General of the Kauravas and you must not lose heart. I
believe you will win today.’
Karna’s chariot went close to Arjuna’s and he unleashed his choicest arrows.
Arjuna responded in equal measure. They were just warming up before they got
involved in a more serious assault on each other. All around them the two
contending armies watched, their gazes transfixed on two of Bharatavarsha’s
greatest bowmen. The sun went past the highest point and it was noon. The mood
of the duel changed from light combat to a serious exchange of carefully guided
arrows. Anger arose on both sides. Arjuna resorted to divine astras. He fired his
Agneyastra. The sky was scorched with many missiles of fire. Karna countered
with the Varunastra that blew out Arjuna’s fiery arrows. The warriors had a
strange stillness to their postures even as their hands flowed gracefully like
waves.
Karna cut the strings of Arjuna’s bow several times. Yet, Arjuna managed to
recover each time. Karna smiled in acknowledgement of Arjuna’s prowess. After
all, whose brother is he, he chuckled to himself. Then, Karna took up the deadly
Nagastra, the serpent-shaped arrow that would seek Arjuna’s head. Krishna,
who knew that the arrow posed a great threat to Arjuna’s life, pressed down on
the chariot and sunk it into the ground by a depth of five fingers. The Nagastra
missed Arjuna’s neck narrowly but shattered his jewelled crown. The precious
Kirit crown rolled over on the ground and hit the dust. The Pandavas heaved a
collective sigh of relief. Karna’s heart sank as he began to feel that fate was
probably not on his side. The afternoon sky alternated between light and shade.
Angered by the loss of his crown, Arjuna tied his hair with a white cotton cloth
and drew his arrow close to his ear. It seemed that Karna’s fate was about to be
sealed. Karna tried to recall his fiercest weapon, the Brahmastra, but his
memory failed him just as an old curse had predicted. To add to his woes, his
chariot’s left wheel was stuck in the blood-soaked ground of Kurukshetra. Karna
jumped down to lift the wheel of his chariot out of the ditch. Shalya whipped the
horses desperately. Their muscles rippling under the lashes weren’t strong
enough to move the stuck wheel. Karna, with a strained face, struggling to lift
the wheels, pleaded with Arjuna: ‘Wait until I set my chariot right, Arjuna. You
know the dharma of warriors does not allow them to strike an unarmed enemy!
Stop!’
‘No, Karna,’ shot back Krishna on behalf of Arjuna. ‘It does not suit you to
talk about dharma now. Where was your dharma when your friends fraudulently
defeated the Pandavas in the game of dice? Where was your dharma when you
made a mockery of helpless Draupadi when she was dragged around by your
cronies? Where indeed was your dharma when, just four days ago, seven of you
killed and butchered an unarmed Abhimanyu, who was like your own son?’
Sensing that Krishna would be unrelenting, Karna’s face fell. Then, Krishna
turned to Arjuna and said, ‘Get him, now!’ Arjuna was seething in the fires of
retribution. His arrow whizzed through the air and cut off Karna’s head in less
than the wink of an eye. The jewelled stones on Karna’s crown shone brightly as
his head flew in an arc. Those who bothered to notice saw a glow of light linger
on Karna’s beheaded body and then leave him almost reluctantly. It was as
though the sun had gone down with its parting salute to its own brave heart.
With Karna’s passing, Duryodhana was reduced to nothing. The Kauravas
faced certain defeat at the hands of the Pandavas. The Battle of Kurukshetra was
all but over.

ARJUNA HUNTS FOR HIS ‘I’

Wars begin with a conflict of identity. All human beings want to belong to a
family, a group, a nation or an organization. A hero needs to identify with
something larger than himself. Arjuna was not even aware that he was about to
fight his own brother, the sixth Pandava. Karna had issues with his identity too.
He did not know until very late in his life, that he was indeed Kunti’s son and
Arjuna’s elder brother. Karna went through an identity crisis: he never really
knew where he belonged. He could not take part in Draupadi’s swayamvar as he
was considered low-born, a suta putra (the son of a charioteer). Duryodhana
tried to comfort Karna by making him the King of Anga. Yet, Karna always
lived with the shame of not knowing who his real parents were. Every time
Karna came face-to-face with Arjuna, it was as if he was seeking his own
identity.
Arjuna too started off as a hesitant hero. Many times he had been reluctant to
fight his own teachers and members of his own family. Krishna was aware that
the root of the problem was that Arjuna too was hunting for his real identity. The
warrior’s primary quest is for the real ‘I’ that is whole and all-embracing. This
search for the undivided ‘I’ is the ultimate quest in all forms of human conflict.
Human identity is fragmented in many ways: us-versus-them; me-versus-you;
intellect-versus-emotion; old-versus-new; right-versus-wrong, etc. The warrior
has to deal with these divisions.
War is merely a symptom that we are attempting to heal ourselves from the
many divisions that we suffer from. For Arjuna to heal himself would be to find
his complete identity as a hero. The first seed of war is planted when a human
being is emotionally alienated from the deeper roots that make him a human
being. With this emotional disconnect happening within, the human being
projects this alienation on to another human being, whom he calls his enemy.
The rage and anger within Arjuna boils over and fuels those arrows that he
exchanges with Karna. Karna’s alienation from his own blood brothers and his
mother sets him up as a wronged hero and a full-fledged antagonist of Arjuna.
The internal combustion of the emotions of these two great warriors explodes in
the field of Kurukshetra as the mother of all wars.
Arjuna’s problem is that he is focussed on a microscopic ‘i’: his own ego
wrapped in skin, bone, flesh and blood. Krishna’s solution is to take Arjuna to
the ampler, macroscopic ‘I’: the Sovereign Soul Self that connects him to his
larger human and cosmic identity. The microscopic binds one body with another
in a material relationship. This small ‘i’ creates multiple divisions between one
‘i’ and another. The ‘i’ of Arjuna is different from the ‘i’ of Karna that in turn is
different from the ‘i’ of Duryodhana. The ‘i’ of the small ego functions through
the fragmentation of the larger human identity represented by the macroscopic
‘I’. The large ‘I’ is based on unity and human values that support this unity. The
large ‘I’ is the holder and beholder of supporting values such as truth, love and
freedom. This ‘I’ is the source of timeless dharma: that which holds everything
together.
The Kauravas, Arjuna’s own kin, have violated dharma by their unjust actions.
Therefore they are bound by the laws of the macroscopic universe to reap the
seeds of actions they have sown with their own hands. Arjuna is hesitant because
he is emotionally attached to the small ‘i’. He is worried because of the
anticipated loss of his material and mental connection with his near and dear
ones. Krishna places Arjuna in the right hunt: the hunt for the larger ‘I’ that he
knows to be Arjuna’s ultimate dharma. Dissolving his small ‘i’ into his larger ‘I’
will resolve Arjuna’s disintegration and set him on the path to victory.
Krishna is not only Arjuna’s charioteer, he is also a friend. More than that
Krishna is the soul-mate of Arjuna. Krishna is the very essence of Arjuna’s
identity—Arjuna’s real Soul Self, his larger I.
THE FIGHTER BECOMES THE WARRIOR
Fighters fight with their arrows and arm-guards; their swords and shields. They
become the victims of their divided minds: fight or flight, offence or defence.
They see their enemies as physical barriers that they must overcome. Fighters
depend on their limited physical and mental efforts and their ego-propelled will.
Fighters are eventually doomed to fail, like an aging and lonely leaf facing a
raging storm.
The warrior does not travel the path of the divided mind. Before he enters a
fight, a warrior surrenders his personal will to the greater Will of his deepest
universal Source. He draws his arrow from the focal point of his Source Self.
Karna, even at his best, remains a valiant fighter guided by Shalya. Arjuna
evolves into a warrior under the astute guidance of Krishna. Just as the fighter
cannot win, the warrior cannot lose. When Karna’s Nagastra is about to behead
Arjuna, Krishna lowers his chariot down by a few inches. This is a lifesaving
stroke of creative action that can only come from the deepest Source. When the
wisdom of the Source, that is Krishna, unites with the skill and attitude of Arjuna
—wealth, victory, and righteous dharma are bound to follow.
Arjuna’s invincibility is akin to that of a hollow bamboo flute through which
the wind of inspiration flows. The raging storm of the opposing Kaurava forces
becomes an inspiration rather than an impediment for Arjuna. Karna’s fate fails
him when his wheels get stuck and he cannot recall the mantra that would give
him the powerful Brahmastra. On the other hand, by surrendering his will to the
larger will of Krishna, the warrior inside Arjuna reclaims his omnipotence.
How does a fighter finally become a warrior, Arjuna wonders. Krishna tells
him a little story that reveals to Arjuna the path that he is on:
One day, the fighter knocked at the door of his friend, the warrior.
‘Who is knocking?’ asked the warrior from within.
‘It is i,’ replied the fighter.
‘Go back. This house is too small to hold both you and me,’ came the response
from within.
The fighter withdrew and reflected for a long time on what the warrior had
said.
After many years he returned and knocked on the door again.
‘Who is knocking?’ the voice from inside asked again.
‘It is you,’ said the fighter, who had now identified with the essence of the
warrior.
The door was flung open for the fighter to go inside the house.
The door of a new perception was opened when the small ‘i’ of the fighter
dissolved in the large ‘I’ of the warrior.

ARJUNA’S RENUNCIATION AND REGENERATION

Despite the devastation it left behind, the Battle of Kurukshetra served Nature’s
ultimate creative purpose. Nature’s work is not only about the preservation of
individuals but also about the perfection and regeneration of species. Wars help
infuse fresh energy into a decaying system. When leaders became land-grabbers
and eve-teasers, they invited the wrath of humans and gods alike. The Battle of
Kurukshetra left a trail of death and destruction. As Arjuna had imagined, many
widowed women and orphaned children were left behind after the war was over.
Yet, though at great human cost, injustice and disorder were defeated and justice
and order were re-established. Justice and order are very important for human
civilization as well as societies to survive.
War brings out the heroism of heroes. They become more aware and alert as
their lives are lived on a razor’s edge. The highest human virtues of sacrifice and
self-discipline stand out against the selfish ways of ordinary lives. A hero-like
Arjuna fought not so much because he hated the enemy in front of him but
because he loved the purpose behind his fight: to establish dharma—righteous
order.
The War of Kurukshetra demanded extreme sacrifices from Arjuna and Karna.
Arjuna had to renounce many of the comforts of life to restore to Yudhishtira his
lost kingdom.
‘What’s the point of renunciation?’ asked Arjuna.
Krishna replied, ‘Just do this: Stretch out your hand and hold this precious
diamond crown on the open palm of your hand for as long as you can.’
Arjuna did as instructed. But very soon the muscles in his outstretched hands
started to ache and he decided to put the glittering crown down on the floor.
Krishna quietly said: ‘That’s the point of renunciation – you cannot hold onto
anything for too long without suffering the consequences.’
Such is the law of Nature. Without renunciation of the old, there is no
regeneration of the new. One can see dead leaves fall off a tree in winter with the
first gust of wind. The same tree is ready to regenerate in a burst of leaves and a
riot of flowers in spring. Renunciation is the process through which any system
—natural or psychological—replenishes itself and avoids decay. The human
mind renounces the rush of day-time activity to fall asleep at night so that the
body can feel fresh the next morning.
Krishna educates Arjuna on the art and practice of renunciation:
 Arjuna, heroes become masters of renunciation in three ways.
First, they practice sama, which is renunciation of old habits. This can be
done by conscious restraint of the habitual flow of the mind toward sense
objects. Taking a break from the habit of looking at the mirror, for instance!
Then they practice kshanti, which is about renouncing emotional outbursts. To
be patient and forgiving when you are accidentally injured by someone else is
kshanti.
The third and most important form of renunciation is kartavya bhavana, which
is giving up the thought that I am the doer. This includes not accepting credit for
something one has not really done.
These three types of renunciation, Arjuna, will make the mind tranquil and
powerful. Steady and heroic action will flow from such a quiet mind.

SERMON ON THE BATTLEFIELD: THE UNITY OF TWO WILLS

Krishna has a long conversation with Arjuna in the face of an imminent battle. In
the background are sounds like the fierce blowing of conch shells like lions
roaring, neighing horses, massive movement of soldiers, battle banners fluttering
on both sides. Krishna’s voice rises above the din and bustle and hits Arjuna’s
ears intensely:
‘Concentrate your mind on me and devote your whole heart to me. You have
listened with deep attention to what I have said. But have you understood this
teaching? Have you accepted this teaching as worthwhile? Has it dispelled your
delusion?’
What is Arjuna’s delusion? He begins as a wishful hero. He wishes to avenge
Abhimanyu’s death before sunset; he wishes to defeat Karna decisively, he
wishes to single-handedly eliminate the Kaurava opposition. Yet his mind is in a
whirl seeing his own kin facing death at his hands. His mouth is dry with fear.
His limbs shake and his bow slips from his hands. All his wishes meet with
resistance and sometimes he finds himself on the verge of death. He finds that
his wishes need Krishna’s support every time to fulfil themselves.
Wishing is a passing fancy. Wishing is a weak impulse in the mind that does
not always translate into action. Krishna clears away Arjuna’s delusion by
helping him to transform his wish into will. Wilfulness signals a hero’s bias for
action. A hero is never more decisive than when he decides to act. Arjuna has to
give up wishing for he cannot wield both wish and will. The two mental forces
can run in the opposite direction. While wishing can inhibit action, willing
inspires action. Krishna finally succeeds in awakening in Arjuna the will to pick
up his bow and arrow, which he had dropped in despair. He is set for battle.
From being wishfully disengaged, Arjuna now finds himself wilfully engaged
with the work at hand.
The human will is a powerful force. Heroes have to learn to harness their
willpower in a way that makes the will an invincible force. In the blink of an eye
willpower transforms mental energy into action. But the paradox of willpower is
this: the power diminishes in intensity when will is employed to achieve a
personal goal. On the other hand, willpower is magnified manifold when it is
invested in a purpose greater than one’s personal ambition. If a room is locked
up and all the doors and windows are closed, the air inside the room will
stagnate and become poisonous. However, when the doors and windows are
open, the stale air will be freely exchanged with the fresh air from the larger
environment. Willpower stagnates and becomes poisonous within the
psychological boundaries created by personal ambition. The same willpower
becomes invincible energy when it is connected with a larger purpose.
Krishna draws Arjuna’s attention to the heroic will in Arjuna that is hidden
behind the mask of his body. The mentor lifts up his protégé’s awareness toward
that universal will that is calm, intense, impersonal and infallible. Finally,
Krishna says:
Arjuna, Remember Me and Fight!
This ‘Me’ that Krishna is talking about is that universal will that follows the
law of its own being. It is the same will that make seasons follow one another
and keeps mighty planets moving in their orbits. To remember that omnipotent
will and act according to its laws is Arjuna’s real dharma. Arjuna’s purpose is
not to annihilate his adversaries. His purpose is not even to fight a battle,
although that is what he eventually does. His purpose is to establish dharma. He
can do so by restoring the kingdom to its rightful claimant, Yudhishtira. When
Arjuna’s personal will merges with Krishna’s universal will, each of Arjuna’s
actions becomes purposeful and successful.
Arjuna realizes that his business is not to be obsessed with the results of his
actions, but to act in accordance with the universal will that shapes these results.
Like stale air in a closed room that experiences a rush of fresh air when a door is
opened, Arjuna experiences an in-rush of energy while listening to Krishna. The
energy comes from that same source of universal will that Krishna embodies.
Thus empowered, and as the Battle of Kurukshetra draws to a close, Arjuna and
the Pandavas outperform the Kauravas. Duryodhana is terminated by Bhima.
The kingdom of Hastinapur is won back. Yudhishtira is anointed the new King.
Thus, righteous dharma is finally re-established.
 CHAPTER 9

ARJUNA’S AWAKENING: A VISION OF THE

WHOLE

With the War of Kurukshetra over, Krishna guided Arjuna’s chariot to a remote
corner of the forest. He then asked Arjuna to pick up Gandiva and quickly get
down from the chariot. Arjuna wondered why. He was puzzled as to why
Krishna, his charioteer, who had always been the first person to dismount, now
advised him to get off before him. Out of respect for Krishna, Arjuna obeyed.
Krishna released the horses from the reins and got down himself. Arjuna
observed that the victory banner of Hanuman that had been part of his chariot
all through the eighteen days of the war had suddenly vanished from sight!
Then, the strangest thing imaginable happened. Right in front of Arjuna, the
chariot crumbled into pieces and became a ball of fire. The fireball rolled on
inside the forest until all that remained of the chariot were ashes. All the white
horses that pulled the chariot were charred to death. Arjuna could not believe
his eyes. He looked on in utter shock as Krishna explained to him the reason for
what happened:
‘Look Arjuna, your chariot was attacked in all the days of war with powerful
weapons. Some were weapons of mass destruction. There was no way that your
fragile vehicle could withstand the assaults of so many weapons. Therefore, to
protect it from destruction, I invoked Hanuman to defend you. Behind the banner
of Hanuman was the invisible might of Hanuman that held the chariot together.
Besides, I sat upon your chariot throughout the war to make sure that you were
protected by my presence. I knew that the moment I got down from the chariot, it
would erupt into flames. The mighty destructive power of your enemies, like
sleeping time bombs, was still at work on the chariot. Therefore, I urged you to
get off first. You saw with your own eyes what happened after the banner of
Hanuman was gone and I got down from it.’
Arjuna’s jaws dropped in disbelief. Then, a feeling of deep gratitude gushed
through him. His eyes turned moist as he had no words to thank Krishna for
saving his chariot and his life, during the war. ‘I am humbled by this knowledge
Krishna, that without you neither my body, not the chariot, not even the Gandiva
that I am so possessive about amounts to anything.’ Arjuna rubbed his face with
his hands, ashamed that he had been arrogant enough to believe that his bravery
was the only cause of the Pandavas’ victory in the Kurukshetra War.

ARJUNA’S WAR IS NOT OVER UNTIL HE FINISHES THE FIGHT

WITHIN HIMSELF
For a warrior, the war is not over until he gains victory over himself. Arjuna
realizes that all wars begin with a mind that is full of anger and arrogance.
Duryodhana’s arrogance and deceit were the starting point for the war. With
Duryodhana’s death, the very reason for the war appeared to be over. The fire of
revenge in the Pandavas’ hearts seemed to have been doused with Duryodhana’s
death. Yet, the flickering flames of the arrogance of victory were burning within
Arjuna.
Arrogance destroys peace of mind. Where there is no peace, there is always
the threat of more war. Krishna realizes this. He, however, has to show Arjuna
that the end result of all wars is destruction. Krishna could perhaps attempt to
convince Arjuna by giving him another sermon on arrogance and its destructive
results. But will Arjuna have the patience to listen to another sermon,
particularly after such a great victory? Krishna then decides to show Arjuna a
picture of what happens when a hero becomes arrogant in victory. The visual
example of Hanuman’s banner disappearing and the burning up of the chariot,
deeply moves Arjuna. His mind clearly sees the role Krishna played in all his
victories. Arjuna has tears in his eyes – tears that come from the recognition that
he owes his whole existence to Krishna. He recognizes that it was not just the
chariot that was held together by Krishna’s presence, his life was also secure
because of Krishna. A surge of deep gratitude replaces the emotion of arrogance.
Arjuna grows wiser as a result of this experience.

WHEN A HERO FULFILS HIS LIFE’S PURPOSE, HIS MISSION ON

EARTH IS OVER
The crowning of Yudhishtira as the rightful King of Hastinapur was over. The
Pandavas had regained their lost kingdom. One day as Arjuna was reflecting on
the war all by himself, his mind was drawn to thoughts of Krishna. Krishna
seemed to be whispering to him, ‘Arjuna, lie down, I have something to tell you.’
Arjuna felt sleepy and his mind melted into a dream. Soon he saw Krishna
speaking to him in his dream. ‘Arjuna, do you recall what I had said to you when
I came down from the chariot?’ Arjuna nodded and said, ‘Yes Krishna, I
remember you had said that everything in the world is born for a purpose. You
also said that when our purpose is over, the earth has no more use for us.’
Krishna seemed to remind him in the dream: ‘I also said that just as this
principle is true for all the things and every person in the world, it also holds
true for you and me. Both of us were together in this mysterious journey called
life. When our journey is over we will all have to die.’ Arjuna woke with a shiver,
thinking that he had had a bad dream.
Soon after he had this dream, Daruka, the charioteer of Krishna, brought
stunning news: Krishna had died just as any other ordinary mortal. He was in
deep sleep when a hunter mistook the sleeping form of Krishna to be that of a
sleeping deer. This happened because of the yellow robes that Krishna was
wearing. The hunter took aim and shot his arrow through the sole of Krishna’s
foot that looked like the ears of a deer. The sage Durvasa had once granted a
boon to Krishna that his entire body would be death-proof with one exception:
his feet. His one weak spot was the sole of his foot. Krishna shrieked in pain as
the arrow pierced his foot. The hunter rushed to see what had happened and
discovered that he had shot a man. Krishna thanked the hunter for releasing him
from the mortal coils of a life that had completed its journey. Krishna, the god
who lived like a human among other human beings, had died like an ordinary
man.
When the news of Krishna’s death reached Arjuna, he felt a huge emptiness in
his heart. Without Krishna, life seemed meaningless to Arjuna. He felt that life
was like a flower that had lost its fragrance. That sad morning seemed even
more sad without Krishna. Arjuna’s eyes had a sunken look. His lips lost their
natural lustre. Arjuna realized that Krishna’s love for him was much greater than
his affection for Krishna. How foolish I was not to recognize this earlier, he
mused. He could not imagine that Almighty Krishna had been killed by an
ordinary hunter. How can someone who is timeless and omnipresent lie dead like
a corpse? They must have dressed Krishna’s body in royal yellow silk, his
favourite colour, he thought. Tears rolled from Arjuna’s eyes. No one had ever
seen Arjuna cry like this before. Bharat’s greatest warrior now wept like a lost
child.
Yudhishtira sent Arjuna to Dwarka to rescue the women and children that
Krishna had left behind. Dejected, Arjuna trooped out with the women and
children of Krishna’s kingdom. Even as the procession left Dwarka, Arjuna saw
the once-beautiful city swallowed up by the ocean. Nothing was left of Dwarka
except for a few faint memories of his youthful days with Krishna. But more bad
news was still to come. On the way to Hastinapur as they were moving through a
forest, Arjuna’s procession was attacked by local robbers. They pounced upon
the people of Dwarka and robbed them of all their gold and dragged away the
women. In great rage, Arjuna reached for Gandiva and tried to string it. He
discovered that his muscles had lost the power to string the bow. His fingers had
lost their agility. Arjuna tried to invoke another astra, but the mantra failed him.
The women whom the robbers were dragging away cried for help. ‘Save us,
mighty Arjuna, why can’t you save us?’ they pleaded. Yet, Arjuna felt powerless.
He realized that with the passing away of Krishna, his power and spirit too had
disappeared. Arjuna who had changed the course of history in the Battle of
Kurukshetra was now just a mute spectator before ordinary street robbers.

THE HERO LIVES NOT IN MONTHS, BUT IN MOMENTS

Even as Arjuna loses heart, unexpected doors open up for him. Very often
tragedies in life wake us to the deeper truths of life. In our deepest despair, we
see the clearest of light. The only certainty of life is that it is uncertain. A hero
learns to adapt to uncertain situations. Uncertainty makes him vulnerable. A hero
cannot be invincible unless he is vulnerable. Vulnerability is the willingness to
be open and humble. A blazing storm uproots tall and strong tress while the
humble grass that bends softly with the wind, overcomes the storm. Our
weakness often becomes our strength. When the hero knows that he lives only in
moments, each living moment becomes utterly precious.

Arjuna suddenly remembers Yudhishtira’s answer to the Yaksha’s question.

The Yaksha asked: What is the greatest wonder?
 Yudhishtira responded: Day after day we see so many people die. Yet, we the
living believe that we will live for ever. O Lord, what can be a greater wonder?
Krishna’s unexpected death teaches Arjuna to live in the reality of the
moment. A hero lives not in years or months or days. A hero lives on the edge of
a sword, from moment to moment. It is but a moment that separates life from
death. Life is as momentary as a dew drop that sits on a blade of grass. Arjuna
has seen many deaths in his life. A Kshatriya is not afraid of death. But
Krishna’s passing away and the loss of his power to hold the Gandiva shakes
him up. He notices a tinge of grey on the fringe of his black, lustrous hair. He
rubs his hand on the hollow of his chin. His beard has turned white like a layer
of snowflakes. Arjuna realizes that his body, once as agile as a bamboo reed, has
now become rigid, like the trunk of a neem tree.

Arjuna sat still in a circle with his brothers and Draupadi. Then he told them in
vivid detail the story of how the sea claimed the entire city of Dwarka. He also
shared that he was witness to the burning of the dead bodies of Krishna and
Balarama. Arjuna talked about how he sat by a blazing bonfire whispering his
parting words for Krishna. The grasp of fire, like the eyes of law, turns every one
into an equal. A fire turns all the branches and twigs of a tree and human flesh
and bone into one uniform heap of ash. There is no telling whose ash it is.
Arjuna took a deep breath as a pall of silence fell over the Pandavas.
ARJUNA’S LAST JOURNEY
Yudhishtira first broke the silence as he said, ‘Arjuna, we will all be crushed in
the jaws of Time unless we know how to lose ourselves. We have to give up our
individual identity. The death of Krishna signals the death of our time as
individuals. We must go away from name, fame, power and position to our
ultimate destination as a human being. In our final journey Arjuna, there will be
no one else but you and your essence. You leave this world all alone.’
Yudhishtira had this uncanny wisdom to get to the heart of things. Hearing
this, Arjuna nodded and sighed, ‘Yes indeed, Time takes everything away and
turns out to be the final victor.’ Bhima, Nakula and Sahadeva agreed, one after
the other. Draupadi seemed lost in silence.
Yudhishtira soon stepped down as the King of Hastinapur. He transferred his
powers to Parikshit, Arjuna’s grandson and the son of Abhimanyu, and crowned
him the new King. The Pandavas announced that they were going on their final
journey and that there was no turning back. The brothers asked Draupadi to stay
in Hastinapur so that she could be spared the hardship of a tough, ascetic life in
the Himalayas. Draupadi, however, would not listen. Dressed in the bark of a
tree, her hands and neck shorn of jewels and ornaments, she moved along with
her husbands. They were also accompanied by Yudhishtira’s dog.
Arjuna took a long, lingering look at the city of Hastinapur. Yudhishtira, his
eyes like frozen marble, looked sternly at Arjuna and said, ‘Heroes don’t look
back on what they are supposed to leave behind.’ As he moved away from
Hastinapur, Arjuna realized that detachment brings with it a lightness of being
and a deep sense of peace. The Pandavas and Draupadi felt the same
togetherness they had experienced in their many years in exile. Just that this
time, there was no turning back.

The Pandavas were now on a pilgrimage of self-realization. They were on a

quest for the knowledge that goes beyond death. They first visited the city of
Dwarka, which was now submerged under the waters of the sea. They stood by
the seashore and reflected on how their own lives, like the many tributaries of a
river, would ultimately meet and merge with the sea. Giant waves broke
ceaselessly on the seashore. Arjuna thought of Krishna as the gigantic sea that
remains unmoved and unchanged even as waves appeared and disappeared on
its surface. Suddenly, Agni appeared before them. He looked at Arjuna and said,
‘Arjuna, you need to renounce your favourite Gandiva. I got the bow from
Varuna. Now that you do not need Gandiva anymore, will you return it to
Varuna?’ Arjuna’s heart ached. Gandiva was dearer to him than his own
grandchild. He looked at Yudhishtira who nodded approvingly. Arjuna put
Gandiva and the quiver full of arrows on the ocean bank. Then, he went around
Gandiva once and finally immersed them in the ocean. Bhima put his large arm
around Arjuna’s shoulders for he knew how much a part of Arjuna’s life Gandiva
was. Draupadi thought, if only Arjuna loved me as much as he loved this bow
and arrow. Arjuna now felt like a monk who had renounced all possessions.
The Pandavas then travelled north towards the Himalayas whose peak almost
kissed the sky. As they trekked up towards the rugged mountains, a chill crept
through their bones. In the dim light of the hills every footfall was uncertain as
treacherous ice slid below their feet. Suddenly Draupadi fell down from the steep
path she was taking. The chain of love and longing that had linked the five
Pandavas with this extraordinary woman was now broken. Only Bhima rushed
back to see if he could save Draupadi. But, the braveheart around whom
Pandava history was woven was now gone. By now Arjuna’s heart had become
ice-cold. Yudhishtira did not have to remind him not to look back at Draupadi’s
body. Arjuna’s lips trembled a little but his eyes were fixed on the peak that
shone in the last rays of the sun.
 Seeing that Draupadi was dead, Bhima rushed up to Yudhishtira to ask why
she, who had been so brave and committed to her husbands, had to die so soon.
Yudhishtira spoke without moving an eyelid, ‘Draupadi was married to all five of
us. By the law of dharma we were all equal unto her. Yet, she had great partiality
for Arjuna, whom she loved the most. She obtained the result of that conduct
today.’ Bhima more than all his brothers, had truly loved Draupadi, yet his love
was never fully reciprocated by her. Tossed by waves of emotions, Bhima
gathered himself and the Pandavas continued their journey. Soon, the youngest
of the lot, Sahadeva fell by the wayside. Bhima once again asked Yudhishtira
what the reason for his fall was. Yudhishtira explained: ‘Though a very wise
man, Sahadeva never thought anybody his equal in wisdom. It is for that fault
that he has fallen down.’ The next to die was Nakula. Yudhishtira said, ‘Nakula
was a righteous prince. He, however, thought that there was nobody who
equalled him in good looks. Indeed, he was extremely vain about his handsome
features. It is for this that Nakula has fallen down.’ Bhima knew that it was
Arjuna’s turn and asked, ‘Why has Arjuna, the greatest among men, the son of
mighty Indra, to die on this journey?’ Yudhishtira explained, ‘Arjuna had said
that he would kill all our enemies in a single day. Proud of his heroism, he could
not however achieve what he had promised. Hence, he will fall down.’ In the
same breath, he looked at Bhima and said, ‘Bhima, you are really dear to me.
But you will fall because of your boasting about your strength and excessive love
for food.’ Yudhishtira, the son of Dharma had a way of interpreting everything in
terms of the laws of karma. For him, the human world was a theatre of cause
and effect, directed by unyielding laws of morality.
Thus, one by one all the Pandavas were destined to perish except Yudhishtira
and his dog. Arjuna wondered, ‘I was never indifferent to injustice. I protected
dharma at the risk of my own life. I plunged headlong into the sea of passion. I
used force and forgiveness in equal measure. All said and done, I have lived a
full life. If I have any regrets, they are only two. My first regret is that I wish I
did not have to kill Karna the way I did. Secondly, that I should have given
Draupadi the undivided love that she truly deserved.’
Arjuna’s body, like a shadowy castle in ruins, fell on a sheet of ice. He seemed
to hear a faint voice that came from beyond the horizon. The voice resembled
Krishna’s. Am I dead or am I dreaming, thought Arjuna.
Krishna’s voice rang clearly now: ‘Arjuna, you are in between one life and the
next—a brief interval of waking up in between two dreams. Don’t look at
yourself from where your body now lies. See yourself from the standpoint of
purnam, the whole of existence. You are that atman that is one with Brahman,
the whole. This body of yours is just a passing spectacle in the grand design of
the whole. This fleeting world, the snow-capped mountain, the icy winds and
your own brief yet eventful life are akin to a waking dream. In the dream, every
object and event appears real to the dreamer. Yet, when the dreamer wakes up,
everything is wiped off. I, the whole of existence, swallow up all dreams, and
make everything whole.’
Then Krishna uttered this incantation:
Wholeness is that, wholeness is this
From wholeness, wholeness comes forth
Wholeness from wholeness taken away
Wholeness to wholeness added
Only the whole remains.
You and I are one Arjuna, just as a gold chain is nothing but gold, a cotton
robe is nothing but cotton and the waves are nothing but water. You and I are
nothing but this wholeness in essence.

ARJUNA’S AWAKENING
Arjuna said, ‘Just one more question Krishna,
Are you a man living on earth or a God living up there?’
‘I am neither,’ chuckled Krishna, ‘I am simply awake! It is also your time
Arjuna, to awaken to your larger reality. Our human lives are much more than
biological events between birth and death. We are beings of light. Your body is
only a shadow of this light. The light originates in love that moves the whole
universe. The shadow has to vanish when it faces the light. It is the same as
when the dream vanishes when the dreamer wakes up.’
Hearing this, Arjuna took a deep rasping breath as his body was completely
numbed by snowflakes.
‘Am I dead or dying in this body, Krishna?’ asked Arjuna as his life flickered
like a dying flame blown about by an icy wind.
‘No, you are waking up to deathless life.’
‘Where do I go when I die?’
Krishna’s melodic voice sounded like a chant from the distant peak:
‘You will come to me Arjuna, on the wings of light. We will merge together as
two long-lost friends. Our mortal births are no more than a wink of the eye of the
eternal. A human birth is about sleeping and forgetting our infinite wakefulness.
Our two faces are the masks of one infinite being. This world of names and
forms is no more than a vast dream of one infinite being. From the womb of that
infinite being, Arjuna, you will be born again and again. Thousands of years
from now mothers will name their sons by Arjuna’s many names. Many ages
from now, pilgrims who have lost their way on treacherous mountains will pray
to Arjuna to show them the light. Your story will be told and retold by children to
their own children and grandchildren.
‘Whenever, good is threatened by the forces of evil, Arjuna, you will arise time
and again as the invincible warrior of light.’
Arjuna closed his eyes for the last time as the sky darkened. A peal of thunder
parted the horizon. Was that Indra calling for his favourite child to come back
home?
Heroes leave their footprints on the tracks of time. They inspire generations to
look at those footprints as milestones on the hero path. Where Arjuna goes,
another one in another time and place see his journey as milestones on their path.
Arjuna is a path maker. The torchlight of invincibility is taken over by a hero
from a new generation. Heroes come and go. Stars flourish and fade away.
However, the touchstones for heroism never really change. Like a rising tide, a
new Arjuna is surfacing somewhere from the ocean of human existence.
Bharatavarsha is waiting for the turning of the tide. You and I will re-discover
Arjuna again in the guileless laughter of a child, in the ceaseless striving of a
young man to make his mark in the world and in the last prayer of an old man
who leaves an inspiring legacy. Until then, Arjuna, the invincible, farewell!
 Why and How I Wrote This Book
What is in a name? Evidently, a lot! I visited over one hundred schools in India
to take stock of the number of students who were named ‘Arjuna’ by their
parents and well-wishers. There was not a single school that I went to that did
not have a student by this name. In fact, I discovered that in 2012, Arjuna was
the most popular name for boys in India. ‘Why so?’ I asked those Arjunas, that
many thousand years after that original Arjuna lived, his name still remains dear
to us. What indeed are those qualities of Arjuna that makes him such an
enduring and endearing name in India?
I was surprised and inspired by some of the answers I got from the several
hundred Arjunas I met as part of my two years of research. Here is a sample of
what I heard from them:
For me Arjuna represents the consciousness of my ultimate goal.
Arjuna has confidence in his eyes and stance: doesn’t bow down out of fear.
He is ready for any challenge, he is ready to realise his full potential.
Arjuna’s Arrow: It is not a weapon or an external object; it is an extension of
his own aims.
Knowledge is what teaches me to lift the bow and aim the arrow. Releasing
the arrow, so it strikes the target is something that comes with practice.
As Arjuna I have the power to befriend God himself and ask him questions.
I am limitless, a polymath, transcending fields which I did not even think I
would ever reach.
Like Arjuna I wish to see life as a whole and wonder how it would transform
me as an individual.
I am ready to sacrifice my own comforts and pleasures for the sake of others. I
will be as determined, as focussed and as sincere as Arjuna was.
Like Arjuna I dream what no one has dreamt before; if it is achievable, no
matter how absurd, ridiculous or seemingly impossible it is.
Arjuna is a visionary. He thought about consequences of actions and he tried
to deliver all his commitments.
As Arjuna I see a vision of one India.
In my role as an institutional leader, I commissioned and got installed a larger-
than-life statue of Arjuna that now sits imperiously before the Arjuna Path in the
IIM Kozhikode campus. One day I sat quietly at the feet of that dark and
exquisite statue and prayed for inspiration so that I could re-tell Arjuna’s story
for our own time. The book, Invincible Arjuna that you are now looking at is
perhaps the answer to my sincere prayers.
In an unforeseen turn of events I met Gautam Padmanabhan, CEO of
Westland. He agreed to publish whatever I wrote on Arjuna and backed that
promise with generosity of time and spirit. My heartfelt gratitude to Karthik
Venkatesh, Consulting Editor of Westland, who took upon himself the task of
editing the book first. Karthik is a diligent and no-nonsense editor. I was
therefore pleasantly surprised to see an informal comment by him at the end of
one of the chapters of this book:
This is the finest chapter of them all. It literally goads one into action. It had
this electrifying effect on me. Breathtaking!
I will leave it to my readers to find out which chapter Karthik was referring to.
Radhika Mukherjee edited and proof-read the book with great earnestness. I
thank her for the sincerity of her effort.
There are several people who were my inspiration while I wrote this. My deep
gratitude to Swami Dayananda Saraswati who planted in me the seeds of the
truth and beauty of Vedanta before he left his body in Rishikesh. I also wish to
acknowledge my debt of gratitude to a selfless soul and my mentor G. Narayana
who diligently handwrote several pages of meticulously researched information
for this book. I dedicate this book to him as my modest tribute to someone I hold
close to my heart.
Aditi and Siddharth were my unofficial editors and Shrishti was my consultant
in absentia for the cover of this book. Chetna. S graciously volunteered to read
the manuscript and offered constructive and appreciative comments. I thank her
for her kindness. Shifali Makkar, a student in my IIM Leadership Clinic class
agreed to be my Arjuna. I hope she lives up to her promise and her potential.
I met the Rt. Hon. Sir Anerood Jugnauth, Prime Minister of the Republic of
Mauritius and he consented to write an endorsement for this book as did one of
India’s most-loved authors Amish Tripathi. Amish incidentally was a student at
IIM Kolkata when I taught there. I had the privilege of spending a weekend with
him and his family in Ooty. It is not very often that a teacher decides to write a
book following in the footsteps of a former student. This book must be one such
rarity. One of my earlier books, Timeless Leadership: 18 Sutras from the
Bhagavad Gita that has now spread far and wide in the world, provided the
foundational research for this work.
I owe whatever I have written in this book to that iconic hero of India whose
name spells magic and electrifies the heart. The very best in this book belongs to
Arjuna and the worst is mine to take responsibility for. I have devoted two years
of my diligent and devoted time, travelling the length and breadth of India to
craft Arjuna’s story in words. I hope my readers, all Arjunas in the making, find
joy and inspiration in this labour of love.

Debashis Chatterjee
IIM Lucknow

REFERENCES
1. Subramaniam, Kamala. 2014. Mahabharata. Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya
Bhavan
2. Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee. 2008. The Palace of Illusions. New York:
Doubleday
3. Chatterjee, Debashis. 2012. Timeless Leadership: 18 Leadership Sutras from
the Bhagavad Gita. Singapore: Wiley.
4. Frawley David. 1995. Arise Arjuna. New Delhi: Voice of India.
5. Lidchi-Grassi, Maggi. 2011. The Great Golden Sacrifice of the Mahabharata.
Noida: Random House India
6. Badrinath, Chaturvedi. 2013. The Mahabharata: An Enquiry in the Human
Condition. Hyderabad: Orient Black Swan
7. Dutt, M. N. 2001. Mahabharata. Delhi: Parimal Publications
8. Campbell, Joseph. 1974 The Mythic Image. New York: MJF Books
9. Greene, Robert. 2002. 48 Laws of Power. London: Profile Books
Debashis Chatterjee has taught leadership classes at Harvard University and at
the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) in Kolkata, Lucknow and Kozhikode
for over two decades. A globally acclaimed author and scholar, Professor
Chatterjee is former director of IIM, Kozhikode (2009–2014) and currently
serves as dean (International Relations) and professor at IIM, Lucknow. He has
published seventeen books, including Timeless Leadership: 18 Sutras from the
Bhagavad Gita. A leadership coach for CEOs of major Indian organizations and
prominent political leaders, Chatterjee has served as dean of an international
business school in Singapore.

He can be reached at:

www.debchat.com
https://in.linkedin.com/in/debashischatterjee1