Tellmewhatyoucansee,Arjuna,’repeatedDrona‘Doyouseethetree?’‘No,’saidArjuna.‘Doyouthenseethebird?’TherewasasenseofrisingexcitementinDrona’svoice.‘No!Icansimplyseetheeyeofthebird,nothingelse,’respondedArjunawithouttakinghiseyesoffthetarget.‘Now,shoot!’Dronacommandedinashrillvoice.EveryonewhostoodtheresawArjuna’sarrowwhizzpastandheardasharpclick.Thearrowwasstuckinthemiddleofthebird’seye.

Thatday,alegendwasborn.Arjunawasdeclaredashreshtha,asupremehumantalent.Arjuna’smostpowerfulweaponwasnothisGandiva.Hispowercamefromekagrata—hisone-pointedconcentration.Arjunare-definedthelimitsofhumanachievement.Heconqueredhisenemieswiththeswordofclarityandtheshieldofdiscrimination.

Inthiscreativere-imaginingofthestoryofArjuna,DebashisChatterjeeminestheMahabharataanddiscoversninepreciouslessonsthatwillenableanyoneofustobecomeheroesinourownlives.Whetheritisgainingmasteryoverlife,harnessingourwillpower,orprioritisingactionchoices—theselife-lessonsfromthatmostcharismaticofPandavascantrulyputeachoneofusonthehero-path.

Amagicalblendofmythologyandmanagement,thisbookisworthreading,andre-reading,manytimesover.

westlandltd

INVINCIBLEARJUNA

DEBASHISCHATTERJEE

INVINCIBLEARJUNA

NINEMILESTONESONTHEHEROPATH

westlandltd

61,IIFloor,SilverlineBuilding,AlapakkamMainRoad,Maduravoyal,Chennai60009593,IFloor,ShamLalRoad,Daryaganj,NewDelhi110002

FirstpublishedinIndiabywestlandltd2016

Firste-pubedition:2016

Copyright©DebashisChatterjee2016

Allrightsreserved

978-93-85152-31-3

TypesetbyPrePSolEnterprisesPvt.Ltd.

Thisbookissoldsubjecttotheconditionthatitshallnotbywayoftradeorotherwise,belent,resold,hiredout,circulated,andnoreproductioninanyform,inwholeorinpart(exceptforbriefquotationsincriticalarticlesorreviews)maybemadewithoutwrittenpermissionofthepublishers

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter1TheBirthofaHero:TheShapingofIdentity

Chapter2Mastery:TheLightofClarity

Chapter3TheArrowofConcentration

Chapter4Love:DesireandDetachment

Chapter5ThePowerofCommitment

Chapter6YogainAction

Chapter7DiscoveringDevotion

Chapter8MotherofAllWars

Chapter9Arjuna’sAwakening:AVisionofTheWhole

Acknowledgements:WhyandHowIWroteThisBook

ARJUNAPATH

PRAISEFORTHEBOOK

ArjunawasIndia’sfirsticon.Hisskillsasawarriorandanarcherwerebeyondcompare. However what made him such a great archer was his powers ofconcentrationandhisunwaveringfocus.EventhegreatArjunahadself-doubts.Thatisalessoninitselfthatthegreatestalsohaveself-doubtsbutarebigenoughtogotoelderstofindanswerstothem.Thereisnobodybornwhoatsomestageor theotherhasn’tbeenbesetwith somedoubts. It’showyouovercome themthat is thekey tosuccessandgetsyou to fulfillyourpotential. Iwould like towish Prof. Debashis Chatterjee the very best in his efforts to understand thechallengesthathumansfaceandprovidesolutionstothem.NobodycaneverbeArjuna,butweallcanlearnfromhim.

SunilManoharGavaskarMorepraiseforTimelessLeadershipProf.DebashisChatterjeehasbroughtoutarefreshingandinspiredapproachto

theBhagavadGitainTimelessLeadership.Hehasskillfullyoutlinedtheidealsofourmodernsocietyandtheirapplicationsinmanageriallife.

SwamiTejomayananda,ChairmanandSpiritualHead,ChinmayaMissionTimelessLeadershipisbothtimelessandborderless.Itistimelessbecause

theprinciplesofleadershipespousedthousandsofyearsagoarecontemporary.Itisborderlessbecauseittranscendsallsituationsof

leadershipdilemmas,internalconflicts,andultimateresolutions.

JagdishSheth,MarketingGuruandWorld-RenownedAuthor

INTRODUCTION

ARJUNA:THEJOURNEYOFAHERO

Arjuna isasoldas thehillsandas freshasmorningdew.Likegrassonearth,likehaironskin,ArjunaarosefromIndra’sownself.Arjunaistimelessandyethebelongstoalltimes.Evenourtimes!Arjunaisthestarstudentandthemasterarcher; he is the lover and the warrior; he is Dhananjaya—the conqueror offortune; he is Vijaya—the last word in success. The secret behind Arjuna’ssuccessiscodedbythedivinethatresideswithinthehumanform.Arjuna’sstoryisourownunwrittenstory.InvincibleArjunaistheuntoldstoryofthemakingofaheroagainstallodds.Ourworldisdesperatelyinneedofheroes.Heroesdefinethelimitsofhuman

achievementandhumanpossibility.Tobebornhumanisinitselftheendresultofaheroicjourneyofevolution.ThehumanbeingisasupremeachievementofNature.IttakesNatureamillionyearstoperfectthewingsofabutterflyortheclawsofatiger.IthastakenMotherNaturebillionsofyearstoevolveahumanbeing.InIndianmythology,ArjunaisaShreshtha,asupremehumantalent.Yet,hemustgoonmanyadventurestotesthismettle.Ahumanbeingbelongs to theonlyspeciesonearth thatcanre-invent itself

overandoveragain. It isalmostas ifahuman iscapableofbeingbornmanytimesinonelifetime.Ahumanisfirstbornwhenheemergesfromthewombofhismother. Then, he is born again and again as he discovers new sources ofinspiration within himself. But a hero’s journey begins when he discoverssomethingthatchallengeshim.Inordertorisetothechallenge, thefirewithinmustbegreater than theforceof thechallenge.Thechallengedrawsout thoseunborn energies and undiscovered talents within the hero. When the herorecognizesthosepowersashisown,heisabletocraftanewidentityforhimself.Whichever powers the hero identifies with, becomes his identity. The manynamesofArjuna—Vijaya,Dhananjaya,andSabyasachi—arethosepowers thatarewaitingtobediscovered.Thus,Arjunadiscoversthelawofidentity.Thehero’spathhasneverbeensmooth.Arjunafaceschallenges fromrivals

like Karna and Duryodhana. In a world where jealousy wears the mask ofcompetition and camaraderie, the hero needs the power of clarity. He needscrystal-clearvisiontogodeepintothemysteryofhumannature.Boththedivineand thedevil can sit togetherwithin ahumanbeing.Arjuna isveryunlikehisheadstrong brotherBhima,who iswild as thewind.Arjuna achieveswith hismindthatwhichBhimatriestoachievewithhismuscles.Arjunamastersthelawofclarityashelearnsfromhismistakesandmissteps.Arjuna’smost powerfulweapon is notGandiva, his indestructible bow, but

hispowerofconcentration.With thisweapon,he learns toshootarrows in thedark andpierces abird’s eyewithunerringprecision.ArjunawinsDraupadi’shandandheartthroughaconcentratedeffort.Towininthebattlesoflife,aheroneedstoconstantlyfocusonthegoalratherthanontheobstaclesinhispath.Thehumanfacultythatkeepsthehero’sfocuspersistentlyonthegoalistheintellect.Arjuna’ssharpintellectkeepshismusclesandhismindtogetherinpursuitoftheultimate. His intellect enables Arjuna to ask questions of Krishna in thebattlefield of Kurukshetra. His intellect helps him cut through the world ofsurfaceappearancestogettothedeepersecretsoflifethatKrishnateacheshim.Theability toconcentrate isalso thesecret toself-discovery.Theheroreachesinsidehimself todiscover thathis internal resourcesaremuchgreater than thechallengeshefaces.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.ArjunaisquicktocommithimselftosavingDrona’slifewhenitisthreatenedbyacrocodile.Hecommitstoavenginghisson’sdeathbeforethesunsets.Arjunashowshowheroesareunafraidofunwaveringcommitment.Commitment isnothingbut a call to action.ArjunaunlikeYudhisthiradoes

notwastetimestandingonthehornsofdilemma.Heisamanofaction,he’slikequicksilver.HisswadharmaisthatofaKshatriya.Hehastoupholdthedharmaof the landand ifneedbegivehis life for it.Many times,hisneed for actionbringsArjuna to thebrinkofdeath.Hefightsfierce life-and-deathbattleswithnone other than Shiva, the Lord of the Universe. Arjuna demonstrates that ahero’swisdomisforgedinthefireofaction.Everyheromeetsamentorwhoguideshimthroughthetrialsoflife.Arjuna

formsanendearingandenduringbondwithKrishna.WithoutthementorshipofKrishna,Arjunawouldhaveremainedanordinaryfighter.Krishna’sfriendshipgives Arjuna hope in despair and wisdom in the middle of a war. Friendscomplementus.Krishnaisnotanordinaryfriend.KrishnanotjustcomplementsbutcompletesArjuna.Arjuna also learns the law of desire and detachment. He desires Draupadi,

falls in lovewithSubhadraandresists theadvancesofUrvashi.He learns thatloveisaplayoftwopolaroppositeemotions,desireanddetachment,ragaandvairagya. Desire acts like an accelerator. Detachmentworks as a break.WithdesireanddetachmentArjunadrivesthisstreetcarcalledlife.Inahero’s journey,desiredeepens intodevotion.This secretofdevotion is

revealedtoArjunabyKrishna.‘Remembermeandfight,’KrishnaurgesArjuna.Theabilitytooffereverythoughtandeveryactiontothehigherprinciplewithinusisthelawofdevotion.Devotiontapsintothedeepestpotentialofthehumanheartinwhateverthehumanbeingwantstoachieve.Truegreatness,asArjunadiscovers,cannotbeachievedwithoutcompletedevotion.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 thehero, the distance between the head and the heart is greater than the distancebetween earth and sky. Yet, once this distance is bridged, Arjuna becomes awhole person. A whole person is an undivided person. His head does not goagainsthisheart.Forafighter,theheadandtheheartareconstantlydivided.Thefighter divides theworld into ‘you’ and ‘I’. For thewarrior there is just ‘we’.Thewarrioruses theenemy’s resistance togrowhimself.Arjuna isdevoted tohis brothers. He is devoted to Subhadra, his wife. He dotes on his sonAbhimanyu. Finally, he is timelessly and deeply devoted to his friend andmentorKrishna.Thisisthesecretofhisinvincibility.Arjunawakesupfromhisdelusiontodiscoverthedeepestsecretofthehero’s

journey.Wherehethoughtthathewasonlythishumanbody,hediscoveredthathewasthedivinespirit;wherehethoughthewasjustafighterwhofoughthisenemies,hediscoveredthathewasawarriorwhohadonlyhimselftoconquer;wherehe thought thathehad travelled the lengthandbreadthofhisworld,hediscovered thathewasonly travelling to thedepthsofhisownconsciousness;wherehethoughtthathewasaloneinhisheroicjourney,hediscoveredthathewasonewithall that therewas inexistence.Thus,Arjuna livedanddiedas ahero—inhisowntimeandforalltimes.

CHAPTER1

THEBIRTHOFAHERO:THESHAPINGOFIDENTITY

‘Mymother’snameisPritha,whichiswhyIamcalledPartha.MyfatherIndragaveme this jewelledcrown.Thus, Icame tobeknownasKiriti. IwascalledDhananjaya when I conquered and won the wealth of all the kings in theRajasuyaYagna.MywhitehorsesweregiftedtomebyAgni.ThatiswhyIamcalledSwetavahana.Ihaveneverfoughtabattlebyunfairmeans.That iswhymyenemiescallmeBhivatsu.Ifighttilltheveryend,untilvictoryismineandsoIamcalledVijaya.IamthatsameinvinciblewarriorBharatavarshaknowsasArjuna.’Uttara Kumara, the son of Virata, looked on in utter disbelief. His jaws

droppedashesawthewomanwhomheknewasBrihannala transformherselfintothewarriorArjunainthewinkofaneye.Theredsariflutteringintheairnowrevealedamuscularchest.AsArjuna lookedup, shedding thedisguiseofBrihannala, theshapeofaman’sfaceshowedupinthefirstraysof therisingsun.Thebraidedhairdeckedupinribbonswasnowlooseningup.Arjunathentiedhislong,windswepthairwithawhitecloth.Hisleonineeyesshonelikeanarrestedflame.Achiselledchinandsharpnosewereunmistakeablepartsofhisrugged,manlyappearance.Arjunahadnowcomeoutofhisdisguiseafterhislongexile.UttaraKumarahadknownthesameArjunaashiscourtdancer,whoputoncoy looksandexhibitedexaggerated femininegestures.Arjuna’swordsnowpiercedhimlikearrows:‘Now, that youhaveheardmymanynamesUttara, know that I amhere to

fight for you against the entire Kaurava army who have gathered in front ofyou.’Arjuna’shandswerelongandmuscular.Thescarsonhispowerfulshoulders

weremementoesfromthemanybattlesthathehadfought.Thepulseonhiswristthrobbedandbloodsweptinandsweptoutofhisblueveinsasheitchedtotakeonhisopponents.Whenhewalkedtowardshischariot,theearthechoedwiththe

firmthrobofhisfootsteps.WithUttaraashischarioteer,Arjunamovedfuriouslytowardthebattlefield.

Heblewhisconch,theDevdatta.WithhisfamousbowGandivainhishand,herushed towards the Kaurava army, which was led by warriors like Karna,Bhishma, Duryodhana, Ashwatthama, Drona and Kripacharya. Two arrowsfromArjunalandedatthefeetofDrona.Then,KripacharyaandBhishmawerealso greetedwith two arrows each at their feet. ThiswasArjuna’s gesture ofrespect to his mentor and his gurus. His teachers, now his adversaries, werepleasedwithArjuna’sunfailinghumility.SoonasetofarrowswhizzedpasttheearsofDronaandBhishma.Thus,Arjunaannouncedthebeginningofthebattle.ThearrowsleftArjuna’sbowintheflashofaneye.ThestringofhisGandiva

hummedtirelesslyasifathousandbeeswerebuzzingtogether.Arjunafelluponhisenemiesasaballoffirefallsuponaheapofcotton.Hescorched,devastatedandwroughthavocupon theKauravas.Butat thebackofhismind lurked thethoughtthatevenifhecould,hewouldnotwanttokillhisownteachers.AfterhehadscatteredBhishma’screscent formationallover thebattlefield,

ArjunathoughtitwastimetoinvoketheSammohanaAstra,aweaponthathadthepowertocastaspellonhisenemies.PrinceUttara’seyesalmostpoppedoutasArjunaunleashedtheSammohana.Hesawtheentirearmyof theKauravasfall intoatrance.ArjunathenaskedUttaratoremovetheuppergarmentsandthe mantles from the heads of his adversaries as tokens of victory. UttaraobedientlyremovedtheyellowsilkdressaswellasallthejewelsfromthemantleofthemightyKarna.Hethoughthissisterwouldlikeitasagift.Thereafter,hetookawaythesilkwhiteuppergarmentofKripacharya.Finally,hetookofftheblueshawlofAshwatthamaandbroughtallthespoilsofthewartoArjuna.Thiswasthewarrior’swayofassertinghisvictorybystrippinghisenemiesoftheirhonour.Arjunathensalutedahalf-awakeBhishmafromadistance,turnedawayfromthebattlefieldandrodewithPrinceUttaraintothesunset.

WHOISARJUNAWITHOUTHISMANYNAMES?Thehero’sadventurebeginswithaname.Merelyhavinganameisnotenough.Theherohastobeworthyofit.Hehastoliveuptohisnamebyvirtueofhischaracterandactions.Hisnamegiveshimanidentity.Whenachildisborn,thefirst thing that the family does is find the right name. A name once givenbecomes like a birthmark that stays on for life. Namakaran, the namingceremony isasacredritual.Onceachild isborn,givinganame isalmost likebestowingasecondbirth to thechild.Throughanameahero isre-bornin the

worldofaspiration.Anameoncegivenbecomes like theplotofa lifetimestory.Thename isa

code that contains the storyof anentire life.The storiesof ahero’s lifemakehimwhoheeventuallybecomesintheeyesoftheworld.Aherocraftshisownstory fromwithin himself just as a spider creates its silkenweb fromwithin.Evenasaherogoesforwardonmanyadventuresinhislife,hismindcannotturnawayfromwhoheoriginallyis.Arjunadoesnot forget themanynames that aregiven tohim.Thesenames

becomehisstrength,thesourceofhisidentityasaperson.Identityisthenamegiventoaquality,aguna,anattributeofthehero.Anothermeaningof‘guna’isthat which multiplies. Arjuna was a man of many qualities. These qualitiesensuredthathisnameandfamesurvivedbeyondhislifetime.Eventoday,manythousandyearsafterArjunaisbelievedtohavelived,parentsnametheirchildrenafterhim!Theabilitytocraftalife-storybasedonone’sidentityisthefirststepto success. If you lose touch with your identity, you become a stranger toyourself and to others. The world acknowledges you in the way youacknowledgeyourownidentity.ThinkofArjuna’spersonalityasadazzlingdiamond.Themanyfacesofthe

diamondare like themanyqualities or gunasof thehead andheart of a hero.Yet,thediamondshinesonlywhenlightpassesthroughit.But,thefacesofthediamondsimplymultiplythelightthatmakesthemshine.Takeawaythatlightandadiamondwouldjustbeapieceofordinaryrock;takeawayhisidentityandArjunawouldbeanobody.

HEROESAREMADEWHENTHEYAREBORNASONE

AreheroeslikeArjunabornormade?Heroesaremadewhentheyarebornasone.Greatnessstartswithasparkofdivineinspirationwithin.Thissparkignitesthosehiddenqualitiesorgunasthattheheroisbornwith.Arjuna’sfatherPandudesiredasonwhowouldleavehismarkontheworld.

Every father dreams of a son who would fulfil his unfulfilled dreams. PanducoaxedhiswifeKuntitogivehimasonbornofIndra.Panducouldnothaveachildbecauseofacursethatpreventedhimfromhavingaphysicalrelationshipwithhiswife.Kuntiwas then remindedof aboon shehad received from sageDurvasa.ThesagehadpromisedthatKunticouldcalluponanyGodshewishedandhaveachildbyhim.KuntiinvokedLordIndra.TheheavenslitupindelightandacolumnofthunderrippedthroughthedarkcloudsasIndragiftedKuntiasonwhowouldbethegreatestheroonearth.‘ArjunawillbeNara,theultimate

humanbeing.HewillworktogetherwithNarayana(LordKrishna)topurifytheearthofallitspollutions.NaraandNarayanatogetherwillcompletethejourneyofahumanbeingtowardhisdivinepotential!’Withthesewords,Indravanishedintotheskies.PandudidnotliveverylongafterArjunawasborn.Yet,afather’slonging for a son whom the world would soon call ‘the greatest hero’ wasfulfilled.Thus was Arjuna born from Indra. His birth was accompanied by the

celebration of the Devatas. Devatas are the higher powers of humanconsciousness.WeseeveryoftenthattheseDevatashavepowersovertheforcesof Nature. Indra is Devaraj, the king amongst the Devatas. He is the lord ofthunderandrain.UnderIndra’ssupremecontrolaretheearth’shorses,chariots,villages and cattle. He rules over the universe and both our outer and innerworlds. Indra is the master of indriyas or the senses. He is the master-forcebehind all the energies and actions of a human being.Arjuna’s greatest breakwas that he was born with such divine potential. With his birth he inheritedIndra’spowers.Arjunawastrulydestiny’schild.

ARJUNA’SSWADHARMASHAPESHISIDENTITY

Swadharmaishumancapabilityandduty,whichisprescribedaccordingtoone’snatureanduniquecircumstancesinlife.Whilesanatanadharmaistheuniversalcodeofconduct,swadharmaisanindividualcodeofconduct.Universaldharmademands non-violence, yet a warrior’s swadharma prescribes that he has toengage inwar todefendhiscountryorhiscause.Whenuniversaldharmaandswadharmacomeintoconflict,itisswadharmathatprevails.Arjuna’s swadharma determines his unique identity. Swadharma shapes his

body,mind,intellectandemotionstofulfilthepurposeforwhichhewasborn.Eachoneofusisbornforauniquepurpose.Ourdesiresareuniquetous.Ourbody and mind follow the law of swadharma to fulfil our desires. When weidentifyourselveswithacertaindesire,thepowerwithinusthattakesustotheobjectofdesireisswadharma.ArjunaisbornwiththedesiretobethegreatestKshatriyainBharatavarsha.AKshatriya’scallingistoupholdkshatraorrule.AKshatriya’sgreatestdesireistoupholdtheruleoflawasthekingofhisland.AtrueKshatriyalivesbythemantra:Iwillnotgiveintomyenemieswhowanttoruinmykingdomandmypeople.

EvenifIhavetosacrificemylifeforit,sobeit.Withallthemightofmyhands,allthepowerofmywillandtheutmostdevotionofmyheart,Ishallfighttolive

bymyswadharma.Iwillnotattackwomenandunarmedenemies.Iwillnotrestuntil theevilofwrongdoing,adharma, isremovedfromtheworldandfrommyownheart.IwouldprefertodieonthebattlefieldthantolivewiththefearanddisgraceofnotfulfillingaKshatriya’sswadharma.Arjuna’s deepest desire to emerge as a great warrior is supported by his

swadharma.Desires,when repeated, leave their impressions inourminds.Ourbodyandmindtransformthesegeneticimpressionsintoexpressionsinreallife.The following story of Draupadi’s marriage to the five Pandava brothersillustrateshowwhathappenstopeopleisaresultoftheirswadharma:Arjuna won the right to marry Draupadi through a tough contest in her

swayamvar.Byastrangeturnoffate,Arjunahadtosharehiswifewithhisfourbrothers.Onthefaceofit,thismightseemstrangegiventhatitwasArjunawhohadmadeaheroicefforttowinDraupadi’shandinmarriage.Yet,thisstoryofDraupadi’slifewilltelluswhyDraupadihadfivehusbands:Inapreviousincarnation,DraupadiwasthewifeofsageMoudgalyaandher

name was Indrasena. Her husband died early due to leprosy. Longing for aperfectsoulmatesheprayedtoLordShivawithgreatdevotion.Shivaappearedbefore her and asked her what she desired. On seeing Lord Shiva, she wasastonished. In that confusedmood, she repeatedly asked five times, ‘I want ahusband.’‘Youareblessedwithfivehusbandsbutonlyinthenextbirth,’saidShiva.‘I

wouldwish forahusbandwithmanyqualitiesof theheadandheart,’ insistedIndrasena.‘Itisimpossibletofindallthosequalitiesinonesingleman!’Shivaansweredhalfinjestandhalfinearnest.ThiswasthereasonforhermarriagetothefivePandavas.We actualise the higher powers of human consciousness by invoking a

Devata. The Devatas respond to our desires and often give us a boon. Theseboonsmanifest according toour swadharma.Heroes are responsible for livingaccordingtotheirnatureswhichareguidedbytheirdeepestdesires.Thisisthelawofswadharma.Thisistheirdestiny.

ARJUNAISATREASUREOFTALENTS

Everyhumanbeingisbornwithuniquetalents.Aswehaveseen,thesetalentsorgunascomefromoneormoreoftheDevatas—thesupremepowersthatgovernthehumanbodyandmind.DevatasaremoreclearlyforcesofNature,includinghumannature.Courage,valour,purityandpersistencearesomeofthegunasoraspectsofhumannature.Thesegunasarealsoforcemultipliers.Theyspreadfar

andwide by natural processes, like the fragrance of a flower or the flowof ariver.TheyareNature’ssupremequalitiesthatmanifestinthehumanform.When they came of age, the Pandava brothers came to be known for their

uniquequalities.Theirfamespreadfarandwide—beyondtheirforesthome.Theonewhosecomplexionwasbright,likeglitteringgold,whosenosewassharpasaneagle’s,whoseeyeswere largeand reflectiveandwhose facewasbroad—was Yudhishtira. The one who walked like an infuriated elephant, whosebooming voice and burning coal-like eyes made the heart beat faster, whoseshoulderswere broad as a shield, andwhose armswere long and thick—wasBhima. That tall, handsome, dark-complexioned youth whose shoulders werelikethoseofalion,whosemovementswereasswiftasacheetah’s,andwhoseeyeswere largeandexpansive like lotus-leaves—wasArjuna.Highlyskilled intheuseof bothhis hands,Arjunawasalso knownasSabyasachi.Nakulawastall, slim and handsome and believed that none was his equal in good looks.Sahadevawassoft-spoken,patientandhadapassionforanimalsandastrology.Eachoneofthefivebrotherswasadeptinusingaspecificweapon.Whilethe

eldestofthePandavas,Yudhishtira,wasskilledintheuseofaspear,thesecondbrother Bhima was a master of the mace. Arjuna, the third Pandava wasincomparableinhismasteryofthebowandarrow.NakulaandSahadevawereskilled in throwing knives and the use of the sword respectively. Yet, Arjunaoutshonehisbrothersbyvirtueofhistalentandhistemperament.

HERO=TALENT+TEMPERAMENT

Heroesareself-made.Apersonbecomesaheronotjustbywhatheis,butalsobywhatheidentifieswith.Meretalentisinsufficient.Inordertoundertakethehero’sjourney,whatisneededisgreattemperament.Thehero’stemperamentisdetermined by howhe reacts to a situation. Someonewho is identifiedwith apleasingsituationwillreactfavourablytoit.Likewise,someoneelsewhofindsacertain situation unpleasant will react negatively towards it. A hero’stemperamentischaracterizedbyadaptabilityandthepersistenceofattentionandintensity.Yudhishtira,Arjuna’selderbrotherhadgreatmoralintelligence.However,he

wasrigidinhistemperament,addictedtogamblingandlovedtheeasylife.Oncehe took up a position, it was difficult to get Yudhishtira to change.He lost awholekingdomandgambledawayhiswealthandwifeinabattleofdice.Bhimawas gifted with a powerful body.However, he was easily distracted. Bhima’steacherDronacharyawantedhimtosticktothemaceashisweapon.However,

Bhimawasnotsatisfiedbeingaone-weaponman.He triedhishandsatmanythings.Hewasalsoaglutton.Veryoftenhis stomachruledhishead.Bhima’sKaurava cousins Duryodhana and Dushasana knew that Bhima was irritableandquick-tempered.TheywouldgetBhimatoreacttotheirprovocationsatwill.His temperamentgotBhimainto troublequiteoften.Arjuna,however,wasnotjusthugelytalentedbutalsotemperamentallymuchstrongerthanhisbrothers.Hewouldstartthedaywiththeworshipofhisgurus.Then,hewouldpersistinhispracticeofarcheryuntilhisbroadshouldersandfingersscreamedinpain.Arjuna learnt to treat his enemies with both force and forgiveness. He knewforgiveness was a way of reclaiming mental composure. Arjuna forgave histeacherDronawhenheappearedtobepartialtohisownsonduringlessons.

HOWARJUNAPAYSDRONA’STEACHINGFEEThe Pandavas and the Kauravas were becoming accomplished in wieldingweaponsunderDronacharya’sguidance.Oneday,Dronadecidedthetimehadcomewhenhecoulddemandhisgurudakshina,histeachingfees.Assemblinghisstudents together,Drona said, ‘SeizeDrupada, theKingofPanchala inbattleandbringhimuntome,alive.Thatshallbemymostdesirablefee.’Theyoungstudentswereexcitedbythechallengeandsaidinunison,‘Sobeit!’Theyspeedilymounted theirchariots,andstormedout tobestowupon their

guruthefeehehaddemanded.Thoselionsamongmenlaidsiegetothecapitalcity of the great Drupada, Kampilya. Duryodhana and Karna, the mightyYuyutsu, Dushasana, Vikarna, Jalasandha and Sulochana – these and manyotherKshatriyaprincesallwantedtooutdoeachothertobecometheforemostfighterof theattack.Theprinces,riding inchariotsand following thecavalry,enteredDrupada’scapital.TheyrodeintothecapitalandscatteredDrupada’scowsbyforce.Cowtheft,gau-haran,wasthegreatestprovocationtoaking,ascowswereconsideredone’srealwealth.WhenDrupadacameouttoprotecthisprecious cows against the invaders, the Kaurava army attacked him with ashower of arrows and a war cry. The King of Panchala, Drupada and hisbrothers were not easy to subdue. They counter-attacked the Kauravas withgreatferocity.Arjuna, beholding the pomp and pride displayed by the Panchala king,

addressedhisteacherDrona,andsaid,‘WeshallexertourselvesonlyaftertheKauravashavetriedtheirbest.Drupadacanneverbetakenonthefieldofbattleby any of these cousins of mine.’ Having said this, the son of Kunti waitedoutsidethetownatamile’sdistancefromit,surroundedbyhisbrothers.Then,

Arjuna brought his four brothers into a huddle and whispered, ‘We will notdirectlyattackDrupadaandhisarmyliketheKauravasaredoing.Wewillwaitforhimtotireoutafteralongfight.Onlythencanwecapturehimaliveasourguru wants us to.’ Arjuna’s strategy made sense to the Pandavas, althoughBhimawasitchingtoflinghimselfstraightintobattle.Meanwhile,Drupadaandhisarmywereputtingupagreatfight.Theyrushed

forward and dispersed the Kaurava princes. Both Duryodhana and Karnabecame frightenedas thecitizensofPanchalabegan to throwvariousmissilesincludingkitchenutensilsat them.TheKauravasbrokeranksandfledtowardsthePandavas,whowerewaitingontheoutskirtsofthecity.ItwasnowArjuna’s turn tocapture the tiredKingofPanchala.Hesaluted

Dronaandsteppedontohischariot.HeadvisedYudhishtiratorefrainfromthefight.He thenappointedNakulaandSahadevaas theprotectorsofhischariotwheels. Bhima, mace in hand, rushed forward and led the charge. Even asBhima was bringing down the enemies’ elephants with blows from his mace,ArjunacoveredtheKingofPanchalainashowerofarrows.Therewassucharemarkable lightness ofmotion in themovement of Arjuna’s arms that it wasdifficult for anyone to detect an interval between his fixing the arrows on thebowstring and letting them off. Standing in the middle of the battlefield withperfectfearlessness,ArjunaseizedDrupadaasaneagleseizesahugefishafteragitatingthewatersoftheocean.Bhimathentiedhimupwithathickrope.ThePandavasthenputDrupadaontheirchariotandbroughthimbeforeDrona.Drona lookedat the lowered eyesof thehumbledDrupadaashe said, ‘My

studentswill let yougoonlyafter youpartwithhalf your kingdom.’Drupadahadnochoicebuttoagree.DronathenlookedatArjunawiththekindofpridethat a successful coach reserves for a student who has performed brilliantly.DuryodhanawentgreenwithenvyseeinghowArjunahadoutclassedeveryoneelse.DronadrewArjunatowardshimandgavehimalongandheartfelthug.

HERO’SJOURNEY:WHERETALENTMEETSTHENEEDSOFTHEWORLD

Justasamusclegrowsthroughrepeatedexercise,humanenergygrowsthroughrepeated use. Human energy grows around a seed called identity. Arjunadevelopsanidentityasthegreatestarcherofhistime.Hedoesthisintwoways.Firstly,hethinksandreflectsonwhatheisreallygoodat.UnlikeDuryodhana,hedoesnotallowtheemotionofenvytoget inthewayofhisself-evaluation.Secondly,Arjunabecomesconsciousthathegrowsonlywhenhistalentbenefits

theworld.Arjuna’sgoal,unlike thatof theKauravas, isnot just todisplayhisfighting capabilities. He is keen to make a contribution to guru Drona bycapturingDrupada alive.WhereasDuryodhana sabotaged his own chances byfightingDrupada unthinkinglyArjuna used both tact and talent to capture theKingofPanchala.As an archer sharpens his arrow and a carpenter sharpens his saw, a hero

searchesdeepwithinforhisidentity.Agreatidentityyieldsgreatpossibilitiesinlife.Arjunahas learntbyheartwhat theancientrishisof theUpanishadshavetaught:YouarewhatyourdeepestnatureisAsyournature,soisyourwillAsyourwillis,soisyourdeedAsyourdeedis,soisyourdestiny.Adeepandclearidentitygivestheherogreateractionchoices.Thesearchfor

our true identity is kind of a talent searchwithin the self.A hero’s talent lieslatent within the self. It sleeps within him as seeds of possibilities. Whendiscoveredandnurtured,theseedsgrowandflower.Thisfloweringofhistalentisahero’struevocation.Whenhistalentsandtheworld’sneedsoverlap,thereinliesthehero’sandinthiscase,Arjuna’scalling.

Ahero’sjourneyisnodifferentfromthatofafertileseed’sthathasdecidedtobecome the forest. A single seed has the blueprint of a whole forest etchedwithinit.However,theseedneedstomobilizeitsinbornintelligenceinthesameway that Arjuna mobilizes his talent for archery. The seed connects with theenergizing power of the soil, sunlight and water. The hero connects with thehumanandmaterialresourcesinhisenvironment.Oncethisconnectionismade,one solitary seed can chart the destiny of a whole forest. Arjuna raises hisidentity,hisownself-worth,byservinghisguruwithhistalent.

AHEROGROWSWHENPEOPLESTARTRELYINGONHIM

Arjunagrowsbygiving.Whenaherogiveshisenergy,histimeandhislifeforothers, hismind expands.When hismind expands, others are touched by hisgenerosity.Themorehe touches theheartsandmindsofothers, themoretheyrelyonhimforprotection,security,directionand leadership.Themorepeoplerelyonhim,themoretheycontributetothehero’sgrowth.Thisisthestoryofallheroes,ofalltimes.AnothernameofArjunawasAnagha,onewithapureheart.Arjuna’snobility

of heart was often seen in his magnanimity towards his enemies. He showedcompassiontowardhisadversaries.ArjunawasalsoknownasParantapa,onewho conquers and disciplines his enemies. When Agni the god of fire wasburningKhandavaforest,ademoncalledMayasura,camerunningoutofit.HewenttoArjunaandbeggedhimtosavehislife.ArjunaagreedandprotectedhimfromtherisingangerofAgni,eventhoughheknewthatMayawasanasura,anadversary. Mayasura was so relieved, he gushed in gratitude. He said, ‘Youhavesavedmylife.HowcanIbeofhelptoyou?Iamagiftedarchitectandcanconstructwonderfulplacesofillusions.’Arjunasaid,‘Wellthen,canyoubuildamagnificentpalaceformybrotherYudhishtirainIndraprasthathatwillbeournewcapital?’MayasurabuiltapalaceforthePandavasthatwastrulymagical.The corridors of the palace were lit up by the glow of precious gems. Everyroomwasmadewithsuchrareandfinemarblethatthefloorslookedlikepoolsofwater.Thewallsofthepalaceofillusionsweremadeofcrystalsandthehallswhere people assembled were full of flowering trees. Due to his gratitude toArjuna,Mayasuracontributedgenerouslytohislife.Arjuna is always ready to take responsibility on behalf of his five brothers.

Althougheachof thePandavabrothershasunique talents, it isusuallyArjunawho takes the ultimate call.He is ready to sacrifice his personal comfort andacceptvoluntaryexilefortransgressinguponYudhishtira’sprivacy.Thisiswhyhe is so admired. His nobility is seen in his large-heartedness towards hisenemies evenwhen he has defeated them.He even touches his adversary, thePanchala King Drupada’s heart. Drupada is delighted to give his daughterDraupadi in marriage to Arjuna. Arjuna’s human errors are forgiven by hisbrothersandhisfollowersasheisalwaysforgivingratherthantaking.Whenweareforgiving,weareforgiven.Whenweareforgetting,weareforgotten.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.UnderKrishna’s guidance,Arjuna calibrates his actions asactsof service toothers.Thededicationofhisheroicactions toa largercause

givesArjunathesupremeenergyofsuccess.

Krishna teachesArjuna, how to be an ati maharathi—the ultimatewarrior.Just as Indra gave Arjuna the gift of being born as a hero, Krishna teachesArjunatheartofdyingasahero.Theherofightsnottoavoiddeathbuttoliveafulllife.Arjunadoesnotwanttobesaved,hewantstobeusedintheserviceofothers.Whenagrainofcornfallsontheearthanddecidestoremainagrain,itsidentityasagrainislostovertime.Yet,whenthesamegraindecidestosacrificeitselftothesoil,thegrainbecomesaseedandbearsmuchfruit.Fromonegrainofcornarebornmillionsofgrainsthatmakeourearthprosperous.Suchisthejourneyofahero.

CHAPTER2

MASTERY:THELIGHTOFCLARITY

The word ‘Arjuna’ meanswhite light. Arjuna stands for spotless clarity. Thehumanmindoftenbecomeslikeamuddylakepollutedwithdirtanddust.Thepollutantsofthemindaregreed,anger,lust, jealousyandego.Theherohastofightthesefivedemonsofthemindtoachieveclarity.Claritygivestheminditsnatural power. Through clarity the mind of the hero is able to correct itself.Clarity leads the hero towards the journey of invincibility. Clarity is thefoundationstoneofmastery.Arjunalearntofthestepstowardsmasteryfromhismany teachers: Kripacharya, Dronacharya, Bhishma and finally Krishna.Arjuna’s teachers gave him a clear goal in life: he had to serve humanity bybecoming theworld’sgreatest archer.Clarity is anothername forvision.Truevision is thememoryof thedivine, awakening in thehuman.Thismemoryofdivine potential is a treasury of knowledge. The hero discovers this treasurywhenclaritydawnsonhim.

ARJUNAHITSATARGETOTHERSCANNOTEVENSEE

Dronawasthegreatestguruofarcheryinhistime.Suchwashismasterythathecouldretrieveaballthathadfallenintoawellwitharrowsmadeofmerebladesof grass. He was a guru beyond compare. Bhishma, the grandfather of thePandavasandKauravasappointedhimastheheadoftheschoolwherehewasasked to impart the art of warfare to the hundred Kauravas and the fivePandavas.Thechildrenofotherkingstoolaterjoinedtheschool.Dronaagreedto teach his pupils on one condition: his students had to use their skills tocapturehisswornenemyDrupada,KingofPanchalaattheendoftheirtraining.ArjunaquicklybecameDrona’sfavouritedisciple.JustasYudhishtirabecame

an expert in throwinga spearandBhima inwieldingamace,Arjunabecamehighly skilled with the bow and arrow.One night when all the students weredining in the light of a lamp, a huge gust of wind blew out the lamp. Arjuna

continuedeatinghismealinthedark.Itwasthenthatathoughtflashedinhismindlikeastreakoflightning:ifinthedarkIcanbringthefoodinmyhandtomymouth,whycan’t I shootanarrowandhita target in thedark?With thisclarity, he began practising hitting targets when blindfolded. Gradually, hebecameskilledatshootinginthedark.Arjuna realized that every target had its own sound. Every object in the

universehasitsownvibrations.Vibrationsarenothingbutsoundwaves.Whenhis focus on his target became absolute, Arjuna could spot any object just byhearingitsuniquevibration:hewouldidentifyatreebytheuniquerustleofitsleaves, a deer by the sound of its movements through dry grass and so on.Arjuna’ssensesweresosharpthathecouldhitdistanttargetsbylisteningtothefaintestof faint sounds.Arjunaalsoachievedmastery in shootingarrowswithboth his right arm and left arm and became known as Sabyasachi, theambidextrousarcher.Arjunawould staybackandpractisearcheryevenwhentheotherstudentshadretiredfortheday.YetanotherthingthatmadeArjunasodifferent from the rest of the boys was that he would never shoot an arrowwithoutfirstclosinghiseyesandvisualizinghowthearrowwouldtravelthroughthe air and pierce a target, before the arrow actually did so.He also alwaysveneratedandbowedtohisGurubeforeheundertookanychallenge.Dronawasextremely pleased with Arjuna’s progress. With adoring eyes the mentormarvelledathowhisprotégéArjunahadoutclassedeveryone,includinghisownsonAshwatthama.

MASTERYISBRINGINGTHEWHOLEOFWHOWEARETOWHATWEDO

Masteryinanyfieldbeginswithasimplelesson.Wehavealllearntthislessoninchildhood.Ourfirstteachers–ourparents,taughtustobecomecomfortablewiththedifferentaspectsofourgrowingbody.Parentsaskchildrensomethingas simple as, ‘Tellmewhere your nose is?’ and then children raise their tinylittlefingerstowardtheirnosesandtouchthetip.Theproudparentsbreakintoaroundof applause and pose the next question, ‘Now tellmewhere your bellybutton is?’Forachild,correctly identifying thenosewasachallenge in itself.However, discovering the belly button becomes quite an achievement!Understandinghowthedifferentpartsofyourbodyworktogethertoproduceanactionoraresultisanimportantstepinachievingmastery.Thinkofasimpleaction likewalking.Welearn towalkbywalking,notby

thinking aboutwalking.More than two hundredmuscles in our body have to

cometogethertoenableustowalk.Justtotakeasinglestepforwardrequirestheco-ordinationoffortydifferentmuscles.Thefirstgoalofwalkingistomovethebody forward or backward. The second goal is to do this in themost energy-efficientwaysothatwecanwalkforalongtimewithoutgettingtired.Thethirdgoal is to make the movements of joints andmuscles as painless as possibleduringawalk.Ourbodyhastolearntoperformalltheseactionsbyharmonisingdifferentbodypartsintoonegrandorchestraofmovement.Mastery is more than the co-ordination of muscle and bone. It is about

bringingthewholeofustowhatwedo.Thinkofsomeonewhoisinspired.Ifheisanarcher likeArjunaora rifle shooter, canheclaim thatonlyhiseyesandhands are inspired? What about the rest of the body? Inspiration is aboutbringingthewholebodyintoastateofheightenedenergy.Theheart,thehands,themusclesandthemind,allcometogetherinonesynchronizedstep.Haveyouseenatigercrouchingbeforeitpouncesonitsprey?Similarly,themasterarchermustgatherthewholeofhimselfinstillnessbeforehehitsatarget.

MASTERYISNOTAHABITBUTAPRACTICE

Didyouknowthatamasterinanyfieldhastodevoteatleasttenthousandhourstodoingsomethingbeforehecanhopetobecomeamaster?Thisisthreetofourhoursofdeliberatepracticedailyfortenyearsatastretch.Apainterhastopaintfor hours on end before he can hope to become a Picasso. A master likeBismillahKhanhadtoplaytheshehnaiforhoursatastretchbeforehebecamethemaster of hismusical instrument.A cricketer likeTendulkar had to spendthousands of hours at net practice before he could lay claim to the title of‘MasterBlaster’.However,asArjuna’s life teachesus,mastery isnotmerelyahabitbutalso

theresultofdeliberatepractice.Youneedtenthousandhourstocreateahabit,goodorbad.However,thedifferencebetweenformingahabitandpractisingisthis: a habit is unconscious, while practice is a conscious process. Practice

involves two things: failureand feedback.Many timesamaster in themakinghastogothroughfailureandlossofface.Ourhabitsmakeusblindtoourfollies.Whenfacetofacewithfailure,wegetfeedbackonwhichofourhabitsdonotworkforus.Amasterischallengedtooutgrowhabitsthatarenotuseful.

Ononeofhismanyadventures,ArjunavisitedthesiteofRamSetu,abridgeinDhanushkodi inSouthIndia.Lookingat thebridgehearrogantlyquestionedifRamawasreallyasgreatanarcherashimself.IfRamahadreallybeensuchagreat archer in his lifetime, why did he not build a bridge of arrows, Arjunawondered. Why did he have to struggle with a monkey army for the bridge?Arjuna sincerely wished that he could meet Hanuman personally and get theanswertothisquestion.AngeredatArjuna’stoneandhismisplacedarrogance,Hanuman appeared before him as an ordinary monkey. Hearing Arjuna’scomplaint, Hanuman mocked Arjuna and said, ‘How could he? How can abridge of arrows hold the weight of us monkeys?’ Arjuna shot back, ‘It iscertainlypossible.Iwillshowyouhowyoucanbuildsuchabridgenowifyouwant.’ Hanuman then challenged Arjuna to prove his superiority to Rama bybuildingabridgeofarrowsthatcouldbeartheweightofevenonemonkey.Arjunaproposedawagerwith thedisguisedHanuman: ‘If Iamnotable to

buildabridgeofarrowsand if youarenotable towalkon it; I,Arjuna,willvoluntarilysetmyselfonfireandburntodeath.’Thereafter,Arjunagotreadytobuildthebridgewithashowerofarrows.HanumansatinacornerchantingthenameofRam.Whenthebridgewasbuilt,Hanuman,stillutteringRam’sname,kepthistailonit.Thebridgecollapsed,shatteringintopieces.Onseeing this,Arjunawasdejected.Asper theconditionsof thewager,he

gotreadytoenterablazingfire.AtrueKshatriya,Arjunawasnotworriedaboutdying.Hefeltmiserablethathislifelonglessonsinarcheryprovedtobeoflittleuse. Hanuman felt compassionate towards him and tried to dissuade Arjunafromcarryingoutthetermsofthewager.ButArjunawasadamant.Helitafireandwasabouttojumpintoitwhenanoldmancamealong.SeeingArjunareadytojumpintothefirehewantedtoknowwhatthematterwas.Arjunarecountedtheentirestory.Theoldmanthensaid,‘Foranywageryou

needathirdpartyaswitness.Nowwhoisyourthirdparty?’BothHanumanandArjunawerepuzzledas therewasnone.Theoldmansaid, ‘This isnotavalidwager as youdid not have a judge.NowArjuna, can you rebuild the bridge?YouHanuman,canyousiton thatbridge thatArjunawillbuild? Iwillbe thewitnessthistime.Whoeverfailswillgetintothefire.’Thistime,Hanumanwas

overconfident.HethoughtthathecouldbringdownanybridgethatArjunabuilt.Arjunafeltthatdoingitthesecondtimewasnotgoingtochangetheresult.Lowin spirits, heprayedconstantly tohis friendandmentorKrishnaandbuilt hisbridge with a torrential release of arrows. As soon as Arjuna completed thebridge,Hanumanhithistailuponit,supremelyconfidentthatthebridgewouldcollapse into pieces. Strangely nothing happened this time. The bridge stoodfirm.Desperate,Hanumanputonefootonthebridgeandthenanotherandwassoon jumping on the bridge with great ferocity. Yet the bridge of arrowscontinued to stand. Hanuman was about to accept defeat. But he felt thatsomethingwasamiss.Hewentuptotheoldmanandasked,‘Whoareyou?’Eventually,theoldmanrevealedhimselftobeKrishna.Hesaidthathehadto

interveneintheguiseofathirdparty.KrishnagavefeedbacktobothArjunaandHanuman.HeremindedArjunaofhisarroganceandreprimandedHanumanforallowinghisloveforRamatobecomeathingofexcessivepride.Regaininghiscomposure, Hanuman pledged to be present on Arjuna’s battle-flag as hismascot during the Kurukshetra War and help him there. Arjuna learned thelessonofalifetime.

THEMASTERANDTHEPATHOFMASTERYAREIDENTICAL

Masteryisajourneyandnotadestination.Masteryisahumanprocessandnotatarget. Just as a gymnastmastersmovement andbalance, the heromasters hismindandemotions.Thenaturalmindisliketheclearwaterofalakethatisnotpolluted by dust andmud.What pollutes themind is an excess of these fiveenemies: greed, anger, lust, jealousy and ego.When these enemies attack themind,itbehaveslikeadrunkenmonkeythatispossessedbyademonandbittenby a scorpion. The monkey is a metaphor for a restless and greedy mind.Drunkennessisasymboloflust.Thedemonstandsforangerandego.Finally,thebiteofthescorpionrepresentsthepangsofjealousy.

Arjuna’s struggle is about freeing himself from these five enemies.He has toovercome Duryodhana’s jealousy while growing up. He has to tide over thelonging and lust ofUrvashi, the celestial nymph.Arjuna has to tame his ownrestlessnessandgreedwhenconfrontedwithbattlesandtherewards thatcomewitheachvictory.HealsohastoconquertheragingangerthateruptswhenhissonAbhimanyuiskilledinviolationofthelawsofdharma.Finally,Arjunahasto riseabovehisbruisedegowhenhismotherKuntiunknowinglyaskshimtosharehiswifeDraupadiwithhisfourbrothers.Masteryof lifecanbeattainedonlyby living intelligently.Lifeprovidesno

opportunityforreplays.ArjunaisatrueKshatriya.Heknowsthatlifehappensinthe moment. He knows that in the battlefield called life, death dwellsprecariously,likeadewdroponabladeofgrass.AKshatriyafightsnottodeferdeathbuttosavourlife.Hedoesnotwanttobesafeandgetrustedout;hewantsto flameout likeahugebonfire.Amaster can savour lifeonlywhenhe stepsaway from the five pollutants of the mind into the clear light of reason andintelligence.This is why the path of the master and the master himself become one. Themaster,inanygame,istheproductofpractice.Adevotedfollowergushedafteranextraordinaryperformancebyafamousmusician,shesaid,‘Sir,Icouldgivemylifeforsuchaperformance.’Themasterofmusicexclaimed,‘Iactuallygavemy life for this kind of performance.’ Both aspiration and performance meetupon the river called life. When this becomes clear, the master is no longercompetingwiththeworld.Heisonlydiscoveringhisnaturalcapabilities.Arjunarecognizes inKrishna, amaster’s true face.This face isnotwrinkledwith thestressesandstrainsof life.TheMaster’sfaceispeaceful,sublimeandsmiling.Thistooisthefaceofclarity.

Likecharity,claritybeginsathome.Thishomeiswhowereallyare.Wearethe lightofclarity thatgivesmeaning toourworld.Clarity isourspontaneousstate.Thinkofthisbodyofours.Mostofusharbouramistakenbelief thatweare this dense mass of flesh, blood and bones that sits on a sofa listening toinspirationalmusic.Yetthesamedensebodyistransformedintoalightnessofbeing,afeatherlightsenseofwhoweareasthemusictransportsustoasublimestate.Soarewethephysicalbodyorarewethatclearintelligencethatholdsthedifferentpartsofourbodytogether?Ifyouexamineyourbodyobjectively,youwillrecognizethatwhatyoudefineas‘yourbody’isnothingbutanassortmentoffoodanddrinksfromtheearththatyouhaveputtogether.Thereisanaturalintelligence thathas transformedcorn,water,cerealandsoda intoa shapeandform called ‘body’. The body is a rented storehouse, a temporary apartmentwhereoneisaguestforthislifetime.Thereisnothingreallypersonalaboutthebody—itisamake-believestructureputtogetherbyanimpersonalintelligencethatripplesinsilencethroughone’smind,one’semotionsandone’sbiologicalrhythms.

ARJUNAKILLSACROCODILE

Dronaoftentoldhisstudents,‘Manisalearninganimalandthewholeuniverseis a school. Sometimes life tests you . You have to deal with life’s ultimatechallengesastheyoccur.Lifegivesyounochanceforreplays.Masteryinanyfieldisaboutbeingpresentinlife.Youhavetolearntowatch,smell,touch,tasteandfeelthislivingpresenceifyouhavetoexcelinanyfield.’

OnceDronawastakingabathintheriver.Hisstudentsnoticedthattheirguruwas struggling to free his left arm from the mouth of what looked like acrocodile.ThecrocodilebareditsteethandsnappedatDrona.Dronaappearedto be struggling against the ferocious reptile. He shouted for help. His sonAshwatthamawastooshocked.Allthestudentswerealsotoostartledtothinkofa way to rescue their teacher. They stood by the bank of the river watchinghelplessly.Beforeanyofthestudentscouldgathertheirwits,Arjunaletloosetwoofhis

sharpestarrows,which rippled through thewater.Thewoundedcrocodile leftbehindaredtrailofbloodasitlooseneditsholdonDrona.Soonthecrocodileturned towards the bank of the river where Arjuna was standing. Fearlessly,Arjunashotonearrowafteranotheruntilthecrocodilesankintotheriver.Thickbubblesofbloodoozedoutofitsbody.Itwasaspectaclethatremainedetchedinthemindsofallwhowatched.Smilingfromcheektocheek,DronacameoutofthewaterandhuggedArjuna

asafatherwouldhughisson.Ashwatthamafeltapangofjealousylikethejabofaknife.HewishedthatheandnotArjunahadbeentheonetosavehisfather.DuryodhanastampedhisfeetindisgustasherealizedthatArjunahadkilledthecrocodilebeforeanyoftheotherstudentscouldevendrawanarrowfromtheirquivers.LookingattherestofhisstudentsDronasaid,‘Youshouldnotevenpretend

tobe likeArjuna.Lookat thepresenceofhismind.Lookathiswillingness toservehisteacher.’HecontinuedasheglancedatArjunawithasoft,affectionategaze,‘Thatcrocodile incidentwasapieceofdramathatIcreated to testyourskills.IcouldhaveeasilysavedmyselffromthejawsofthecrocodilewheneverIwanted.Icriedforhelpmerelytodrawyourattentiontoachallengebeforeyou.NooneexceptArjunarespondedtothechallengeintime.ForthisIwillpresenttoArjunatheBrahmasiraAstraasagiftattheendoftraining.’Drona then turned towards his hundred-odd students and said, ‘Mastery is

about surrendering to the present. Surrender is muchmore than the ritual oftouching the feetof theguruandbowing tohim.Surrender to thegurumeanssurrendering your body and mind to the demands of your discipline. Your

disciplineisarchery.Thebowandarrowsaretheextensionofyourarms.Youmust learn to use your toolsmindfully like you use your own hands and feet.Observe everyactionofArjuna; followhim fromonemoment toanother.YouwillunderstandwhatIamtryingtotellyou.’

ARJUNA’SCLARITYCOMESFROMSITUATIONALINTELLIGENCE

IfoneaskedArjunathisquestion:‘Ifthereisafightbetweenacrocodileandabear—who is likely to win?’ Arjuna would simply say, ‘It depends on thesituation.Ifthebeartriestofightacrocodileinwater,thebearwilllosehandsdown.However, the bearwill have awinning chance if the fight is on land.’Real mastery comes from a quick assessment of an unpredictable situation.Arjunacanvisualizeasituation,exploreoptionsforactionandactrapidly,likeaneagle swoopingon its prey inone seamlessmotion.Hedoes all this in theblinkofaneye.Situational intelligence isagift thathelpsArjunanavigate theunpredictableworldthatliesbeforehim.Victoryintheworldbeginswithclarity.Heroesachievevictorytwice.First,

thevictoryisachievedinthemindandonlytheninrealsituations.Everythingthat Arjuna ever achieves, he does it first in his mind. When faced with achallengingsituation,Arjunaturnstohismind,whichprovideshimwithaclearpicture ofwhat the situation is.Arjuna’smind is like amagic lantern. Such amindturnsobstaclesintoopportunities.Hisclearmindseesthecrocodilenotasathreatbutasanopportunitytorescuehisteacher.Arjuna’smindclearlysees throughdvandva—theuniverseofduality.Every

situationintheworldappearsasapairofopposites.Foreveryvalleythereisahill;foreverynightthereisaday;insideeverycrisislurksanopportunity.Whenthemindvisualizesasituationasnothingbutaplayofopposites,itiseasytoactonthesituation.Theenlightenedmindrealizesthatnosituationispermanentandthat every situation changes in the course of time. Situational intelligence isnothingmore than the belief thatwe are infinitely greater than our situations.Ourrealnatureisinfinitecomparedtothefinitesituationthatwefindourselvesin. Whenever Arjuna’s mind begins to believe that he is greater than hissituation,hefindssuccess.Ontheotherhand,wheneverArjunalosesthisself-belief,hefindshimselfintrouble.WhateverArjuna’smindcanvisualizeandhisheartcanrealize,hishandscanactualize.

CHAPTER3

THEARROWOFCONCENTRATION:FORM,FOCUSANDFLOW

Drona’s academy was Bharatavarsha’s best place to train both muscle andmind. The boys strained their hands and shoulders, lifting heavymetal bows.Their biceps rippled as they took aim.Then therewas unendingpracticewithswords,spearsandmaces.Theprinceshadtolearntofightonracingchariotsandrideonelephant-back.Dronawasastricttaskmaster.Hewouldnottolerateindisciplineandsloppinessinhisstudents.Whentheirmusclesachedfromhardpractice,hewouldtaketheprincestoaquietcornerintheashramtomeditate.Theyweretaughttorecitemantrassothattheirmindswouldbecomestill.Evenas the last lingering rays of the setting sun crept out of the temple, Drona’sstudentsfilledthe‘cow-dusthour’chantingshlokasfromsacredtexts.Dronawouldaddresshisstudentssaying,‘Justasapotterlearnstoshapea

claypot, theherolearnstoshapehismind.Ahero’sluminousmindinfluencestheentireworldjustasthelightofthesunsetsthewholehorizononfire.Beforethe hero can command others, he must learn to command his own mentalforces.’ Drona was the perfect master. He not only had knowledge andexperience of the art of war, but also the rare ability to communicate andinspire.Agoodarcherbecomesanexpertinlaunchingarrows.Butonlyagreatguruknowshowtolaunchhisstudentsintoahigherorbitofexcellence.Dronawasboth:agreatarcherhimselfaswellasanexcellentguidetohisstudents.However,Dronasensedthathehadaproblemonhishands.Hehadhisown

mentalbattle todealwith.HissonAshwatthama,no lessaskilledarcher,wasnotasgoodasArjuna.DronatheteacherhadtowinoverDronathefatherbygivingArjunarecognitionabovehisownson.Drona’sgreatestdilemmawastogiveeveryoneclinchingproofthatArjunawasindeedthegreatest.One morning, Drona gave his students a break from the usual routine of

training.Hehaddecidedtosetupacompetitiontotesttheconcentrationoftheboys.Hehungasmallwoodenbirdonthebranchofatree.Thebirdwasalmost

hiddenbyleaves.Hethensaid,‘Payattentionboys,Iwanttoseewhoamongstyou can strike the eyeof thatwoodenbird that is hanging from that treeat adistance.’Thebirdappearedasasmallbrownleaffromwheretheboyswerestanding.

Drona’svoiceranglikeabellashespeltouttheinstructions:‘Eachoneofyouwillbegivenonechancetohittheeyeofthatbird.Beforeyoushoot,Ishallaskyouaquestion.OnlywhenIgivethego-ahead,canyoureleasethearrow,notbefore.Wewillbeginwiththeoldestamongyou.’Theprinces,whowereexpertsinhuntingdownwildanimals,thoughtnothingmuchaboutthetargetsetbytheirteacher.Yet,theywerecurioustoknowwhowouldhittheeyeofthebirdfirst.Drona first invited Yudhishtira, the oldest among the princes, and pointed

towards the tree. Yudhishtira, his face eager with anticipation, narrowed hiseyesand surveyedhis target.Dronaasked, ‘TellmeYudhishtira,whatdo yousee out there?’ Yudhishtira, who had a keen eye for detail began to describeeverythingthatappearedbeforehim.‘Iseeawoodendove,maybeavulture,thedrybranchandalsoabeehiveonthattree.Icanseetheleavesswayinginthebreeze and some bees hovering over the hive. I can see the river flowing, thesandbank, someother trees, thebluesky . . .’Yudhishtirawentondescribingeverything he saw. He was wondering when Drona would command him toshoot. Drona interrupted him rather sternly, ‘That’s enough, Yudhishtira. Putdownyourbowandarrow.Youdon’tneedtoshoot.Nextplease!’Yudhishtirasteppedback,ratherconfused.ItwasnowDuryodhana’sturnto

step forward. Drona repeated the question: ‘Duryodhana, what do you see?’ThecraftyDuryodhanathoughtitwouldbeagoodideatobeginbypleasinghisteacher,‘IseemyguruDronacharyastandinghere.IseeallthesonsofPanduandDhritarashtra.IcanseeBhimascratchinghischestandYudhishtira’ssadeyes.ThenIcanalsoseethejungleandthetreewheresomethingthatlookslikea bird is hanging.’ Drona’s lips twitched in irritation as he said, ‘Step back,Duryodhana.Youdon’tneedtoshoot.’DuryodhanalookedatDronaaccusinglyas he dragged himself backwith great reluctance. Itwas thenAshwatthama’sturn.Nervously,Drona’ssonrattledoffwhateverhesawinfrontofhim.EvenheseemedtohavefailedthetestasDronaaskedhimnottoshoot.Finally,itwasArjuna’sturn.Hestoodbesidehisteacherandcrouchedtotouchhisfeet.Then,withanunwaveringgazeArjunalookedtowardthetree.‘Tellmewhatyoucansee,Arjuna,’repeatedDrona,‘doyouseethetree?’‘No,’saidArjuna.‘Doyouthenseethebird?’TherewasasenseofrisingexcitementinDrona’s

voice.‘No! I can only see the eye of the bird, nothing else,’ responded Arjuna

withouttakinghiseyesoffthetarget.‘Can you not see the river and the sky? Or perhaps your brothers around

you?’Dronaasked.‘Noguruji,allIcanseeisthebird’seyeandnothingelse,’Arjunasaid,his

gazefixedonthetarget.‘Now,shoot!’Dronacommanded.EveryonewhostoodtheresawArjuna’sarrowwhizzpastandheardasharp

click.Theheadofthewoodenbirdthenfelldownwithadullthudontheground.Thearrowwasstucktothemiddleofthebird’seye.A thrillof joycrept throughAshwatthama’s spineashe recognizedwhyhis

fatherhadsmiledsoindulgentlywhenArjunawastakingaim.‘Sadhu!Sadhu!’cried out the princes. Bhima began beating his chest triumphantly even asDuryodhanamovedawayquietly.

CONCENTRATION:WHENLESSISMORE

Aherohastotravelthepathofsuccesstwice:firstinhismindandthenintherealworld.Whateverhappenstousintheouterworldofappearancesbeginsinourmind.Theherocraftshissuccessstorybyshapinghismind.Theordinaryhumanmindisscattered.Thisstateofmindcanbedescribedas

vikshipta.Themind,throughthefivesensesisturnedontowhatevercatchesitsattention. Think ofYudhishtira.Hismind is lost in details.What does he seewhenDronaaskshimtolookatthetarget?Heseesleavesswayinginthebreeze,theriverflowing,thesandbank,someothertreesandthebluesky.Histrainofthought consumes his attention. Therefore, the attention that he is required togivetotherealtasktakesabackseat.

When it isnot scattered, thehumanmind isagitated.This stateof themind iscalledkshipta.Anagitatedmindswingslikeastrawcaughtinthegustywindofemotions.Thinkofsomeonepossessedbyanxietyoranger.Canheconcentrateonanythingworthwhile?Duryodhana’smindisagitated.WhenDronaaskshimtofocusonthetargetwhatdoesDuryodhanasee?HeseesBhimascratchinghischestandYudhishtira’ssadeyes.Duryodhana’smindiscaughtintheemotionalwebofjealousyandrivalry.Heobviouslycannotseethetargetclearlybecausehismindhasbeenmuddiedbyunnecessarythoughts.Arjuna knows the art of concentration. When his turn comes, his mind

becomes ‘one-pointed’—ekagra.With concentration,Arjuna is able to discardunwanted thoughtsandunwantedemotions.WhenDronaaskshimwhetherhecanseethetreeor thebird,Arjunarespondsbysayingthathecanseenothingbuttheeyeofthebird.Arjunaistotallyfocussedonthegoalbeforehim.Hecancommandhisentirebody,hisbroadshouldersandhis longarms todoexactlywhattheyaresupposedtodo:topointthearrowtowardstheeyeofthebird.Arjuna’s most powerful weapon is not his Gandiva but his ekagrata, his

powerofconcentration.Withthisweapon,helearnstoshootarrowsinthedarkandpiercesthebird’seyewithunerringprecision.Themasteryofekagratastartswith the removal of excess information and distractions from the mind. Thesimplemantratoachievingekagratais:lessdistraction,moreconcentration.Concentration happens when less is more. Think of these: less food, more

appetite; less garbage, more cleanliness; less noise, more clarity in hearing.Whilethediffusedlightofthesunisspreadoveralargespace,itcanbebroughtto a small point of focus through a lens. This focussed light can become apowerfulenergysource.Canyouimaginethepoweroflessasmore?Takethisexample: the weight of the internet that spans our entire world is less than alemon.The internet is storedanddeliveredusing540billion trillionelectrons.Thesebillionsuponbillionsofdata-in-motion, that ismovingelectronson theinternet,adduptoroughlyfiftygramsinweight.Thisislessthanhowmuchonehealthy lemon weighs. You can now see the possibility of concentration ofenergy inside a small volume of matter. How does Arjuna achieve thisconcentrationofenergy?Hedoesitwiththepoweroftheintellect.

INTELLECT:CATCHINGTHEBUTTERFLYMIND

Onanotherday,ArjunatellsKrishnainthemiddleofthebattlefield:Themindisrestless,OKrishna,turbulent,strongandunyielding.Itisasdifficulttocontrolthemindasitistocontrolthewind.

Thinkofabutterflyflittingfromoneflowertoanother.Howeasyisittocatcha butterfly with your hands? It is probably as difficult as grasping the wind.Krishnaagreesthatthisisdifficult.However,hesaysthatitisnotimpossible:WithoutdoubtArjuna,themindIsunsteadyandhardtoholdButpracticeanddispassioncanrestrainthemind.Krishnafirstdescribestheproblem:themindisunsteadyanddifficulttohold

still. Why is it so? The mind is nothing but the movement of thoughts. Themovementcanberestlessbecauseofagitationcausedbyemotions.Theflowingmindisstubbornbecauseitisattachedtoobjectsofthesenses.Finally,themindis unyielding because it wants tomove through familiar paths created by oldhabits. Having analysed the problem, Krishna also gives Arjuna the solution.The only way to hold themind still andmake it steady is through practisingconcentrationandinculcatingdispassiontowardsobstacles.Whatareobstacles?Anyobject,thoughtoremotionthatcomesinthewayofagoalisanobstacle.Agoodarchersees theobstacles;agreatarcherseesonly the target.HowdoesagreatarcherlikeArjunaseeatargetandnottheobstacles?Arjunaachievesthisbyconstantlyknockingonthedoorofhismindanddiscoveringhisintellect.Theintellectholdsthekeytoconcentration.Intellectisthathumanfacultywhichhelpsustothink;itisseparatefromthe

mind.Itislikeacricketumpireorfootballrefereewhoimplementstherulesofagame. The umpire cannot take sides in a game. He has to be dispassionatetowardstheemotionalappealsofrivalplayers.Theumpirehastointerveneandregulate the game. Therefore he has to be an objective witness. The intellectstands apart from the flowof thoughts in themind just as a traffic policemanstandsapartfromtheflowoftrafficandcontrolsthemovementofthevehicles.Arjuna’s intellect regulates his wandering mind and brings it to the point offocus.Theagitatedandscatteredmindispreoccupiedwithmemoriesofthepastand

anxietiesof the future.Arjuna’s intellecthelpshismind remain fullyoccupiedwithhittingtheeyeofthebirdwithoutanyotherpreoccupation.Amindwithoutacultivatedintellectspendsmostofitstimeswingingbetweenthepastandthefuture. It is the intellect that holds the mind to the present moment. A mindfocussedinthepresentmomentislikeabutterflythathasfoundthenectarinsidethe heart of a flower. Thoughts are like the rapid fluttering of thewings of abutterfly.When a butterfly sits still on a flower, its wings fall still. A steadyintellect discovers a stillness of energywithin it. It is this stillness that is thepointofpowerbehindheroicactions.

FORM,FOCUSANDFLOW:THETHREESECRETSOFARJUNA’SMIND

Heroescultivateameditativemind.Ameditativemindismorethanjustamindcapableofconcentration.Inaconcentratedmindourattentionislimitedbyourgoals or our targets for a certain period of time. Even an ordinary mind canconcentrateonapleasantobjectorexperience.Itissoeasytofreezeourglanceon a beautiful face or a sensational image for a considerable period of time.However,therealchallengeistobeabletoturnourattentionawayfromwhatispleasurableorpreyatothepreferable,thatisshreya.Arjunacaneasilypullhismindoutofthepleasingsurroundingsofthebeautifulforestandflowingrivertothepreferableworkathand,whichistoperceiveonlytheeyeofthebird.Thefirststageofcreatingameditativemindistoformthemind.Agoalgives

directiontoamind.Goalscreateboundariesforourattention.Ifthegoalistoeatamango,themindwillgointhedirectionofamango.Whileformingamind,attentionishandcuffedandchainedtoagoal.Thisiscalleddharanaorholdingthemindtoaform.Beforethemindachievesastateofdharana,theherohastogradually withdraw the mind from other forms. This state called pratyaharainvolveswithdrawingthesensesfromexternaldistractions.ArjunaachievesthismuchmoreeasilythanDuryodhanaorYudhishtira.LetusseehowArjunadoesbetterthantheotherprincesinforminghismind.

ThereareseveralmillionbitsandpiecesofinformationstreaminginandoutofArjuna’smentalspaceeveryminute.Themomentheformstheimageoftheeyeof the bird in hismental space,Arjuna re-creates the target in his ownmind.Howdoeshedothat?FromthevaststreamsofinformationArjunaselectsonlythosebitsandpiecesthatmakeuptheeyeofthebird.Thusheisabletoholdandfixhisattentiononthetarget.Inthesecondstage,Arjunahastomaintainunbrokenfocusonthebird’seye

for some period of time. The process of keeping the target in one’s unbrokenfocusiscalleddhyana.Whereasdharanawasaboutfixingattentiononanobject,dhyana is about sustaining attention. The difference between the two is thedifferencebetweendrippingoildropbydropfromabottletoapanandpouringoil inanunbrokenarc fromabottle toapan.Like the streamofoil, attentionmoves from themind to the target.This is the stagewhenArjunaconfirms toDronathathecannotseethetreeortheskyoranythingelseexcepttheeyeofthebird. At this stage Arjuna is using his intellect to overcome the mind’sdistractions and keep his physical andmental actions going in a set direction.Arjuna has learnt the technique ofmoving from concentration to consistency.This consistency of attention, like the smooth flowof oil, takesArjuna to the

stateofdhyana.Inthefinalstage,Arjunaforgetshimselfcompletely,likeapainterwhoislost

inhispainting.ThementalvibrationsofthearcherArjunaachieveunitywiththephysical vibrations of the target. This state of unity exists at the edge of thehuman mind. At this stage the boundary between the mind and the target isremoved.Themindbecomesthetarget,asitwere.Thisisthethirdstageofattentioncalledsamadhi.Samadhi occurs when concentration and consistency reach a deep state of

awareness. In the state of samadhi, the hero experiences the stillness of thepresentmoment,as ifdiving into thecalmdepthsofa turbulentsea.ThefearsandinhibitionsinArjuna’smindaregone.InthisflowstateArjunabecomesatruediscipleofhisenlightenedteacherDrona.ThestateofsamadhithatArjunaentersintocanbeexpressedinthesebeautifullines:Cometotheedgeofthemind,theteachersaid.Weareafraid,theysaid.Cometotheedge,theteachersaidagain.OnlyoneArjunacame.TheteacherpushedhimAndArjunaflew!

CONCENTRATIONTOAWARENESS:MEETINGREALITYWITHOUTRESISTANCE

Thehumanbodyisthefocalpointforhigherhumancapabilities.Thisbodyisastore house of powers, vibrations and energies that go beyond our physicalsenses.Thebodyisameetingpointofthephysicalandnon-physicaldimensionsofahumanbeing.Haveyoueverwonderedhowthisbodyconvertsafewgrainsofricethatgrowinthesoilintoblood,bones,brains,thoughtsandemotions?Concentration is the means through which a human being moves from the

physicaltohisnon-physicalcapabilities.Youcannotteachacowmathematicsora languagebecause thecowcannot concentrate longenough tounderstand theharmonyofabstractnumbersandwords.Ahumanbeingcanlearnmathematicsbecause thehuman intellect is able tohold still andconcentrate themind longenough. It is concentration thatmakes thedifferencebetweenanimal andmanand between an ordinary man and a heroic man. Concentration is that whichmagnifiesus.Wearemorethanjustabiologicalevent.Ourbodyisapulsationof energy that vibrates for a lifetime. Your heart beats 2.6 billion times in alifetimeof68years,withoutabreak!Isn’tthatamiracleinitself?Whenthereisa fatal heart attack, the pulsation simply stops. The heart stops beating as the

consciousenergythatrunstheheart leavesourbody.Haveyoueverwonderedhow the heart learnt to beat in the first place? Every heartbeat of ours is asignatureofthenon-physicalconsciousenergythatweactuallyare.Wegrowfromthebaseofconsciousenergyasatreegrowsfromthesoil.A

treeisnothingmorethananindividualizedformofuniversalenergy.Whenyouthinkofatree,thinkoftheroots,thedeepsoil,therainthatnourishesthesoil,thesunshinethatkeepsthetreealive,thecloudsthatbringtherainthatnourishesthe soil and the tree. You would realize that a single tree germinates andterminatesintheinfinitecycleofNature.Youcanseeonetreecomingoutofaseed.Butthinkofthetrilliontreesthancanemergefromjustoneseed,whichispart of the boundless cycle of life.Can yourmind grasp or your eyes see theinfinite conscious energy that a seed is? A small seed is nothing but theconcentratedlifecycleofawholeforest.Theforestisinvisiblewithintheseed.Similarly,thehigherpowersofhumannatureareconcentratedwithinthehumanbodyininvisibleform.When our concentration deepens,we unlock the power of awareness. From

dharanatodhyanatosamadhiisthejourneyfromconcentrationtoawareness.Inthestateofpureawareness,thehumanmindcrossesthemanybarriersbetweenthehumanbodyand its larger reality. If the seedhad thegift of awareness, itwouldgobeyondthebarrierofitsshell.Theseedwouldgoontodiscoverthatitis actually a forest in seed form. Concentration is a relationship with theparticularobjectorgoal,andawarenessisarelationshipwiththewholeoflife.Whenhisconcentrationdeepensintothestateofsamadhi,Arjunabecomestrulyaware.

Amasterarcherdoesnotseetheobstaclesinthewayofhittingtheeyeofthebird,he seeswithclarity thegoalbeyond theobstacles.Arjunacannotexpandhis biceps beyond a finite material limit. But he can expand his awarenessinfinitely.Heroestakeonchallengesandsolvepersistentproblemsbyincreasingtheirawareness.WhenArjunabecomesawarethatthepowersthatresidewithinhim aremuch greater than the challenges in front of him, he can take on anychallenge.Thinkofaproblem,anyproblem,asapinchofsalt.Ifyouputthatpinchof

salt ina spoonfulofwater, thewaterwill tastevery salty.Now ifyouput thesamepinchofsaltintoacupofwater,thewaterwillbealittlelesssalty.Finally,if you put the same pinch of salt in a lake full of water, the salt will almostvanish.Whentheconsciousenergythatyouareexpandstobecomelikeavastlakeofwater,yourproblemswillmostcertainlygoaway.Youwillhavegreatercapabilitytocopewithyourproblems.Thishumancapability,calledawareness,isabletoseetherealitybeyondthebarriers:

ManyprinceswerelockedupInaprisoninwhichtheywereboththejailorsandthejailed.Whilealltheprincessawthebarriersofprisonbars!OnlyArjunalookedbeyondandsawthetwinklingstars!

CHAPTER4

LOVE:DESIREANDDETACHMENT

ChitrangadaspoketoherloverArjuna:‘Donotputmeaboveyouonapedestalasadeitytobeworshipped.Donot

leavemebehindwithcallousindifference.Ifyoutrulyloveme,Arjuna,keepmebyyoursideasyouwalkthepathofdangeranddaring.Ifyouallowmetosharethegreatdharmaofyourlife,thenyouwilltrulyknowtheheartofawoman.’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 hadpromised her father that he would not take her or her son away from theirhomeland in Manipur, he took leave of Chitrangada, Babruvahana andChitrangada’sfatherandsetoutagainonhistravels.Onhisjourney,Arjunarememberedhowhehadoncewonthehandandheart

ofDraupadiinaswayamvarainanotherland:KingDrupada’sdaughterhad cast a spell onallwhohad come towinher

hand in marriage. Her celestial beauty was already the stuff of folklore. Herlargelotuseyescouldcaptivategodsandmenalike.Hercomplexionwasdusky,herhairdark-blueandwavy;hernails,shininglikecopper,werecarvedliketheshell of a tortoise. She moved with the elegance of a swan. Draupadi wascarryingagoldenplatewithawhitegarlandonitmeantfortheherowhowouldmarryher.Beautyisanintoxicatingflamethatmesmerizesboththeholderaswellasthe

beholder.ThekingswhohadgatheredtherefromalloverBharatavarshacouldhardly

take their eyesoff her. Someone said thatherwaistwasas slenderasapalmtree.Theymutteredinmuffledvoicesaboutthecurlofherlipsandtheswirlofher hips. One could almost hear a collective groan as she walked past theassembled crowd. Their eyeswere riveted to the rising and falling arc of herbosom as she moved up on the stage set for her. Her body had the sweetfragranceofabluelotusthatspreadlikeforestfire.Oneglancefromherwasall

ittooktosetheartsaflame.Draupadi swept her eyes over her suitors. Duryodhana appeared to be

thrilled as though hewas the oneDraupadiwas looking for.Each of the fivePandavabrotherswhohadcome to the swayamvara in theguiseofBrahminswassmittenbyhercharms.DraupadiwasalsoknownasPanchali.SomecalledherKrishnabecauseof

her dusky complexion. Her father Drupada had put up a dazzling display ofwealth on this special day. Flowers and perfumes adorned the arms andshoulders of the warriors. Beautiful serving women with glittering jewels onsmeared sandalwood paste on the foreheads of the visitors.Musicians playedhaunting ragas. The hall was decorated with curtains studded with preciousjewels.TheeyesofthecompetitorswerefeastingonKingDrupada’streasures.Yet who did not know that the real treasure draped in the finest silk wasDraupadiherself. Itwasdifficult tomissherquiet intelligenceand thehintoffireinhereyes.FirewasindeedDraupadi’ssecondnature.Shehadlivedwithanunquenchablethirstburninginherallherlife.NooneexceptKrishnaknewthatthisfireinherwouldbringaboutthedownfalloftheKauravasoneday.Dhrishtadyumna announced toDraupadi the names of themany kingswho

hadgatheredthere.Hisvoicewasliketherumblingoflowthundercloudsasheannounced the contest: ‘Look, there is themetal fish device rotating from theceiling.Here is thebowandhereare fivearrows.Youhave tohit themovingtargetupthereandmakeitfallthroughtheholethatyousee.Youcannotlookatthetargetdirectly.Hewhohitsthatfishtargetbylookingatitsreflectioninthepoolofoilbelowwillwinthehandofmysister.’Thiswasasgreatachallengeasonecouldimagine.Onebyoneall thekings tried their luck in stringing the specialbowcalled

Kindhura. It had strings made of steel. King Shishupala, the mighty King ofChedi,wasable tobend thebowbut thestringsnappedandhe fell.Thekingswatchingthisexpressedfakesympathy.Then,KingJarasandhawasflungononesidebyhisfailedeffort.Duryodhanafellonhiskneesandanotherkingfellflatonhisnose.Therewas laughterandmuffledanguishallaround.Drona’s sonwas determined to see nothing else but the eyes of the fish, but at the crucialmomentallhecouldvisualizewereDraupadi’seyes.Hisarrowtoomissedthemark and what came down was not the fish but a few feathers from hismisdirected arrow. After that it was Karna’s turn. He strung the bow witheffortless ease and bent down to shoot the target. It was then that Draupadispokefirmlyandclearly,withatouchofpride,‘Wait!Icannotmarrythisman,Karna.Heisthesonofalow-borncharioteer.’Karna stood stunned, insulted and shocked, his vision blurring. In that

moment,heheardhisheartbreak.Itwasthesoftestofsounds,likethefallingofaflowerfromatree.Thecrowdbroke intomurmurs. IfKarnacouldnotdo this,whoelsecould,

theyaskedeachother.ItwasnowArjuna’s turn toapproach thegreatbow.He stoodup from the

Brahmins’gallery.SincenooneknewthatArjunawasdisguisedasaBrahmin,they speculated: How could a poor Brahmin compete with Kshatriyas forDraupadi’shand?Arjunawastrulythecentreofthespectaclewithhishairtiedinatopknotlike

aBrahmin.UnconcernedaboutthenoisearoundhimhewentaroundKindhura,his eyes bright and unblinking. He prostrated himself before the magnificentbow.With a smile on his lips he strung the bow with his own hands. Beforeanyone could realise what was happening, Arjuna had taken aim and hadbroughtthemetalfishdown.Draupadi walked breathlessly towards Arjuna and with her heart nearly

missingabeat,placedthejasminegarlandaroundhisneck.The Brahmins swarmed like summer bees towards Arjuna who was still in

disguise.Therewasconfusion in theairaboutwho thishandsomeyoungmanwas. The kingsmurmured about the disgrace they faced as noKshatriya hadbeen good enough to win Draupadi’s hand in marriage. How could that be?CouldaBrahmin even compete in the swayamvara, theyhissed in frustration.Then,a fightbrokeout.Krishna tried to interveneandpacify theangrykings.Bhima and Arjuna fought their adversaries with great power. It was achallenging escape for the Pandavas amidst battle cries and the flashing ofswords.Arjuna,clutchingDraupadi’stremblingarmsslippedoutofDrupada’spalacewithhisfourbrothers.Astheyrodebacktothepotter’shouse,Draupadilookedatherhusband’sarmsandthebattlescarsonthem.‘AreyouthelegendaryArjuna?’sheasked.Arjunasimplysmiled.ThePandavas,followedbyDraupadi,reachedthehouseofthepotterwhere

their Mother Kunti was eagerly waiting for them to come back after seekingbhiksha,asBrahminsaremeant todo.Kuntiwas inside thehouseand so shecouldnotseethemcoming.‘Ma,wehavebroughtyoualms,’theysaid,halfinjest.Kuntiwasusedtotheirbringingalmsmostlyintheformoffoodandsoshesaidasusual,‘Allfiveofyoupleaseshareamongyourselveswhateveryouhavegottoday.’Following this,whenKunti cameout she saw the lovelyDraupadi standing

beside Arjuna. Lifting Draupadi’s face by her chin Kunti looked at heradmiringly.ShethenturnedtoYudhishtiraandsaid,‘OhmyGod!WhathaveIsaid?HaveIspokenalieinmylife?Howcanallfiveofyoushareonewoman

aswife?’Yudhishtira consoledhismotherby saying, ‘Donotworrymother, Iwill sort this out.’ Turning towards Arjuna, Yudhishtira said, ‘You have wonDraupadi’shandanditisbutproperthatyoualoneshouldmarryher.’Arjunawassilentforawhileashehadnothingmuchtosay.DraupadilookedatArjunainexpectation.ArjunafinallyspokeouttoYudhishtira,‘Youaretheeldestofmybrothers. According to dharma I cannot marry before my elders like you orBhima.’ Arjuna was caught in a dilemma. He could not falsify his mother’swords, nor could he violate dharma. He had to rise above his longing forDraupaditoservethehigherlawsoflife.Howeverpainful,ArjunahadtoacceptthatDraupadiwouldnotbeexclusivelyhis.Yudhishtirawasthoughtfulforafewmoments. Then he said, ‘Mother has said that we should all shareDraupadi.Whatcanbemoresacredthanthewordsofamother?Arjuna,weall love thewomanwhoseheartyouhavewon.LetusallmarryDraupadi.Thematterisnowsettled.’Draupadi was silent as she was too dazed by the day’s happenings. She

glancedwistfullyatArjuna.ShewasthinkingifArjunawouldturnaroundtoseethe deep longing in her eyes for him. There was a vacant, faraway look onArjuna’sface.Itwasdifficulttosaywhatwasgoingoninhismind.

KAMA:DESIREMAKESEVENTHEGODSHUMAN

Draupadihadyet anothername,Yagnaseni, as shewasbornof a sacrificialfire.Likearagingfirethatisnotsatisfiedwithallthesacrificialwoodandgheeoffered to it, Draupadi’s beauty left all the kings who sought her withuncontrollabledesire.Whoever lookedatDraupadiwasstungbythearrowsofKama, the deity of desire. Kama is the principle of sexual desire that moveseverylivingbeinginouruniverse.Kamahasmanynames.Thefirstoftheseisabhirupa,thatwhichisbeautiful.BeautyenchantsthesenseswithitssymmetryandharmonyjustasDraupadi’sbeautifulformcaptivatedthekings.ThesecondnameforKamaisdarpakaorinflamer.Desireinflamedwithprideandpassionthe hearts of thosewhowere possessed byDraupadi.Kama is also known asgridhuorlustfulandmara,thedeluderordestroyer.Desireisasunpredictableasthewind.Itisdifficulttosaywhendesirearises

and when it subsides. That is why Kama is depicted as one without a body.There is a fascinating story in theMatsyaPurana abouthowKamastrunghisbowandstruckShivaonhischestwithaflower-tippedarrow:The arrowofKamapierced the heart of Shiva.He instantly felt desire rise

deepwithinhim.However,inamoment,hehadregainedcontroloverhismind,

and desire was overcome by anger. Enraged, Shiva opened his third eye andglancedatKama.Suchwas thepowerofhisgaze that theGodofDesirewasinstantly reduced toashes.NewsofKama’sdeath soon reachedhiswifeRati.SherushedtoShivaandfellathisfeet.Withtearsinhereyes,shesaid,‘Whatwillbecomeofmenow?Ihavelostmyhusband,moreprecioustomethanlifeitself.Whydon’tyoukillmetoo?’Bynow,Shiva’sangerhadcooleddown.Helifted the curse, saying, ‘Don’t lose heart, your husband is not really dead. Ihavesimplyburnthisphysicalbody,ofwhichhewasveryproud.Fromthisdayon,heshallliveasabodylessspirit.Rati,youashisdevotedwifeshallbeabletoexperiencehisphysicalform.Toeveryoneelseonearth,Kamashallremaininvisible.’From thatdayonwardsKama is said tostrikeat theheartsofgodsandmenalikeasadisembodiedspiritandfillsthemwiththefragranceofdesire.Desireworks like amagicpotion. It ignites theheart anddazzles themind.

The invisible force of desire can transform a body of flesh and blood into agoldenhazeofdreams.Draupadievokesdesireinthemindsandheartsofthosewhowanther.Itisnotasthoughthesemenfallinlovewithher,theyjustfallinlovewith theirowndesire thatherpresenceevokes.They simplyproject theirdesireontoherphysicalappearance.Desireismadeupoftwoelements:shakti,the divine energy that is coiled up in the human body andmaya, themagicalveilingpowerofdesirethatcharmsanddeludes.

Thetreeofdesirehasitsrootsinshaktiandtheeverchangingleavesandflowersof this tree are theprojectionsofmaya.The leaves and flowers comeandgo,changingwith time and the passing of seasons. The force of desire cannot bestoppedbysuppression.Youcancutalltheleavesandflowersofatreeyetyoucannotpreventthespringofdesirefromgrowingthembackagain.Theinvisiblerootof the treeof desire—thedivinepower thatmakes amanor awoman sodesirable, has to be acknowledged and understood with humility. The secretpowerofshaktianditsmanyhiddenformshavetobeharnessedwithsensitivity.

Arjunalearnsthesecretofharnessingdesireashegrowsinhisrelationships.

SMALLWORK,GREATLOVE:THESECRETOFHARNESSINGDESIRES

Desireisagiftthatexistencebestowsuponahumanbeing.Onlyahumanmindpossesses such subtle capacity to desire. A buffalo has no desire to visit aswayamvara. An animal cannot concentrate long enough to desire somethingbeyond the basic instincts of food, safety and mating. If one examines theanatomy of human desire one will find that desire starts with the narrowingdownofconcentrationupontheobjectofdesire.Onlyahumanbeingiscapableof such focussed and persistent attention. Repeated focus on what we desirebringsaboutaflowofenergybetweenthesubjectandtheobjectofdesire.ManywarriorslikeArjunaarevisitedbydesire.Yet,aheroisabletoachieve

thedesiredgoal,unlikeamillionothers.Thehero’ssecretisIcchaShakti.Themasculineprinciple‘Iccha’isthefocussedwill.Patienceandperseverance,thefeminineprinciple,is‘Shakti’.Arjuna’swillwasfocussedonhittingtheeyeofthefish.HedidnotkeepvisualizingthebeautifuleyesofDraupadiwhilehewasdirectinghiswillpoweronthetarget.Thekingswhofailedtohitthetargetdidnothave the femininevirtueofpatience to sustain theirwillpowerona singlepointoffocus.Drona’sson,whowasoneofthecontenders,knewthistrick,yethe could not help but think ofDraupadi’s eyes even as hewas looking at thetarget.Heroes understand that the fulfilment of desire lies in themeeting point of

masculinewill and femininepatience.Thismeetingofwill andpatience takesplaceatourdeepestsource.Oursourceisdeeperthanourphysicalbodyorourthoughts. Our human source is the life energy that creates our body andilluminatesourmind.ThemostpreciousresourcesofNature,whetheritisoilor

water or coal are buried deep within the earth. Similarly, the most precioushuman resources of focussedwill and fortitude, patience andperseverance arehidden deep within the source of our human life. It takes a deep diver likeArjunatogotothebottomoftheoceanoflifeandbringbackthosepearlstotheshoreofhumanachievement.Fulfilling a desire is therefore anything but an ordinary task. Arjuna is

successfulbecauseheknowsaprecioussecretofhumannature.Arjuna’smantraoffulfilmentofdesiresissimplythis:smallworkwithgreatlove.Smallworkisabout narrowing down attention to the object of desire. Small work is aboutfocussing the mind towards a goal and away from goal-irrelevant activities.Greatloveisaboutwaitingforourdeepesthumansourcetoworkoutourdesirestowards fulfilment. Smallwork is like a concentrated seed.Great love is soil,sunshine, water and air which the seed needs to fulfil its potential. Have youworkedhardenoughwhenyouplantedtheseedsofyourdesire?Now,getoutofthewayandletthegreatloveofNaturedotherest!

DESIREANDTHEDESIRABLE

Arjuna falls in love with several beautiful women, Ulupi, Chitrangada andSubhadra.CelestialwomenlikeUrvashifellforhimasamothfallsforaflame.Yet, Arjuna is careful not to violate the law of dharma even when desireoverwhelmshim.Urvashi,thealluringApsaraofIndra’scourt,wassmittenwithdesireforthe

darkandmanlyArjuna.Shespentarestlessnighttossingandturningonherbedwith her mind fixed on Arjuna. On a moonlit night she got up from bed andwalked towards Arjuna’s mansion. Her unbound hair caressed her shoulderslike dark playful clouds flirting with the moon. Her skin, like molten gold,glowedwithdropsofsweat.Whensheenteredthedoorwayofthemansionshe

lookedatArjuna.Then,smilingseductivelyandwithpleadingeyesUrvashisaid,‘TodayinIndra’scourtIsawyouglancingatme.Ihaveneverseenamanlikeyou.Iamburningwithdesireforyou.Dotakeme,Arjuna.’Arjuna was clearly embarrassed. He closed his ears with his hands and

lookingdownsaid,‘Pleasedonotletmehearthosewords.Ididlookatyouinthecourtofmyfatherbutnotwiththeeyesoflust.Ihadheardalotaboutyourromancewithmyancestor,thegreatPururava.Ilookeduponyouasamother.YouaremorebeautifulthanIhadeverimagined.But,youareamothertomeandmydharmawillnotallowmetothinkofyouotherwise.’Urvashishotback,‘We Apsaras are forever young and ageless. The rules that bind ordinarymortals do not apply to us. It is a man’s obligation to satisfy a woman whodesireshim.Donot refuseme,Arjuna.’Yet,Arjunawouldnotbudge fromhisdecision. Urvashi’s lips curled in anger and her eyes became blood red. ShehurledacurseatArjuna.‘Youhaverefusedmylove,nowacceptmycurse.Youwill lose that manliness you are so proud of. You will become a laughableeunuchdancingfortheamusementofwomen.’Dejectedbytheexperienceofthatnight,ArjunawenttohisfriendChitrasena

whoconsoledhim:‘Arjuna,youhaveachievedwhatgreatmunisandrishishavenotbeenabletodo.NotevengodscouldresistUrvashiasyoudid.IwillpleadwithUrvashitoreduceyourcursetojustoneyear.Thiscursewillserveyouasagreatbooninthethirteenthyearofyourexile.’Arjunahasmasteryoverhisdesire.Heknowshowtosurrenderhisdesireat

thefeetofthedesirable.Thiswayaherocanbreakthelimitingpowerofhumandesire and acquire super human strength. When sexual desire cannot becontainedwithintheboundsofmarriage,ithastobekeptwithintheconfinesofconscious control and proper social conduct. This is the law of dharma. Byexercisingself-controlandkeepingdharmaasameasureofwhatisdesirableandwhatisnot,Arjunawinsthebattlewithhimself.

KAMAANDSAHADHARMA:THELAWOFUNITYOFDESIRES

Arjuna’s romantic adventures always remains within the bounds of dharma.When King Virata proposes to marry his daughter Uttara to Arjuna forprotectinghiskingdom,Arjunarefusestoaccepttheproposal.IntheguiseoftheeunuchBrihannala,ArjunahadtaughtUttarathefineartofdance.Arjunaknowsthat it is a violation of dharma for a teacher to have a romantic interest in astudent.HeasksforUttara’shandsforhissonAbhimanyuinstead.Arjuna courted Subhadra with great perseverance. He eloped with her on

Krishna’sadviceandeventuallymarriedheronthebasisofdharma.Hewentonaself-imposedexileforaccidentallyinterruptingtheprivacyofYudhishtiraandDraupadiwhentheyweretogetherasmanandwife.Arjunaunderstoodloveasadynamicbalanceofdesireanddetachment.Desirewasthepathofhisoutgoingenergy or pravritti; detachment was the path of inner purification or nivrritti.Whendesireanddetachmentwereindynamicbalance,Arjunaexperiencedtruelove.Heroeshonourthewomenintheirlives.ArjunaobeyedKunti’swordswithout

questionevenwhenshemistakenlyaskedallfivebrotherstoshareDraupadiastheirwife.InthedaysofMahabharatathestatusofateacherwasgreaterthantenscholars;higherthantenteacherswasthestatusofafather.Butamother’sstatuswashigherthanthatofafather.Therewasnoguruwhowasconsideredgreaterthan the mother. It was believed that Gods resided wherever the mother washonoured.Arjunalivedthedharmaofhisage.DraupadiwasnotjustanobjectofdesireforArjunaandhisbrothers.Shewas

theunitingprinciplethatkeptthePandavastogether.InDraupadi’slifetimethePandavaswereneverseparatedfromoneanother.Awifeisoftenreferredtoassahadharmini.Marriageisnothingbutsahadharmaortheshareddharmaofmanandwoman. In shared dharmabothman andwoman share their enjoyment assambhoga.Theexperienceof sambhoga isnot justof thebodybutalsoof themind.Amanandawomanoccupyandshareeachother’sminds.Theybecomeonemindandoneheart.Ahero’sjourneyisnevercompleteuntilheachievesunityoftheheadandthe

heart.Arjunadiscovered that thedistancebetween thehead and theheartwasgreater than the distance between the earth and the moon. He felt a debt ofgratitudetotheextraordinarywomenlikeDraupadi,Subhadra,ChitrangadaandUllupiwhogracedhis life.He rememberedhow they taughthim tomarryhisintellectwithhisheart.Arjunawasbornamanlywarrior; thewomenhelovedandlivedwithmadehimacompleteman.

CHAPTER5

THEPOWEROFCOMMITMENT

Ononeoccasionduring thePandavas’twelveyearsinexile,ArjunadecidedtogototheHimalayasonaquestforknowledge.HewishedtopraytotheDevas.Hebelieved that theDevasknewall the secret lawsofmatterandmind.Theyalso had the knowledge of theworld’smost powerful weapons. Arjunawas acommittedlearnerandhungryfornewknowledge.Hecouldeasilygiveupfoodandsleepandthecosycomfortsofmarriedlifefortheausterityofapilgrimagein themountains ifsuchadesirestruckhim.Arjuna took leaveofhisbrothersandwent to bid farewell toDraupadi. She said, ‘My Arjuna, the honour andhappiness of the Pandavas rests on you. May your commitment to being aninvinciblewarriorbear fruit.Mayyou succeed in yourmissionofgettingnewweapons.May theDevasgive youall thatMotherKunti hadprayed forwhenyouwereborn.’Draupadi’squiveringvoicebetrayedthehurtthatshehadfeltwhenKunti’swordshadalienatedArjunafromher.Lostinhisthoughts,Arjunamadehiswaythroughthickforestsandreached

themountaincalledIndrakila.Oneday,hemetanoldBrahminmonk.ThemonklookedatArjunaandspoketohimverygently,asthoughtheyhadknowneachotherforalongtime:‘IcanseethatyouarecladlikeaKshatriyaandyouhavewith you some strange weapons. What is a warrior like you doing in themountains?Therearecavesandquietplacesofmeditationformonkswhohaveconquered anger and passion.’ Without losing his focus Arjuna said, ‘I seekarmsthatwillmakemeinvincible.PleaseblessmesothatIcanacquirethoserarestofrareweaponsinthisdevabhumi,thehomeoftheDevas.’TheBrahminthen said, ‘Dhananjaya, what is the point of asking the Devas for weapons?InsteadwhynotaskfortheusualpleasuresoflifeorseektheenjoymentofthegoodthingsthattheDevasgetinthehigherrealmsofheaven?’Arjunashookhisheadandpolitelyrefusedtoacceptthemonk’soffer.Hehad

committedtoacquirethegreatestweaponsavailabletomankind.Theoldmonkwas impressed.He then revealed his true identity to Arjuna. ‘I am Indra,’ he

said.HewasindeedtheKingofDevatasandthecelestialfatherofArjuna.IndrahadcometoseekthepleasureofmeetinghisownsoninIndrakila.Arjunawasoverwhelmedbyastrangefeelingforhiscelestialfatherashebowedbeforethethousand-eyedIndra.Foreveryson,his father is the firsthero.Arjunafelt thesameforIndra.IndrawasverypleasedwithArjuna’ssingularcommitment.Hecounselled, ‘If youareblessedby thevisionof the three-eyedLordShiva,youwill receive a divine weapon. Do your penance before Shiva.’ Then, like apassingdream,Indradisappeared.Arjunawentfurtherupthemountainandlivedanausterelife.Hesurvivedon

thefruitsandleavesoftrees.HefastedoftenandprayedhartoobtainthegraceofShiva.MovedbyArjuna’sdevotion,theLordofLordsShivaappeared,intheguiseofahunter,withhiswifeUma.TheLordwasinhotpursuitofgameintheformofaboar.Thebeast started charging towardArjunawho shotanarrowfromGandiva into itsbody.Almostat the samemomentShivaput theboar tosleepwithashaftfromhisbow,Pinaka.Arjuna’spridewashurt.Theunknownhunter thenmadea suddenappearancewith hiswife.Arjuna screamedat thehunter, ‘Who are you?How dare you aim at the game I was shooting?’ Thehunter curled his lips in contempt and replied, ‘This forest is full of wildanimals.Wewholiveintheforesthavetherighttoourgame.Whoareyou,ifImayask,totrespasshere?Yourbodydoesnotseemtoughenoughtomakeyouahunter. If you have the guts, fight it outwithme. Thewinner claims the deadboar.’ThechallengemadeArjuna’sheartpoundquicker.Hisbloodbegan toboil.

He took aim with Gandiva and hurled an array of snake-like arrows in thedirectionofthehunter.TohisamazementArjunasawthatthearrowsseemedtohave no effect on the stranger. They fell back like storm-tossed rain from thepeakof amountain.Whenhis arrowswereall goneArjuna tried to strike thehunterwithhisbow.ButthehuntersnatchedArjuna’sbowawaywitheaseandburst intoa rippleof laughter that echoed in thedistanthills.Arjuna realizedthat thiswasnoordinaryhunter.Hedrew the lastweaponhehad,his sword.Eventheswordwasbrokentopiecesasitmadecontactwiththehunter’srock-likeframe.Leftwithnootherammunition,Arjunawrestledwiththehunterwithhis bare hands. The hunter so overpowered Arjunawith his iron grip that hegasped helplessly for every breath. It was then that the light of recognitiondawned on Arjuna. He realized who the hunter was. He remembered Indra’swords.HeknewthiswasthepenancethatShivawasmakinghimgothrough.Hefell at Shiva’s feet. In a voice mixed with admiration and repentance Arjunasaid,‘Forgiveme,myLord.Ididnotknowwhoyouwere.’ShivasmiledandreassuredArjuna, ‘Inotonly forgiveyou, Igiveyouback

yourGandiva.Inrecognitionofyourvalourandyourcommitmenttobenothingbut thebest, Iherebybestowonyoumymarvellousweapon,Pasupata.This isanirresistibleweaponandthemostdestructivepersonalweaponthatIpossess.Pasupata can be discharged by the mind, the eyes, words, or even a bow.Arjuna, take care that thisweapon is never usedagainst lesser enemies or bylesser warriors. You must use it with utmost caution. Pasupata is capable ofdestroyingallcreationandannihilatingallspecies.’Sayingthis,Shivavanishedfromsight.Arjuna’s eyes became misty. Deep gratitude welled up in him. As if by a

magicaltouchhisbatteredandbruisedbodywasrestoredtoperfecthealth.Hefelt lighter and a hundred-fold stronger than before. It seemed to him thatShiva’s voicewaswhispering to him from the distance: ‘Climb farther up themountainandpayyourrespectstoyourfather,Indra.’Arjunacouldnotbelievehissenses.DidIreallyreceivethehealingtouchofShiva?DidIreallymeettheLordhimself in face-to-face combat?How lucky I am!Hewasovercomewithjoy.His heartwas full of surrender to the grace of Shiva.His commitment tohavenothingbutthebestweaponintheworldhadbeengloriouslyrewarded.

COMMITMENTISLIKEAMENTALMUSCLE

Thehero’srealworkbeginsthemomenthecommitstosomethinggreaterthanhis present reality. Commitment is like a mental muscle. The more the heroexercises thismentalmuscle, themorehegrows in tenacity.Arjuna’s life is acarnival of many temptations. His youthful and handsome body is ready toembrace many sensual pleasures. Brave warriors bow before him. Beautifulwomenswoononhim.Hisfameenvelopshimlikeacoolandsoothingbreezethat announces the onset of the rain. Yet, Arjuna decides to sacrifice allenjoyment in the present to gain power for the distant future. He grows bydelayinggratification.

To live with the pain of the present in order to achieve a gain in the futurerequires heroic commitment. Arjuna’s commitment is to get the best of theastras, such as the famed Pasupata from the Devas. The Devas live intreacherousmountainsanddenseandunwelcomeforests.Inordertoreachthem,thehumanbodyhastogiveupmanytemptationsandendureseveralhardships.Manyhave thephysical capacity to endurehardship.Yet, thosevery fewwhobecome heroes have the mental commitment to sacrifice the desires of thepresentforadesirablefuture.Therefore the Devas make sure that only the most committed of men and

womenreachthem.Theytesttheirheroesbeforetheybestowtheboonsthatonlytheycangive.TheDevasareNature’ssublimecreativepowersandhavegreatervisionthanordinaryhumans.Thatiswhytheyaresaidtohavemanyeyes.Manyeyes symbolize greater vision. Vision reveals to the Devas the secret laws ofNature.Visionbringsknowledge.Knowledgebringspower.ThemostpowerfulastrasoftheworldarenothingbutacreationofthevisionoftheDevas.Whenhuman beings want to be blessed by the Devas’ vision, they must go on amission like Arjuna. Such missions open the doors of human perception.Missionleadstovision.Amissionisadeepcommitmenttoacausegreaterthanoneself. Commitment ismentalmuscle power.Arjuna’s commitment to attaininvinciblepowermakeshimovercomethe temptationsof thegoodlifeofferedbyIndra.

COMMITMENTISTHEENERGYTHATIGNITESACTION

WhenchallengedbyShiva in thedisguiseofahunter,Arjuna isquick to takeaction. In unequal combat with the all-powerful Lord, Arjuna stretches everymuscle.Whenhisarrows runout,heconfrontsShiva inhand-to-handcombat.Defiantinhisloss,ArjunaisalsovaliantinhisdefeatatthehandsofShiva.Thehumanbody-mindcomplexisanorganizationofenergies.Onthesurface,

theenergyappearsdense likeourphysicalbody.Aswegodeeper, theenergybecomes finerandmoresubtle.Commitment isadeepsourceofenergy.Onlywhen a hero acts out of deep commitment do theGods come forward to helphim. Commitment cuts through the defences that our human nature puts upbeforewecanreachourdivinepotential.Ahumanbeingisawebofintimateenergysystemsorganizedinahierarchy

ofincreasingsubtlety.Nervousenergyisfinerthanphysicalenergy.Ifthereisanervousbreakdown,therewillbeaphysicalbreakdown.Mentalenergyismoresubtlethannervousenergy.Ifthemindisnotclear,thenervesbecomeagitated

andjittery.Commitment comes from a crystal clear mind. This kind of mind helps

prioritise action choices. To commit to one goal is to give up onmany othergoals.Inaworldofplentifulchoices,commitmenttoasingulargoalisthemostdifficult thing topractice.Arjunaputsallhiseffort into thepursuitofa singlegoal:togettheastrasthatwillmakehiminvincible.Whenhumaneffortreachesitspeak,thehumanenergysystembecomesreadytoreceivethegraceofdivineenergy.ArjunagetsthePasupataonlyafterhestretcheshisenergiescompletely.Arjuna’sbody-minditselfbecomesamatureinstrumentthatisreadytoreceiveandusethePasupata.

ARJUNAHASSOMETHINGTODIEFOR

Aherocannotbecomegreatunlesshehassomethingtodiefor.Arjunadiscoversextraordinary powers within himself when he stakes his whole life forsomething.Whenhehassomethingtodiefor,hiswholelifeenergycomestoafocal point.At this point, themost extraordinary things begin to happen. Themoment Arjuna commits himself to avenging his son Abhimanyu’s death, hemoves thewheels of fate in his direction. The Battle of Kurukshetra changesdirectioninfavourofthePandavasfromthisonecommitmentofArjuna.Arjunais at the centre of unforeseen events; he has meetings with the Devas andreceivesdivineassistancefromKrishna.Thesethings,whichhecouldnotevenhavedreamtof,pavehiswaytosuccess.OnthethirteenthdayintheBattleofKurukshetra,Arjunaaskedhisbrothers,‘WhereisAbhimanyu?’YudhishtirapulledinArjunaclosetohischestas thesoundofweepingmen

andwomenfilledtheair.Arjuna then learnt that the chakravyuha, the death trap of battle formation

that Dronacharya had laid to capture Abhimanyu, had achieved its purpose.Yudhishtirarecalledstone-facedwhatAbhimanyuhadsaidbeforeentering the

chakra.Hehadsaidthatheknewthesecretofbreakingintotheenemychakra,but he did not knowhow to get out.Drona’s strategyof keepingKrishnaandArjuna occupied elsewhere in battle ensured thatAbhimanyuwas unprotectedand helpless. AsAbhimanyuwent inside the chakra, Jayadhrathamoved in toclosethecircleandpreventedthePandavabrothersfromenteringthechakratohelpAbhimanyu.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. ThatBrahmin fox Dronacharya, his own guru had plotted his son’s death. Sevenseasoned warriors attacked the disarmed Abhimanyu like a pack of wolves.Karna killedAbhimanyu’shorsesand then shot himon theback.ThenDronasprayed him with arrows. When his arrows were broken, a blood-soakedAbhimanyufoughtbackbypickingupachariotwheel.Thatsweetboyofsixteenwasdrivenintothejawsofuglymonsters.Finally,Dushasana’ssonsmashedhishead and clubbed him to death. Yudhishtira could hear Abhimanyu’s cry andwashelplessasJayadhrathakeptthePandavasatbay.AsAbhimanyulaydying,JayadhrathakickedhisshatteredheadandboastedabouthowhewasabletogetArjuna’ssonkilled.ThiswasaturningpointinArjuna’slife.Untilthen,hehadbeenreluctantto

fighthisownteachers,BhishmaandDrona,outofgratitude.ButAbhimanyu’smurderchangedalltheequationsofthebattle.Drona,oncehisreveredteacher,wasnowhisswornenemy.ItwasaKshatriya’sdharmatoavengethedeathofasonwhohadbeenkilledinsuchanadharmicway.‘How could you let my son die like that?’ a grief-stricken Arjuna asked

Yudhishtira. His lips quivered in unspeakable anguish. The eldest of thebrothers,struckbyguiltandsorrow,hadnoanswer. Itwas thenthatArjuna’sjawsbecamehardassteel.Hiseyeswerecoldanddistantasthoughhehadlosthiswilltolive.Aragingvoiceburstoutfromthisthroat:‘IwillkillJayadhratha,thekillerofmyson,beforethesunsetstomorrow.Orelse,Iwillendmylifebywalkingintothefire.’Thereweremurmursofdisapproval from thePandavasasArjunamadehis

life-or-death commitment to avengeAbhimanyu. They knew that theKauravaswould now guard Jayadhratha like a well-kept secret. They feared there wasevery possibility that Arjunawould have towalk into the fire as a jackal-likeJayadhratha could easily hide himself until sunset. ‘Take your vow back,Arjuna,’theysaid.‘WehavelostourdearAbhimanyuandnowwecannotaffordtoloseyou.’Arjunaroselikeamountain,steadfastinhiscommitment.ApallofsilencedescendedlikeacurtainonthefacesofeveryonewatchingArjuna.Hisbrothers looked towards Krishna to dissuade him. But Krishna surprised

everyoneashesaid, ‘As longashis friendKrishna lives,Arjunawillnotwalkintothefire.’Thenextmorning,DronacharyadevisedanewchakratodefendJayadhratha

fromthewrathoftheavengingArjuna.Bhima,SatyakiandArjunatorethroughthe Kaurava army. Arjuna cut through the many lines of defence put up byDronacharya. The Kaurava armywas scattered and severely wounded by theferocity of the attack. Yet, Jayadhratha was nowhere in sight. Arjuna’s eyeslookeduptothesky.Thesunseemedtobemovingwestwardwiththespeedofan arrow. All around, red dust rose from the hooves of speeding horses.Arjuna’shorseswerehurtandexhaustedas thedayalmostworeout.Krishnacaressed themandhad themdrinksomewater.Evenas theysnaked theirwayforward, Arjuna and Krishna could barely see Jayadhratha’s battle banner.There were thousands of men from the Kaurava army who were protectingJayadhrathawiththeirspearsandshields.ItseemednearlyimpossibletocatchaproperglimpseofJayadhratha.Duryodhanaeggedonhisarmy,‘Holdonmymen, the sun will set soon and we will all see Arjuna burn.’ Indeed, the sunstartedtogodownthewesternhorizon.Atthatdramaticmoment,withthesunnearlysetandcolumnsofwarriorsstill

betweenArjunaandJayadhratha,KrishnawhisperedtoArjuna:‘Now,getreadywithShiva’sgift toyou,thePashupata!Stringit toyourbow.’Silently,Arjunadidas hewas told.All of a sudden thedarkness of a solar eclipse fell on thebattlefield. TheKauravaarmyhowled in joy.Duryodhanaannounced that thesun had set and that Jayadhratha could not be killed anymore. The walls ofspears and shields protecting Jayadhratha came down. Jayadhratha’striumphantlaughterrippledacrossthebattlefield.ThatwasenoughofaclueforArjuna. He could measure his target without seeing it, just by just the soundmadebythetarget.HisfocussedmindlocatedJayadhratha’spresencefromthesound of his laughter. As if by amagical wave of the hand, Krishna broughtback the setting sun to linger on and blaze away in dazzling light. Arjuna’sfingers released the Pashupata, which severed Jayadhratha’s head from hisbody. Jayadhratha’s head flew past the orange orb of the sun. Krishna hadfinally saved the day for Arjuna. With his Sudarshan Chakra, Krishna hadhiddenthesunfromsight,suchthat itappearedasthoughnighthadfallen.Atthat opportune moment, Arjuna fulfilled his commitment, before Drona couldcomplaintoKrishnaaboutthetrickthatwasplayed.The Kauravas had first violated the code of ethics by killing an unarmed

Abhimanyu. The rules of combat had been broken byArjuna’s enemies in thefirstplace.Fromnowon,forArjunaandthePandavas,rulesnolongerappliedin the battle. Krishna’s will prevailed over Nature.When a man commits his

wholelife toagoal, thedivinetakesovertoenablewhateverthehumanbeingaspirestoachieve.

IFSUCCESSISTHEFRUIT,COMMITMENTISTHEROOT

Thereisadifferencebetweenapassinginterestanddeepcommitment.Whatevercatchesourfancyforsometimecanbecomeanobjectofinterest.Mereinterestisgeneratedbysensoryenergy:thoseflickeringsensationsthatweexperienceaspleasure. When one is interested, one pursues the object of interest when itpleasesus.But,whenone iscommitted,onegoesbeyondpainandpleasure inpursuit of results. Success comes from results and not from interests andintentions.Commitment is like therootsofa tree.Thedeeper therootsofcommitment

themorelikelyitisforthetreetobearthefruitsofsuccess.ThinkofArjunaasthetreeofaheroiclife.Hismanyachievementsonandoffthebattlefieldaretheresultofhisundyingcommitmenttoapurpose.Thisenableshimtoliveouthisfullpotential.Arjuna’srealcommitmentthenistothedivinepotentialwithinhimself.Heis

Indra’s son.WhenArjuna reaches his pure potential, aworld of opportunitiesopensupbeforehim.Theenvironmentaroundhimvibrateswiththeintensityofhis emotions–his anger,his anguishandhis aspirations.WhenArjuna standsfirmly for something, everythingaroundhimseems to fall inplace.Somecallthisluck;somesayitisdivineintervention.Ultimately,fortunefavoursthemanofaction.Arjuna’sdecisiontowalkintofireintheeventualityofnotavenginghisson’s

deathbeforesunsetwouldappeartobeanoddandinsanedecision.Eventherestof the Pandavas seemed to think it was a promise that was destined to fail.Everyone knew that Jayadhratha was well-protected by the Kauravas. Thedividing line between insanity and commitment is very thin. When Arjunamakesapromise,howeverinsaneitmayseem,hekeepsit.Whenhesetsagoal,heachievesitandwhenhemakesacommitment,eventhegodshonourit.Inahero’s journey,acommitment is thebridgebetween thehero’smission

and his current reality.No hero is powerful enough to fulfil amission single-handedly.Ahero is anordinarymortal.Hehashuman flaws.Yet hedoeshisbestandsurrenderstothedivinetodotherest.Ahero’ssurrendertoasuperiorwisdom transformshisweakness into invinciblepower.WhenArjuna is foundwanting,Krishnacoversupforhim.Krishnahidesthesuninsuchawaythathechangesdayintonightandnightintoday.

For Arjuna, Krishna is much more than a friend. Krishna is the divinepotentialwithinhisownself.Likemanyheroesbeforehim,commitment takesArjunatotheverydepthsofhishumanpotential.Indoingso,Arjunarediscovershisfire.Onlythistime,theignitioncomesfromhisinspiredheart.Aherowhocommitshislifefullyinhisowntime,becomesaninspirationforalltimes!

CHAPTER6

YOGAINACTION

Duryodhana turned out to be a land grabber. He refused to give up even aneedle-pointoflandthathehadstolenfromthePandavas.Krishna’sattemptsatmediationdidnotworkout.Duryodhanawouldnotyieldwithoutafight.Soon, thescenewasset for theBattleofKurukshetra tobegin.Krishnawas

thefocalpointofattentionasheandhisarmycouldtiltthebalanceofforcesineitherdirection.DuryodhanacametoKrishna’shomeinDwarka,whileKrishnawas in deep sleep. Duryodhana entered Krishna’s bedroom and occupied achair close to his head.A couple ofminutes later, Arjuna came in and sat atKrishna’sfeet.Arjunawasalearner.Foralearneritisnecessarytobehumble.SoArjuna sat at the feet of the onewho had thewisdom. The rivalwarriors,Arjuna and Duryodhana, were waiting for Krishna to wake up. Arjuna waswatchingKrishna’sfacepatientlysothathecouldgreethim.Duryodhanawasimpatient;hewanted togetonwith thebusinessofwarbyenlistingKrishna’ssupport.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, hemust remember I entered the room first.He’d betterremember!Arjunatohimself(inareflectivemood):Krishnalookssopeaceful.Ihopewe

donotdisturbhissleep.Krishnaeventuallyopenedhiseyes.Hislongeyelashestwitchedandhisgaze

firstfellonArjunasittingathisfeet.AsmilespreadoverKrishna’sfacelikeafreshnewdawn.Arjunabowedhishead, foldedhispalmsandbentdown to touchKrishna’s

feet.HefeltgratefulthatKrishnaandhehadmetafteralongtime.Duryodhanawasillatease.HehadwantedtobethefirsttograbKrishna’s

attention.Hethereforefakedamuffledcough,lettingKrishnaknowthathewasalso there to stake his claim for Krishna’s support. His brows wrinkled in

anxietyashesawArjunadrawingclosertoKrishna.Krishna(stilllookingatArjuna):There,myArjuna,whatajoyisittoseeyou.

PleasetellmehowIcanhelp?Duryodhana(shufflinghisfeetandcoughinglouder):Krishna,Iwasthefirst

tocomeheretomeetyou.IcamebeforeArjuna.Howcomehegetstospeakhismindfirst?Youhavetobefair.Pleasegivemethefirsthearing.Arjunasimplysmiled,sensingDuryodhana’srestlessness,andheloweredhis

eyestogazeatKrishna’sfeet.Krishna(smilingfromeartoear):ItmaybetrueDuryodhanathatyoucame

beforeArjuna.Yet,itisalsotruethatmyeyesfellonArjunafirstbecausehewassittingatmyfeet.Duryodhana(mumblesinprotest):But,but,firstcomeisfirstserved…Krishna(withadisarmingsmile):Duryodhana, letusnotstarta fighthere.

We can resolve the matter very peacefully. Besides, Arjuna is your youngerbrother.Whydon’tyougivehimachancetospeakfirst?Duryodhana was not happy at all. He smiled reluctantly as he waited for

Arjunatospeak.HewasaworriedmanbecausehisuncleShakunihadbriefedhim about the importance of Krishna’s support in the ensuing battle. HewonderedifArjunawouldwalkawaywithKrishna’spowerfularmy.Arjuna(lookingadoringlyatKrishna):DearKrishna,Iwantyoubymyside

inthebattle.Duryodhana (looking menacingly at Arjuna, jumped in even before Arjuna

could finish his sentence): Krishna! Even I was about to ask for the same.ArjunaisgettinghiswishandIwillbeleftwithnothing.Krishna(withaglitterinhismysteriouseyes):Icanseethatbothofyouneed

myhelp. I am related toboth theKauravasand thePandavas. I am thereforeduty-bound to help both of you. Let us resolve the problem this way: I havedecidednottofightinthisbattle.Ishallbeononeside,andmyentirearmywillbe on the other side. Now you decide whether you want me or my warriors.Arjunayougofirst!Duryodhana (biting his nails) kept thinking thatKrishnawas being partial.

He was sure Arjuna would ask for Krishna’s powerful and well-trainedwarriors.Arjuna(hisheart leaping in joy):Krishna, ifyouare there,whoneedsyour

army?Iwouldlikeyoutobebymyside.DuryodhananowthoughtthatArjunahadmadeafoolofhimself.Howcould

Krishnawhowasunabletofightbeofhelp?Hethought:ImustclinchthisdealbeforethismindlessArjunadecidestochangehismind.ThenturningtoKrishnahe said:Are you sure youwill not lift yourarmsand fight? Iwould certainly

settleforyourarmythen.Krishna:Duryodhana, a promise oncemadewill not be broken.Well then,

youtakemyentirearmy,andArjunawillhavemebyhisside.Arjuna(bowingingratitude):Thankyou,Krishna.YouareallthatIwanted.Duryodhana:Iamglad,Krishna,thatIhaveyourarmy.LetArjunahaveyour

advice. But please do not forget your promise. Keep your word, won’t you,Krishna?PleasemakesurethatnotasinglesoldierfromyourarmygoestofightforArjuna.Krishna:Duryodhana,restassuredIshallnotfight.Ishallonlygivewhatever

assistanceArjunaasks for.Arjuna, thenwhydon’t I become your charioteer?ThatwayIwon’thavetofight.Arjuna:Krishna,sinceyouhavedecidedtohelp,pleasebemycharioteer.Krishna: Tathasthu, rest assured. I will be your charioteer, your sarathi,

Arjuna.Butremember,Ishallnotfight.

ACTIVITYISNOTACTION

DuryodhanaandArjunapresent twocontrastingpictureswhen theyarebeforeKrishna. While Duryodhana is engaged in restless activity, Arjuna practisesconscious action. The hidden energy behind activity is a turbulent mind.Duryodhana’s mind is in turmoil with thoughts of competitive rivalry. He isbitten by the stings of jealousy as he seesArjuna approachKrishna ahead ofhim. He is unable to relax. His mind cooks up conspiracy theories involvingKrishnaandArjuna.Duryodhana’suncleShakunihadintroducedthepoisonofintrigueinhismind.Duryodhana’smindisnowacocktailofnegativeemotions.Heperceiveshissituationdifferentlyfromwhatitactuallyis.Hemakesatopsy-turvychoiceinlettinggoofKrishnaandacceptinghisarmyinstead.Activity is a mechanical process. There is no consciousness involved in

activity. Imaginea toy-makerwhohasmadea toyhorse thatstarts tomoveassoonas abutton ispressed.The toyhorsedoesnotmovemindfully, itmovesmechanically. The toy horse is not conscious of its activity. Duryodhana issomewhat like the toyhorse that simplymovesat thepressofapsychologicalbutton.Acurrentofjealousyrunsthroughhim.Afloodofemotionsweepsasidehisreason.It isasthoughDuryodhanaisheldhostagebyhisownrestlessness.He is incapable of meaningful action. He expresses this restlessness with hisshufflingfeet,fakecoughingandbarelyconcealedanxiety.Arjuna,ontheotherhandisfarmorerelaxedinthecompanyofKrishna.His

mind is like a placid pool of water that reflects the reality of his situation

accurately.Think of an image of themoon reflected on the surface of a calmpoolofwater.Themoonwillbevisibleclearlyandwithoutdistortion.FromthisrelaxedstateArjunaappraiseshissituationclearly.HemakestherightchoicebyaskingKrishnatobebyhisside.Inanyactivity,themindisatworkindependentofthesituation.Ifyoupress

thebuttonofatoyhorse,itwillwalk,irrespectiveofwhetheritiswalkingintoafire or walking into water. In conscious action, the body and the mind actaccordingtothedemandsofthesituation.Whensomeoneengagesinconsciousaction, he develops situational intelligence. See howArjuna positions himselfconsciouslyatthefeetofKrishna.HethusplaceshimselfintherightsituationtomakeeyecontactwithKrishnawhenheawakensfromsleep.Duryodhanaissofullofhimselfandhisworriesthathebecomesblindtothesituation.Whenconsciousness isbrought toactivity,oneunderstands themeaningless

natureofmanyofone’smindlessmotions.Forinstancewhenonemovesone’sfeetrestlesslywhilereadingabook,oneisengagedinmindlessmotion.Movingone’stoeshasnothingtodowithreadingthebook.Themovementofthetoesisa meaningless activity. When one becomes conscious of such meaninglessmovements, they stop by themselves. This prevents vital energy from beingwasted.Realactionfollowsfromconsciousunderstandingoftheenergybehindtheaction.Arjuna’s action of choosing Krishna over his army proves to be the most

decisive factor in theBattleofKurukshetra.Krishna is thecreativepowerandhisarmyishiscreation.Thecreativepowerisalwaysgreaterthanthecreation.Thecreatorofatoyhorseisgreaterthanthetoy.Krishnaaloneisgreaterthanhis 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 asingleactionisfarsuperiortoameaninglessquantityofmanyrandomactions.Thinkofbuttoningashirt.Youcanperformtheactivityoffillingthebuttonholewith as many buttons as you want. However, if the first button is wronglyfastened,theentirealignmentofbuttonswillgowrong.Therefore,onehastobealertandconsciousofhowonebuttonsup.ArjunagetsthefirstbuttonrightbychoosingKrishna.Itisaconsciousaction.Duryodhanahasonlymanagedtogeta largearmythatcanengage inactivity.Under thewrong leader theyarenowlikemisalignedbuttonsandtheyprovetobeworthlesswithouttheleadershipofKrishna.

ARJUNATHEWARRIORBECOMESARJUNATHEWORRIER

Arjunaasks:Krishna,ifyousaythatknowledgeissuperiortoaction,WhythendoyouadvisemetoengageinsuchterribleactionintheBattleof

Kurukshetra?Arjunathinksknowledgeandactionaretwodifferentpaths.Heisnotableto

reconcilealifeofcontemplativeknowledgewiththepathofterribleactionthatthewarwiththeKauravasdemands.Arjunaisconfusedabouthowenlightenedknowledgecanleadtowaranddestruction.Arjunaisawarriorbynature.Itisnaturalforawarriortotakequickactionon

the battlefield. Yet, for once, suspended in the middle of a battle, Arjuna isunabletolifthisbowandarrow.ThewarriorbecomestheworrierashesaystoKrishna:Mymindisinawhirlseeingmyownkinfacingdeathatmyhands.Mymouthisdrywithfear.Allmylimbsareshaking.Mybowkeepsslippingthroughmyhands.Myskinburns,mybrainreelsandIamnotabletostandonmyfeet.Arjunaisfightingabattlewithinhisownmind.Heisemotionallyattachedto

his larger family. Family is something we are familiar with. When we areattachedtoafamily,wearesimplyattachedtofamiliarthoughtsandemotions.ThisattachmentofArjunaiscominginthewayofhisattainingtrueknowledge.ArjunaseeksclarityfromKrishnainhisconfusion:Tellme,Krishna,onethingforcertain:knowledgeoraction.Icanfollowonly

onepath.Krishnarisestothechallengeasheresponds: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 samegoal:yogaorunitywithyourpurepotential.Krishna does his best to clear Arjuna’s doubts and put his worries to rest.

Imagine twomountain climberswho decide to reach the peak. They take twodifferentroutestothemountain:oneofknowledgeandanotherofaction.Iftheknowledgeoftheoneispureandtheactionoftheotherisselfless,theywillbothreachthesamepeak.Thispeakiscalledthestateofyoga.Amountainpeakhasno length, no breadth and no dimension. It is a dimensionless pointwhere alldimensionsmerge.

ARJUNA’SINACTIONISALSOACTIONKrishnatellsArjunathathisindecisionandinactionintheBattleofKurukshetraisofnouse.Hesays:Bynotperformingworkyouwillneverfindthefreedomofyoga,Arjuna,Bygivingupactionnooneattainshispurepotential.Arjunahasanillusionthatyogaisaboutsittingquietlywitheyesclosedand

doingnothing.Krishnasaysthisisnotyogabutfoolishness.Noonecanactuallypreventactionbysimplyrestrainingtheorgans.Onecansitquietlyinaroombutone’smind can still be noisy and activewith thoughts. Thewhole ofNature,includinghumannature,isnothingbutconstantmovementandaction.Ourheartcontinuestobeatinaspecificrhythm,planetsmoveintheirorbits—allofNatureparticipatesinthegrandsymphonyofceaselessaction.So,Krishnasays:Noonecanrestevenforaninstantwithoutaction.ForoneisalwaysmadetoactbytheforcebornofNature.In short,Krishna says inaction isnothingbut an illusion.Arjuna’s so-called

inactioninrefusingtofightisnothingbutnegativeaction.It isnegativeactionagainstthedharmaofawarriorwhosedutyitistoactinabattlefield.Arjuna’sindecisionisalsoadecisiontodonothing.IfArjunathinksthatheisdoingyogabydoingnothing,heisengaginginhypocrisy.Krishnasays:Justrestrainingtheorgansofactionyetthinkingofsenseobjects,Isnothingmorethanpretence,Arjuna.Krishna’ssolutionforArjunaistotakethefirststepofmovingfrominaction

toaction:PerformyourobligatoryactionArjuna,foractionissuperiortoinaction.Eventhebaremaintenanceofthebodywillnotbepossibleifyouareinactive.Even on the path of knowledge one needs to sustain the body through

nutritionandexercise.Byenergeticandcheerfulperformanceofone’sdutyonecanserveoneselfandtheworldbetter.Onecangraduallyreachthehighestpeakofworkthroughselflessaction.Thispeakstateofkarmayogaoryoga-in-actioniswhereKrishnaleadsArjuna.

YOGAINACTION

Whenworkbecomesworship,itistransformedintoworkship:Work+Worship=WorkshipKrishnasharesthesecretofattainingthehighestpeakofactionwithArjuna.

When someone begins to work with deep attention and love, work becomesmoreandmoreengaging.Itistheattentionwegiveitthatmakesworkengaging.Doingworkthatwelovetodonevertiresus.Agreatfootballerrarelygetstiredof playing football, a greatwriter is hardly ever tired ofwriting, and a lovingmother isneverfullyexhaustedwhile lookingafterherchild.The loveforourworkmakesoureffortseemeffortless.Loveexpandshumancapacitytoenableittoworktowardsitsfullpotential.The state of reaching our full potentialwhilewework iswhatwe can call

karmayogaoryoga-in-action.Inthisstate,themindentersaflowstate.Inthisstate, action becomes effortless.Therefore, Krishna says that energetic selflessworkgives us a glimpse intowhowe truly are—ourultimate potential. In thestateofeffortlessaction,westillworkveryhard,yetwedonotfeelthedrudgeryas our innermost being transcends our physical nature, and we reclaim theexperienceofthehighestspiritualdimensionthatiswithinus.Imagine the experience of a gardener who after a season of back-breaking

workseesthefirstflowerbloominspring.Thegardenerexperiencesdelightasheobserves theflower.Thegardenerhasdonesincereworkso that theflowercouldbloom.Yetthegardenerhasnotreallygrowntheflower—theflowerhasgrownby itself, effortlessly,with the comingof spring.With the effort of hisbody and mind, the gardener has merely created the right conditions for theflower tobloom.Theflowering isaresultofhappeningandnotdoing.This ishowselflesseffortandeffortlessnessworktogether.Althoughthegardenermaythinkthathisefforthasgrowntheflower,inrealitytheflowergrowsbyitsownnature.KrishnashareswithArjunatheinformationthateffortismadeeffortlessbythelawofNature:Allactions,Arjuna,areperformedbyPrakriti,themodesofNature.Theignorant,deludedbytheego,think,‘Iamthedoer.’KrishnahelpsArjuna discover the effortless principle ofPrakriti thatworks

spontaneously throughuswhenweareengaged in selflessaction. It isnot theaction itselfbut the spiritbehind theaction thatmakes theactioneffortless.Acrankyoldmachinecannotachievefrictionlessmovementuntilitisgreasedandoiled properly. The grease and oil of the spirit within our cranky body-mindmakestheactionseemsmoothandeffortless.Karmayogaorthespirit-in-actionsimplymeansworkthatislinkedwiththe

transcendentalspiritthatflowsthroughus.Whenwedoourworkinthespiritofworship, the quality of thework is transformed.Even ordinarywork becomesextraordinarywhenitreceivesthekissofthespirit.Throughworkwereachourpurepotential.Atthemountainpeakofourpotentialthetwopathsofknowledgeandactionbecomeone.

‘WhathappenswhenIperformyogainaction?’asksArjunaofKrishna.Krishnarepliesthatwhileyouareinthestateofyoga-in-action,yougainthe

highest knowledge. This is the knowledge of who you really are. Highestknowledgeandselflessactionmergeatthepeakofpurepotentiality.AtthepeakArjuna,youwillbecomelikeaseed.Theseediswhereboththe

knowledgeofthetreeoflifeandtheactiveforceformanifestingthatknowledgearepresent.Theseedistheultimatefusionofknowledgeandaction.Fromthisseedanythingispossible:oneseedcanbecomeawholeforest.YouwillbecomeinvincibleArjuna,whenyoulearnthisdeepsecretofyogainaction.

CHAPTER7

DISCOVERINGDEVOTION

Arjuna had never felt his heart ache like this before. These moments wouldforeverbeetchedinhismind.Eklavya,dressedinleopardskin,stoodbeforeamudstatueofDrona.Heheld

abowandanarrowwithfowlfeathersstucktoit.Thesewerethekindofarrowsthat Nishadas, the tribals living in the forest used, to hunt down their prey,Arjuna thought. Eklavya had done the seemingly impossible. He had seenYudhishtira’sdogbarking ferociouslyathim in themiddleof the forestwherethePandavashadgoneonapicnic.Eklavyahadletloosesevenarrowsfromhisbowthatlockedthedog’smouthintheshapeofamuzzle.Hediditsoskilfullythat thearrowshadsimply immobilised the jawsof thedogwithouthurting it.EvenArjuna,Bharatavarsha’smostpromisingarcher,couldnotaccomplishthisextraordinaryfeat.WhenDrona came to seewhatwas happening, the boy in the leopard skin

rushedtotouchhisfeet.Dronasteppedbackandasked,‘Whoareyou?’With a sparkle in his eyes, the boy told his tale: ‘I amEklavya, son of the

Nishadachief,Hiranyadhanus.SometimeagoIhadcometoyouwithadreaminmyeyes.Iwantedyoutoteachme.YoutoldmethatIwouldnotbewelcomethereasIwasnotaKshatriya.Youhadsaid that theyoungprinceswhowereyourstudentswouldmakemylifemiserableforIwasdifferentfromthem.YouhadalsosaidthatyouhadpromisedtomakeArjunathebestarcherintheworldandIwouldbeanunwantedcompetitor.YourfinalbitofadvicetomewasthatIcouldlearnalotaboutarcherybymyself.’ArjunastoodmotionlessandDrona’spiercing eyes softened a little. Eklavyawiped a teardropwith the back of hishandashecontinuedhisstory.‘Even though you did not accept me as your disciple, I decided to devote

myself to you,by thinkingof youasmyguru. I left yourashram thatdayandcame back to the forest. I crafted an effigy of yours with straw and clay. Iworshipped your image every morning with flowers, fruits and leaves. I

meditatedonyourformintheevening.Inbetween,Ipractisedarcheryuntilmyfingersweresore.’Arjuna had just witnessed perfect devotion and discipleship. Without any

coachingandwithoutlearningthesacredscriptures,aboyfromtheforesthadmasteredtheartofarchery.ArjunalookedatEklavyawithbothadmirationandanxiety.EklavyacrouchedatDrona’sfeet.HishumilitytouchedArjuna.Dronalifted

himupwithbothhishands.ToArjuna,Drona’sfaceappearedtobesurprisinglystern.Heasked,‘Areyoureallydevotedtome?’ThismadeEklavyacryagain.Henoddedhisheadsaying,‘Yes!’Drona spoke, his voice barely concealing his excitement, ‘If you consider

yourselfmydisciple,thenIshouldaskformytuitionfee,mygurudakshina,fromyou!’Eklavya’seyeslitupagainashethoughtDronahadfinallyacceptedhimas

hisdisciple.Itwas then thatArjunaheard themost cruelwords that he had ever heard

spoken:‘Thengivemeyourthumb,theoneonyourrighthand.’The moment stood still for Arjuna. He saw Eklavya, the Nishada outcaste,

takeoutacrescent-shapedarrow fromhisquiverand ina flash, chopoff thisright thumb. The severed thumb fell at the feet of Drona and then a gush ofbloodoozedoutofthehand.ArjunaturnedhisfaceawayashecouldnotbeartolookatEklavyaanymore.HeknewthatEklavyawouldneverbehisrivaleveragain.WithnotraceofpainonhisfaceandhiseyessoftashelookedupatDrona,

Eklavya said, ‘To theworld Imay be just another disciple among yourmanydisciples,butintheheartofEklavya,you,Dronacharya,weremywholeworld.’

DEVOTIONISCHOICELESSLOVE

Arjunalearnthisfirstlessonsindevotion(bhakti)fromthesupremesacrificeofEklavya. Bhakti is that thin line between dedication and madness. Eklavya’ssacrificeofhisrightthumbisanactofapparentinsanity.Withthis,heloseshisprowesswith the bow and arrow for ever. But, Eklavya didn’t care about hisfuturesuccessorfailure.Adevoteewhoisabhaktadoesnotsavehisbodyfortomorrow.Helivesalifeofpassionateintensity,committinghimselffullytothepresent.Arjuna learnt that devotion is much greater than belief in someone or

something. Belief is an intellectual thing. You may choose to believe or notbelieve in someone. But devotion is about choiceless love. It is about lovewithout any strings attached to it. Believers look for evidence to justify theirbelief.Iftheydonotfindevidence,believersoftenchangetheirbeliefs.Eklavyadoes not change his guru because he is rejected by him. Instead, he creates areplicaofDronaanddedicateshisself-taught lessonsinarcherytohisguru.AbhaktalikeEklavyamakesnochoices.Heisalreadytheonechosenbyfatetobehisownguru.Thebhaktasimplydissolveshisegointhepoolofunconditionallove that he experiences in his own heart.Many years later Krishna instructsArjunaonhowaninspireddevoteeworks:Arjuna,atruedevoteeworksindependentlyoftheworldoutside.He draws his inspiration, equanimity and ecstasy from the source within

himself.Inthedepthofdevotionabhaktaexperiencesrealhumility.LikeEklavya,he

begins to glimpse aworld greater than his personal success and ambition.Hefindsapurposegreaterthanaself-seekinggoal.Heishumbledbytheenormityoflifethatheseeswithinhimself.Thegreatestbhaktagivesuphisegoandcallsforthalifethatistimeless.ArjunaknewthatattheverymomentEklavyacutoffhisthumbtoofferitas

gurudakshina, he had achieved immortality. He knew thatwheneverArjuna’sgreat exploits in archery were remembered, Eklavya’s sacrifice would berecalledwithaweandreverence.

DECODINGDEVOTION

HereiswhatKrishnadisclosestoArjunaasthesecretofdevotion:Fixyourmindonmeonly.Placeyourintellectinme.Then,youshallliveinmealone.Krishna knows that it is difficult forArjuna to be devoted to something as

abstract as truth or love. Arjuna is a Kshatriya warrior by temperament. Hismind isveryoften rooted in thephysicalworldof action.Arjuna iswherehismindis.Ifhismindiscaughtinthewhirlpoolofwishingandwilling,ofdesireand doubt, it cannot devote itself to the highest formless truth. Grasping theformless requires very fine discrimination and detachment. Krishna prescribessomethingsimplertoArjuna.Heshowshimthepathofdevotionanddedication:Listen,Kunti’sson:Allthatyoudo,allthatyoueat,allthatyouofferandgive

away,aswellasallausteritiesthatyoumayperform,doitasactsofdevotionto

Me.Completedevotion tohis form, asKrishna suggests, eventually leads to the

awareness of formless truths. Then Krishna recounts the following story toArjuna:Aministeroncewenttohisspiritualmentorseekingadviceonhowtoimprove

hisrelationshipwithhisboss, theKing.Theministerwasdevoted to theKing.But the King was always suspicious of his motives. He was worried that theministerwasplottingtooverthrowhim.Theminister foundtheKingadifficultmantogetalongwith.Theminister’smentoradvisedhim,‘Forthefirstfifteendays,simplylistento

everywordthatyourKingsays.Listenveryattentivelyandbecarefulnottomissasingleword!’Theministerdiligentlyfollowedthementor’sinstructionsandcamebackafter

acoupleofweeksreportingaslightimprovementintherelationship,‘TheKingseemsalittlemorerelaxedwhenhetalkstome.’‘Now,’saidhismentor,‘forthenextfifteendays,listentoeverythingthatyour

kinghasleftunsaid,betweenwords.’The minister devoted the next fifteen days to listen to the unexpressed

emotionsoftheKing.HeunderstoodtheunspokenintentionsbehindtheKing’sactions. Twoweeks later, theminister came to thank hismentor for the deepunderstandingthathadnowdevelopedbetweenhimandhisKing.Hesaid,‘IammoredevotedtotheKingandhenowtrustsmealotmore.’Just as words and silence together create understanding, the form and the

formlesstogethercreatethefabricoftruth.KrishnaisinvitingArjunatofixhismind on the truth that Krishna embodies in his physical form. Ordinarily,Arjuna’smindisfixedonhislikesanddislikes.Whateverhelikesengageshimandwhateverhedislikes repelshim.Devotion includesboth likesanddislikesandgoesbeyondboth.ThereforeKrishnasaysthatArjunahastolifthismind,whichfluctuatesbetweenitslikesanddislikes.HeurgesArjunatoliftthemindtoahigherpoint.ThishigherpointiswherethephysicalformofKrishnamergeswithKrishna’s formlessessence. Imagineacubeof icemelting intoaglassofwater. The form of ice dissolves in water leaving behind a cooling effect.Devotionisthatcoolingeffectthatiscausedbythemergingoftheformwiththeformless.How can Arjuna control his fluctuating mind, caught between likes and

dislikes?Krishnasuggests thathecandosobystandingapartfromthemind’smovements, like a traffic policeman stands apart from the flow of traffic.Devotionisaboutthisstandingapartfromordisidentificationwiththetrafficofthought and emotion, and identifying with the power of the Sovereign Self.

Krishna is the representativeof theSovereignSelf,which is forever free.ThisSovereign Self is our deepest source. The traffic of cars is controlled by thetraffic policeman and thepoliceman is controlledby themagistrate.Similarly,thetrafficoflikesanddislikesiscontrolledbyourinternalpolicemancalledtheintellect.TheintellectinturniscontrolledbytheSovereignSelf.Touseanotherexample, the Sovereign Self is like uninterrupted power supply (UPS); theintellect is thesoftwareandthemindis thehardware.Thesoftwaredirects thehardwareonlywhentheUPSofdevotiontotheSovereignSelfisactivated.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 ofyourmindand intellect tome.’ Inessence,Arjuna isadvised to riseabove thelikesanddislikesofhispersonal selfandconnect indevotionand love to thatimpersonalSovereignSelfthatisKrishna.Krishna,astheSovereignSelf,isthepilot who can steer Arjuna’s mind and intellect in the right direction. WhenArjunaisabletoestablishtrustinKrishna,hismindwillnotbehijackedbythedistractions of the world of likes and dislikes. This state of mind is clearlydescribedbyKrishnatoArjuna:He by whom the world is not agitated and who cannot be agitated by the

world.Hewhoisfreefromlikesanddislikes,envy,fearandanxiety.Heistheonethathastrulylearnttheartandpracticeofdevotion.

THEARTANDPRACTICEOFDEVOTION

KrishnadescribestoArjunathreestepstobecomeatruedevotee:First, surrender to the highest intelligence that controls yourmind and your

intellect. Second, dedicate all that you do to the intelligence that governs theuniverse and keeps evenmighty planets spinning in their orbits. Finally, trustthismighty intelligence to guide yourmind and intellect in themost effectiveandefficientway.Devotionisthemeansandloveisthehighestgoalofdevotedwork.Whatever

orwhoeverwecompletelydevoteourselves to, fullyoccupiesus.EklavyawasfullofDrona,ArjunawasfullofKrishna,Duryodhanawasfullofhisscheminguncle Shakuni. If we devote ourselves to ignorance, then we grow in ourignorance; ifwedevoteourselves to thatwhichwe like,we simplyperpetuateour desires for our likes; if we devote ourselves to the higher intelligence oflove,beyondlikesanddislikes,webegintoembodythatlove.

Theultimateevolutionofaheroisexpressedinareturntotheprincipleoflovethat keeps him and his people together. The Pandavaswere dedicated to eachotherandworkedtowardsacommongoallikethefivefingersofahand.ArjunawasfightingtomakeYudhishtirathekingandnottograbthethroneforhimself.ThekeynoteofArjuna’sdevotionwasalwaysthis:todedicatehisbesteffortstosomethingotherthanhimself.KrishnadefinestheworkofanidealdevoteeforArjuna:Onewhogoesbeyondcensureandpraise,whoissilentandsteady-mindedin

hisdevotion—thatmanisdeartome.Aherowhohasoneeyeonpraiseandanothereyeonblameiscertainlynot

attentivetotheworkathand.Theheroasadevoteebaseshisdecisionsonwhatshouldbedoneratherthanwhathelikestodo.Thedevotionistotheprocessofwork rather than to pleasure-seeking or pain-avoiding behaviour.Krishna tellsArjuna,‘Donotdevoteyourattentiontotheurgesofyourego,insteadworkforthe simple truth that your work plays only a small part in achieving a result.Results come from multiple factors that include a larger intelligence beyondyourcomprehension.Youractions,Arjuna, are likea little ripple in theampleoceanofcause-and-effect.Whenyourenounceanyreactiontocensureorpraisefromtheoutsideworld,youwillacquireasilenceandsteadinessofdevotiontoyourwork.Thatiswhenyouwillcomeclosetome.Thatiswhenyouwouldbedeartome.’ThusKrishnaassuresArjunathatwhenaherorisesaboveblameorpraiseforwork,heevolvestohishighestnatureandhisdeepestpotential.Atthis

stagehisdevotedworktrulybecomesworship.Thepracticeofdevotion isnotaboutemotionalexcess. It isaboutdropping

the emotional baggage of themind tomove towards a singularity of purpose.Devotionleadstothediscoveryofthecreativesourceinourheart.Devotionisabouteducatingthebody,mindandthesensestoconnecttothedivinethathidesinsidethehuman.KrishnaclearlydefinesthestepsforArjunatobecomeagreatdevotee:

1. Thedevoteeseeshimselfasaninstrumentratherthanasadoerofactions.Headoptstheattitudeof,‘IworkwiththeknowledgeandthepoweroftheSovereign Self that is the primary doer.’He thus travels on the path ofaction without the excess baggage of ego and anxiety that comes fromperformancepressure.

2. Whenadevoteeperformsanactionwithafeelingof loveandreverencefor the Sovereign Self, he brings greater energy to his action than if heweretodothesamemechanically.Meaningfulactionismoreenergisingthanmechanicalaction.

3. The devotee practises giving up the obsession of gaining a particularresult.Whenhisheart is full, his personalwants reduce innumber.Thedevotee thengains the knowledge that there aremanydifferentways ofachievingaresult.‘Mywayorthehighway’maynotalwaysbethebestway.

NIMITTA:THEDEVOTEEASANINSTRUMENTOFTHEDIVINE

KrishnawhispersthisunforgettablemantraintheearsofArjuna:Nimitta-matrambhavasavya-sacinArjuna,justbeaninstrumentinthehandsofthedivine!Thisistheultimatesummitofdevotion.Thedevoteebecomesaninstrument

fortheexpressionofdivineenergy.KrishnaisaskingArjunatobelikeahollowbamboo flute throughwhich the songofdivine inspirationwillbeplayed.Forthis,Arjunaneedstobefullyinthepresent.Tobefullyinthepresent,Arjuna’smindhastostoposcillatingbetweentheburdenofthepastandanxietiesofthefuture.Suchaminddoesnotalternatebetweenlikesanddislikes.WhenArjunais alive to divine inspiration he becomes a nimitta – an instrument. WhatpreventsArjunafrombeinganimitta?Krishna’sansweristhatfearofthefutureistheobstacle,angeristheobstacle,andanxietytoachievefuturesuccessistheobstacle. 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 ofArjuna.HowdoesArjunabreak thebarrierof the ego?Hehas to learn to seedivinewillashigherthanhisego’sneeds.In the final analysis, the devotee seeks the freedom that comes from the

renunciationofnarrowself-interestaspromptedbyhisego.Suchrenunciationislikean individualwavedissolving in theocean. In thepsychologicaluniverse,whatdissolvesismerelythefalsenotionthatthedevoteehadofbeingseparatefromthedivine.Thedevoteewasneverthedoer,thedivinewasthedoerandthedevoteewastheinstrument.Whenthefalsenotionthat‘Iamthedoer’dissolvesinto theoceanofwisdom—peaceandevennessofmind surround thedevotee,likethecalmnessofthedeepsea.Arjuna wants to see the cosmic form of Krishna. Krishna says that it is

impossible to seehiscosmic formwith theordinaryeyesofamortal.KrishnabestowsdivinevisionuponArjuna.Inaflashofinsight,Arjunaseestheentirecycle of creation and destruction. Arjuna goes through a whole range ofemotionsfromterrortowondertogratitude.There in the body of Krishna, Arjuna saw the whole universe with all its

infiniteparts.Seeing this extraordinary universal form of Krishna, Arjuna gushed in

gratitude:IcannotnottellyouKrishna,howIfeltwhenIfirstmetyou.ButIremember

howmyegoseemedtovanishwhenIwaswithyou.InyourpresenceKrishna,Itrulybecamewhole.

CHAPTER8

THEMOTHEROFALLWARS

Itwas themotherofallwars.ThebattlegroundofKurukshetrawas filledwiththe stench of the dead and the dying. Vultures circled the sky almostcontinuously.Sixteendayshadpassedsincethebattlehadbegun.TheKauravaswere downcast and despondent. Drona was dead. Dushasana was gone.Bhishma was down and out. Duryodhana’s only hope was his friend Karnawhom he believed could alter the course of the war by getting the better ofArjuna.It was clear to everyone that either Karna or Arjuna would survive the

ultimateduel.Legendhas it that the lastnightofaheropassesasswiftlyasaflashoflightning.BothKarnaandArjunahadspentarestlessnightbeforetheytookeachotheron.Now,inbroaddaylight,Karna’schariotstoodface-to-facewith that of Arjuna’s. Karna had already come to know that he was Kunti’sabandonedsonandbybirththesixthPandava.KarnashadedhiseyestolookatArjuna.HeknewArjunawashisownbrother.Yet,byastrangeturnofeventshewaslockedinthemostdecisiveyetpainfulcombatofhislifewithhim.Ashwatthama had tried to prevent this fight. He had pleaded with

Duryodhana, ‘Look, let usdeclarepeacenow.Youcan still stop thiswar.MyfatherDrona isgone.BothArjunaandKarnahave lost theirsons.DushasanahasmetwithagorydeathatthehandsofBhima.It isfutiletofightanymore.Thewarcancometoanendifyouwantit.’Duryodhanashookhisheadhelplessly.‘Thiswarhasgonetoofarahead.The

seedsofhatredhavebornemanypoisonousfruits.Thereisnogoingbacknow.’Sayingthis,hefellsilent.Thecontinuationofwarwasinevitable.ArjunawasIndra’ssonandKarnawasSurya’schild.Thegodsofrainand

sunwerearrayedagainsteachotherastheirfavouritesgeareduptodobattle.KingShalyawasKarna’scharioteerwhileKrishnawasArjuna’s.Arjunawentaroundhischariotandhisweaponsinapradakshina,drewclosetoKrishnaandasked,‘Whowillwintoday?’KrishnaproppedupArjuna’sspiritswithinspiring

poetry:‘Thesunmaydropdownfromheavenandfiremayloseitscapacitytoburn, but you will not fail, Arjuna.’ This made Arjuna feel almost invincible.Shalya likewise did his bit in liftingKarna’smorale: ‘Why are youwavering,Karna? You are the General of the Kauravas and youmust not lose heart. Ibelieveyouwillwintoday.’Karna’schariotwentclosetoArjuna’sandheunleashedhischoicestarrows.

Arjunarespondedinequalmeasure.Theywerejustwarmingupbeforetheygotinvolved in a more serious assault on each other. All around them the twocontending armies watched, their gazes transfixed on two of Bharatavarsha’sgreatestbowmen.Thesunwentpastthehighestpointanditwasnoon.Themoodoftheduelchangedfromlightcombattoaseriousexchangeofcarefullyguidedarrows.Angeraroseonbothsides.Arjunaresortedtodivineastras.HefiredhisAgneyastra.Theskywasscorchedwithmanymissilesof fire.Karnacounteredwith the Varunastra that blew out Arjuna’s fiery arrows. The warriors had astrange stillness to their postures even as their hands flowed gracefully likewaves.KarnacutthestringsofArjuna’sbowseveraltimes.Yet,Arjunamanagedto

recovereachtime.KarnasmiledinacknowledgementofArjuna’sprowess.Afterall,whosebrotherishe,hechuckledtohimself.Then,KarnatookupthedeadlyNagastra, the serpent-shaped arrow that would seek Arjuna’s head. Krishna,whoknewthatthearrowposedagreatthreattoArjuna’slife,presseddownonthechariotandsunkitintothegroundbyadepthoffivefingers.TheNagastramissedArjuna’snecknarrowlybut shatteredhis jewelledcrown.ThepreciousKiritcrownrolledoveronthegroundandhitthedust.ThePandavasheavedacollective sigh of relief. Karna’s heart sank as he began to feel that fatewasprobablynotonhisside.Theafternoonskyalternatedbetweenlightandshade.Angeredbythelossofhiscrown,Arjunatiedhishairwithawhitecottonclothanddrewhisarrowclosetohisear.ItseemedthatKarna’sfatewasabouttobesealed. Karna tried to recall his fiercest weapon, the Brahmastra, but hismemory failedhim justasanoldcursehadpredicted.Toadd tohiswoes,hischariot’sleftwheelwasstuckintheblood-soakedgroundofKurukshetra.Karnajumpeddowntoliftthewheelofhischariotoutoftheditch.Shalyawhippedthehorses desperately. Their muscles rippling under the lashes weren’t strongenough tomove thestuckwheel.Karna,withastrained face, struggling to liftthewheels,pleadedwithArjuna:‘WaituntilIsetmychariotright,Arjuna.Youknowthedharmaofwarriorsdoesnotallowthemtostrikeanunarmedenemy!Stop!’‘No,Karna,’shotbackKrishnaonbehalfofArjuna.‘Itdoesnotsuityouto

talkaboutdharmanow.Wherewasyourdharmawhenyourfriendsfraudulently

defeatedthePandavasinthegameofdice?Wherewasyourdharmawhenyoumade amockery of helplessDraupadiwhen shewas dragged aroundby yourcronies?Whereindeedwasyourdharmawhen,justfourdaysago,sevenofyoukilled and butchered an unarmed Abhimanyu, who was like your own son?’Sensing that Krishna would be unrelenting, Karna’s face fell. Then, KrishnaturnedtoArjunaandsaid, ‘Gethim,now!’Arjunawasseething in the firesofretribution.HisarrowwhizzedthroughtheairandcutoffKarna’sheadinlessthanthewinkofaneye.ThejewelledstonesonKarna’scrownshonebrightlyashisheadflewinanarc.Thosewhobotheredtonoticesawaglowoflightlingeron Karna’s beheaded body and then leave him almost reluctantly. It was asthoughthesunhadgonedownwithitspartingsalutetoitsownbraveheart.With Karna’s passing, Duryodhana was reduced to nothing. The Kauravas

facedcertaindefeatatthehandsofthePandavas.TheBattleofKurukshetrawasallbutover.

ARJUNAHUNTSFORHIS‘I’Wars beginwith a conflict of identity.All human beingswant to belong to afamily, a group, a nation or an organization. A hero needs to identify withsomethinglargerthanhimself.Arjunawasnotevenawarethathewasabouttofighthisownbrother,thesixthPandava.Karnahadissueswithhisidentitytoo.Hedidnotknowuntilverylate inhis life, thathewasindeedKunti’ssonandArjuna’s elder brother. Karna went through an identity crisis: he never reallyknewwherehebelonged.HecouldnottakepartinDraupadi’sswayamvarashewas considered low-born, a suta putra (the son of a charioteer). Duryodhanatried to comfort Karna bymaking him the King of Anga. Yet, Karna alwayslived with the shame of not knowing who his real parents were. Every timeKarna came face-to-face with Arjuna, it was as if he was seeking his ownidentity.Arjunatoostartedoffasahesitanthero.Manytimeshehadbeenreluctantto

fighthisownteachersandmembersofhisownfamily.KrishnawasawarethattherootoftheproblemwasthatArjunatoowashuntingforhisrealidentity.Thewarrior’sprimaryquest isforthereal‘I’ that iswholeandall-embracing.Thissearchfortheundivided‘I’istheultimatequestinallformsofhumanconflict.Human identity is fragmented in many ways: us-versus-them; me-versus-you;intellect-versus-emotion; old-versus-new; right-versus-wrong, etc. The warriorhastodealwiththesedivisions.

War is merely a symptom that we are attempting to heal ourselves from themanydivisionsthatwesufferfrom.ForArjunatohealhimselfwouldbetofindhiscomplete identityasahero.Thefirstseedofwarisplantedwhenahumanbeing is emotionally alienated from the deeper roots that make him a humanbeing. With this emotional disconnect happening within, the human beingprojects this alienation on to another human being,whomhe calls his enemy.The rage and anger within Arjuna boils over and fuels those arrows that heexchangeswithKarna.Karna’salienationfromhisownbloodbrothersandhismothersetshimupasawrongedheroandafull-fledgedantagonistofArjuna.TheinternalcombustionoftheemotionsofthesetwogreatwarriorsexplodesinthefieldofKurukshetraasthemotherofallwars.

Arjuna’s problem is that he is focussed on a microscopic ‘i’: his own egowrappedinskin,bone, fleshandblood.Krishna’ssolution is to takeArjuna tothe ampler,macroscopic ‘I’: the Sovereign Soul Self that connects him to hislargerhumanandcosmicidentity.Themicroscopicbindsonebodywithanotherinamaterialrelationship.Thissmall‘i’createsmultipledivisionsbetweenone‘i’andanother.The‘i’ofArjunaisdifferentfromthe‘i’ofKarnathatinturnisdifferentfromthe‘i’ofDuryodhana.The‘i’ofthesmallegofunctionsthroughthe fragmentationof the largerhuman identity representedby themacroscopic‘I’.Thelarge‘I’isbasedonunityandhumanvaluesthatsupportthisunity.Thelarge‘I’istheholderandbeholderofsupportingvaluessuchastruth,loveandfreedom.This‘I’isthesourceoftimelessdharma:thatwhichholdseverythingtogether.The Kauravas, Arjuna’s own kin, have violated dharma by their unjust

actions. Therefore they are bound by the laws of themacroscopic universe toreaptheseedsofactionstheyhavesownwiththeirownhands.Arjunaishesitantbecauseheisemotionallyattachedtothesmall‘i’.Heisworriedbecauseoftheanticipated loss of hismaterial andmental connectionwith his near and dearones.KrishnaplacesArjunaintherighthunt:thehuntforthelarger‘I’thatheknowstobeArjuna’sultimatedharma.Dissolvinghissmall‘i’intohislarger‘I’willresolveArjuna’sdisintegrationandsethimonthepathtovictory.Krishna is not onlyArjuna’s charioteer, he is also a friend.More than that

Krishna is the soul-mate of Arjuna. Krishna is the very essence of Arjuna’sidentity—Arjuna’srealSoulSelf,hislargerI.

THEFIGHTERBECOMESTHEWARRIOR

Fightersfightwiththeirarrowsandarm-guards;theirswordsandshields.Theybecome the victimsof their dividedminds: fight or flight, offenceor defence.They see their enemies as physical barriers that theymust overcome. Fightersdependontheirlimitedphysicalandmentaleffortsandtheirego-propelledwill.Fighters are eventually doomed to fail, like an aging and lonely leaf facing aragingstorm.Thewarriordoesnot travel thepathof thedividedmind.Beforeheentersa

fight, awarrior surrenders his personalwill to the greaterWill of his deepestuniversalSource.Hedrawshis arrow from the focal point of hisSourceSelf.Karna, even at his best, remains a valiant fighter guided by Shalya. Arjunaevolves intoawarriorunder theastuteguidanceofKrishna.Justas thefightercannotwin,thewarriorcannotlose.WhenKarna’sNagastraisabouttobeheadArjuna,Krishna lowers his chariot downby a few inches.This is a lifesavingstrokeofcreativeactionthatcanonlycomefromthedeepestSource.WhenthewisdomoftheSource,thatisKrishna,uniteswiththeskillandattitudeofArjuna—wealth,victory,andrighteousdharmaareboundtofollow.Arjuna’sinvincibilityisakintothatofahollowbambooflutethroughwhich

thewindofinspirationflows.TheragingstormoftheopposingKauravaforcesbecomesaninspirationratherthananimpedimentforArjuna.Karna’sfatefailshimwhenhiswheelsgetstuckandhecannotrecallthemantrathatwouldgivehimthepowerfulBrahmastra.Ontheotherhand,bysurrenderinghiswilltothelargerwillofKrishna,thewarriorinsideArjunareclaimshisomnipotence.Howdoesa fighter finallybecomeawarrior,Arjunawonders.Krishna tells

himalittlestorythatrevealstoArjunathepaththatheison:Oneday,thefighterknockedatthedoorofhisfriend,thewarrior.‘Whoisknocking?’askedthewarriorfromwithin.‘Itisi,’repliedthefighter.‘Go back. This house is too small to hold both you and me,’ came the

responsefromwithin.The fighterwithdrewandreflected fora long timeonwhat thewarriorhad

said.Aftermanyyearshereturnedandknockedonthedooragain.‘Whoisknocking?’thevoicefrominsideaskedagain.‘It is you,’ said the fighter,who had now identifiedwith the essence of the

warrior.Thedoorwasflungopenforthefightertogoinsidethehouse.The door of a newperceptionwas openedwhen the small ‘i’ of the fighter

dissolvedinthelarge‘I’ofthewarrior.

ARJUNA’SRENUNCIATIONANDREGENERATIONDespitethedevastationitleftbehind,theBattleofKurukshetraservedNature’sultimate creative purpose.Nature’swork is not only about the preservation ofindividualsbutalsoabouttheperfectionandregenerationofspecies.Warshelpinfusefreshenergyintoadecayingsystem.Whenleadersbecameland-grabbersandeve-teasers,theyinvitedthewrathofhumansandgodsalike.TheBattleofKurukshetraleftatrailofdeathanddestruction.AsArjunahadimagined,manywidowedwomenandorphanedchildrenwereleftbehindafterthewarwasover.Yet,thoughatgreathumancost,injusticeanddisorderweredefeatedandjusticeandorderwere re-established. Justice andorder are very important for humancivilizationaswellassocietiestosurvive.Warbringsouttheheroismofheroes.Theybecomemoreawareandalertas

theirlivesarelivedonarazor’sedge.Thehighesthumanvirtuesofsacrificeandself-discipline standout against the selfishwaysofordinary lives.Ahero-likeArjuna fought not so much because he hated the enemy in front of him butbecausehe loved thepurposebehindhis fight: to establishdharma—righteousorder.The War of Kurukshetra demanded extreme sacrifices from Arjuna and

Karna. Arjuna had to renounce many of the comforts of life to restore toYudhishtirahislostkingdom.‘What’sthepointofrenunciation?’askedArjuna.Krishnareplied, ‘Justdo this:Stretchoutyourhandandhold thisprecious

diamondcrownontheopenpalmofyourhandforaslongasyoucan.’Arjunadidasinstructed.Butverysoonthemusclesinhisoutstretchedhands

startedtoacheandhedecidedtoputtheglitteringcrowndownonthefloor.Krishnaquietlysaid:‘That’sthepointofrenunciation–youcannotholdonto

anythingfortoolongwithoutsufferingtheconsequences.’Such is the law of Nature. Without renunciation of the old, there is no

regenerationofthenew.Onecanseedeadleavesfalloffatreeinwinterwiththefirstgustofwind.Thesametreeisreadytoregenerateinaburstofleavesandariotofflowersinspring.Renunciationistheprocessthroughwhichanysystem—natural or psychological—replenishes itself and avoids decay. The humanmind renounces the rushofday-timeactivity to fall asleepatnight so that thebodycanfeelfreshthenextmorning.KrishnaeducatesArjunaontheartandpracticeofrenunciation:

Arjuna,heroesbecomemastersofrenunciationinthreeways.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 senseobjects.Takingabreakfromthehabitoflookingatthemirror,forinstance!Then they practice kshanti, which is about renouncing emotional outbursts.

Tobepatientandforgivingwhenyouareaccidentallyinjuredbysomeoneelseiskshanti.The third and most important form of renunciation is kartavya bhavana,

which isgivingup the thought that Iam thedoer.This includesnotacceptingcreditforsomethingonehasnotreallydone.These three types of renunciation, Arjuna,willmake themind tranquil and

powerful.Steadyandheroicactionwillflowfromsuchaquietmind.

SERMONONTHEBATTLEFIELD:THEUNITYOFTWOWILLS

KrishnahasalongconversationwithArjunainthefaceofanimminentbattle.Inthe background are sounds like the fierce blowing of conch shells like lionsroaring,neighinghorses,massivemovementofsoldiers,battlebannersflutteringonbothsides.Krishna’svoicerisesabovethedinandbustleandhitsArjuna’searsintensely:‘Concentrateyourmindonmeanddevoteyourwholehearttome.Youhave

listenedwithdeepattention towhat Ihave said.Buthaveyouunderstood thisteaching?Haveyouacceptedthisteachingasworthwhile?Hasitdispelledyourdelusion?’WhatisArjuna’sdelusion?Hebeginsasawishfulhero.Hewishestoavenge

Abhimanyu’s death before sunset; he wishes to defeat Karna decisively, hewishestosingle-handedlyeliminatetheKauravaopposition.Yethismindisinawhirlseeinghisownkinfacingdeathathishands.Hismouthisdrywithfear.His limbs shake and his bow slips from his hands. All his wishes meet withresistanceandsometimeshefindshimselfon thevergeofdeath.Hefinds thathiswishesneedKrishna’ssupporteverytimetofulfilthemselves.Wishingisapassingfancy.Wishingisaweakimpulseinthemindthatdoes

not always translate into action. Krishna clears away Arjuna’s delusion byhelpinghimtotransformhiswishintowill.Wilfulnesssignalsahero’sbiasforaction.Aheroisnevermoredecisivethanwhenhedecidestoact.Arjunahastogiveupwishingforhecannotwieldbothwishandwill.Thetwomentalforcescan run in the opposite direction. While wishing can inhibit action, willinginspiresaction.KrishnafinallysucceedsinawakeninginArjunathewilltopick

up his bow and arrow,which he had dropped in despair.He is set for battle.From beingwishfully disengaged,Arjuna now finds himselfwilfully engagedwiththeworkathand.The human will is a powerful force. Heroes have to learn to harness their

willpowerinawaythatmakesthewillaninvincibleforce.Intheblinkofaneyewillpowertransformsmentalenergyintoaction.Buttheparadoxofwillpoweristhis: the power diminishes in intensity when will is employed to achieve apersonal goal.On the other hand,willpower ismagnifiedmanifoldwhen it isinvestedinapurposegreaterthanone’spersonalambition.Ifaroomislockedup and all the doors and windows are closed, the air inside the room willstagnate and become poisonous. However, when the doors and windows areopen, the stale airwill be freely exchangedwith the fresh air from the largerenvironment. Willpower stagnates and becomes poisonous within thepsychological boundaries created by personal ambition. The same willpowerbecomesinvincibleenergywhenitisconnectedwithalargerpurpose.KrishnadrawsArjuna’s attention to theheroicwill inArjuna that is hidden

behindthemaskofhisbody.Thementorliftsuphisprotégé’sawarenesstowardthat universal will that is calm, intense, impersonal and infallible. Finally,Krishnasays:Arjuna,RememberMeandFight!This‘Me’thatKrishnaistalkingaboutisthatuniversalwillthatfollowsthe

lawof itsownbeing. It is thesamewill thatmakeseasonsfollowoneanotherandkeepsmightyplanetsmovingintheirorbits.Torememberthatomnipotentwillandactaccording to its laws isArjuna’s realdharma.Arjuna’spurpose isnot to annihilate his adversaries. His purpose is not even to fight a battle,althoughthatiswhatheeventuallydoes.Hispurposeistoestablishdharma.Hecandosobyrestoringthekingdomto its rightfulclaimant,Yudhishtira.WhenArjuna’s personalwillmergeswithKrishna’s universalwill, each ofArjuna’sactionsbecomespurposefulandsuccessful.Arjunarealizes thathisbusiness isnot tobeobsessedwiththeresultsofhis

actions,buttoactinaccordancewiththeuniversalwillthatshapestheseresults.Likestaleairinaclosedroomthatexperiencesarushoffreshairwhenadoorisopened,Arjunaexperiencesanin-rushofenergywhilelisteningtoKrishna.Theenergy comes from that same source of universalwill thatKrishna embodies.Thusempowered,andastheBattleofKurukshetradrawstoaclose,Arjunaandthe Pandavas outperform the Kauravas. Duryodhana is terminated by Bhima.ThekingdomofHastinapuriswonback.YudhishtiraisanointedthenewKing.Thus,righteousdharmaisfinallyre-established.

CHAPTER9

ARJUNA’SAWAKENING:AVISIONOFTHEWHOLE

WiththeWarofKurukshetraover,KrishnaguidedArjuna’schariottoaremotecornerof the forest.He thenaskedArjuna topickupGandivaandquicklygetdown from the chariot. Arjuna wondered why. He was puzzled as to whyKrishna,hischarioteer,whohadalwaysbeenthefirstpersontodismount,nowadvised him to get off before him.Out of respect forKrishna,Arjunaobeyed.Krishna released the horses from the reins and got down himself. ArjunaobservedthatthevictorybannerofHanumanthathadbeenpartofhischariotallthroughtheeighteendaysofthewarhadsuddenlyvanishedfromsight!Then, thestrangest thingimaginablehappened.Right in frontofArjuna, the

chariot crumbled into pieces and becamea ball of fire. The fireball rolled oninsidetheforestuntilallthatremainedofthechariotwereashes.Allthewhitehorses thatpulled thechariotwerecharred todeath.Arjunacouldnotbelievehiseyes.HelookedoninuttershockasKrishnaexplainedtohimthereasonforwhathappened:‘LookArjuna,yourchariotwasattackedinallthedaysofwarwithpowerful

weapons.Somewereweaponsofmassdestruction.Therewasnowaythatyourfragilevehiclecouldwithstand theassaultsof somanyweapons.Therefore, toprotectitfromdestruction,IinvokedHanumantodefendyou.BehindthebannerofHanumanwastheinvisiblemightofHanumanthatheldthechariottogether.Besides,Isatuponyourchariotthroughoutthewartomakesurethatyouwereprotectedbymypresence.IknewthatthemomentIgotdownfromthechariot,itwould erupt into flames. The mighty destructive power of your enemies, likesleepingtimebombs,wasstillatworkonthechariot.Therefore,Iurgedyoutoget off first. You saw with your own eyes what happened after the banner ofHanumanwasgoneandIgotdownfromit.’Arjuna’s jawsdroppedindisbelief.Then,a feelingofdeepgratitudegushed

through him.His eyes turnedmoist as he had nowords to thankKrishna for

savinghischariotandhislife,duringthewar.‘IamhumbledbythisknowledgeKrishna,thatwithoutyouneithermybody,notthechariot,noteventheGandivathatIamsopossessiveaboutamountstoanything.’Arjunarubbedhisfacewithhishands,ashamedthathehadbeenarrogantenoughtobelievethathisbraverywastheonlycauseofthePandavas’victoryintheKurukshetraWar.

ARJUNA’SWARISNOTOVERUNTILHEFINISHESTHEFIGHTWITHINHIMSELF

For awarrior, thewar is not over until he gains victory over himself.Arjunarealizes 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.WithDuryodhana’sdeath,theveryreasonforthewarappearedtobeover.ThefireofrevengeinthePandavas’heartsseemedtohavebeendousedwithDuryodhana’sdeath.Yet,theflickeringflamesofthearroganceofvictorywereburningwithinArjuna.Arrogancedestroyspeaceofmind.Where there isnopeace, there isalways

thethreatofmorewar.Krishnarealizesthis.He,however,hastoshowArjunathat the end resultof allwars isdestruction.Krishnacouldperhapsattempt toconvinceArjunabygivinghimanothersermononarroganceanditsdestructiveresults. But will Arjuna have the patience to listen to another sermon,particularly after such a great victory?Krishna thendecides to showArjuna apicture ofwhat happenswhen a hero becomes arrogant in victory. The visualexampleofHanuman’sbannerdisappearingand theburningupof thechariot,deeplymovesArjuna.Hismindclearly sees the roleKrishnaplayed in all hisvictories.Arjunahastearsinhiseyes–tearsthatcomefromtherecognitionthatheoweshiswholeexistence toKrishna.He recognizes that itwasnot just thechariot thatwas held together byKrishna’s presence, his lifewas also securebecauseofKrishna.Asurgeofdeepgratitudereplacestheemotionofarrogance.Arjunagrowswiserasaresultofthisexperience.

WHENAHEROFULFILSHISLIFE’SPURPOSE,HISMISSIONONEARTHISOVER

ThecrowningofYudhishtiraas the rightfulKingofHastinapurwasover.ThePandavashadregainedtheirlostkingdom.OnedayasArjunawasreflectingonthe war all by himself, his mind was drawn to thoughts of Krishna. Krishna

seemedtobewhisperingtohim,‘Arjuna,liedown,Ihavesomethingtotellyou.’Arjuna felt sleepy and his mind melted into a dream. Soon he saw Krishnaspeakingtohiminhisdream.‘Arjuna,doyourecallwhatIhadsaidtoyouwhenI came down from the chariot?’ Arjuna nodded and said, ‘Yes Krishna, Irememberyouhadsaidthateverythingintheworldisbornforapurpose.Youalso 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 thisprinciple is true forall the thingsandeveryperson in theworld, italsoholdstrueforyouandme.Bothofusweretogetherinthismysteriousjourneycalledlife. When our journey is over we will all have to die.’ Arjuna woke with ashiver,thinkingthathehadhadabaddream.Soon after he had this dream, Daruka, the charioteer of Krishna, brought

stunningnews:Krishnahaddied justasanyotherordinarymortal.Hewas indeepsleepwhenahuntermistook thesleeping formofKrishna tobe thatofasleeping deer. This happened because of the yellow robes that Krishna waswearing.ThehuntertookaimandshothisarrowthroughthesoleofKrishna’sfoot that looked like theearsofadeer.ThesageDurvasahadoncegrantedaboontoKrishnathathisentirebodywouldbedeath-proofwithoneexception:hisfeet.Hisoneweakspotwasthesoleofhisfoot.Krishnashriekedinpainasthe arrow pierced his foot. The hunter rushed to seewhat had happened anddiscoveredthathehadshotaman.Krishnathankedthehunterforreleasinghimfromthemortalcoilsofalifethathadcompleteditsjourney.Krishna,thegodwho lived likeahumanamongotherhumanbeings,haddied likeanordinaryman.WhenthenewsofKrishna’sdeathreachedArjuna,hefeltahugeemptinessin

hisheart.WithoutKrishna, lifeseemedmeaningless toArjuna.Hefelt that lifewas like a flower that had lost its fragrance. That sad morning seemed evenmoresadwithoutKrishna.Arjuna’seyeshadasunkenlook.His lips lost theirnatural lustre. Arjuna realized that Krishna’s love for him was much greaterthanhisaffectionforKrishna.HowfoolishIwasnottorecognizethisearlier,hemused. He could not imagine that Almighty Krishna had been killed by anordinary hunter.How can someonewho is timeless and omnipresent lie deadlikeacorpse?TheymusthavedressedKrishna’sbodyinroyalyellowsilk,hisfavouritecolour,hethought.TearsrolledfromArjuna’seyes.NoonehadeverseenArjunacrylikethisbefore.Bharat’sgreatestwarriornowweptlikealostchild.Yudhishtira sent Arjuna to Dwarka to rescue the women and children that

Krishna had left behind. Dejected, Arjuna trooped out with the women andchildrenofKrishna’skingdom.EvenastheprocessionleftDwarka,Arjunasaw

theonce-beautifulcityswallowedupbytheocean.NothingwasleftofDwarkaexceptforafewfaintmemoriesofhisyouthfuldayswithKrishna.Butmorebadnewswasstilltocome.OnthewaytoHastinapurastheyweremovingthroughaforest,Arjuna’sprocessionwasattackedby local robbers.TheypounceduponthepeopleofDwarkaandrobbedthemofall theirgoldanddraggedawaythewomen. In great rage, Arjuna reached for Gandiva and tried to string it. Hediscoveredthathismuscleshadlostthepowertostringthebow.Hisfingershadlosttheiragility.Arjunatriedtoinvokeanotherastra,butthemantrafailedhim.The women whom the robbers were dragging away cried for help. ‘Save us,mightyArjuna,whycan’tyousaveus?’theypleaded.Yet,Arjunafeltpowerless.HerealizedthatwiththepassingawayofKrishna,hispowerandspirittoohaddisappeared. Arjuna who had changed the course of history in the Battle ofKurukshetrawasnowjustamutespectatorbeforeordinarystreetrobbers.

THEHEROLIVESNOTINMONTHS,BUTINMOMENTS

Even as Arjuna loses heart, unexpected doors open up for him. Very oftentragediesinlifewakeustothedeepertruthsoflife.Inourdeepestdespair,weseetheclearestoflight.Theonlycertaintyoflifeisthatitisuncertain.Aherolearnstoadapttouncertainsituations.Uncertaintymakeshimvulnerable.Aherocannotbe invincibleunlesshe isvulnerable.Vulnerability is thewillingness tobe open and humble. A blazing storm uproots tall and strong tress while thehumble grass that bends softly with the wind, overcomes the storm. Ourweaknessoftenbecomesourstrength.Whentheheroknowsthathelivesonlyinmoments,eachlivingmomentbecomesutterlyprecious.

ArjunasuddenlyremembersYudhishtira’sanswertotheYaksha’squestion.TheYakshaasked:Whatisthegreatestwonder?

Yudhishtiraresponded:Dayafterdayweseesomanypeopledie.Yet,wethelivingbelievethatwewillliveforever.OLord,whatcanbeagreaterwonder?Krishna’s unexpected death teaches Arjuna to live in the reality of the

moment.Aherolivesnotinyearsormonthsordays.Aherolivesontheedgeofa sword, frommoment tomoment. It isbut amoment that separates life fromdeath.Lifeisasmomentaryasadewdropthatsitsonabladeofgrass.Arjunahas seen many deaths in his life. A Kshatriya is not afraid of death. ButKrishna’s passing away and the loss of his power to hold theGandiva shakeshimup.Henoticesa tingeofgreyonthefringeofhisblack, lustroushair.Herubshishandonthehollowofhischin.Hisbeardhasturnedwhitelikealayerofsnowflakes.Arjunarealizesthathisbody,onceasagileasabambooreed,hasnowbecomerigid,likethetrunkofaneemtree.

ArjunasatstillinacirclewithhisbrothersandDraupadi.ThenhetoldtheminvividdetailthestoryofhowtheseaclaimedtheentirecityofDwarka.Healsoshared that he was witness to the burning of the dead bodies of Krishna andBalarama.Arjuna talkedabouthowhesatbyablazingbonfirewhisperinghispartingwordsforKrishna.Thegraspoffire,liketheeyesoflaw,turnseveryoneintoanequal.Afireturnsallthebranchesandtwigsofatreeandhumanfleshand bone into one uniform heap of ash. There is no telling whose ash it is.ArjunatookadeepbreathasapallofsilencefelloverthePandavas.

ARJUNA’SLASTJOURNEYYudhishtirafirstbrokethesilenceashesaid,‘Arjuna,wewillallbecrushedinthejawsofTimeunlessweknowhowtoloseourselves.Wehavetogiveupourindividual identity. The death of Krishna signals the death of our time asindividuals. We must go away from name, fame, power and position to ourultimatedestinationasahumanbeing.InourfinaljourneyArjuna,therewillbenooneelsebutyouandyouressence.Youleavethisworldallalone.’Yudhishtira had this uncannywisdom to get to the heart of things.Hearing

this,Arjuna nodded and sighed, ‘Yes indeed, Time takes everything away andturnsouttobethefinalvictor.’Bhima,NakulaandSahadevaagreed,oneaftertheother.Draupadiseemedlostinsilence.YudhishtirasoonsteppeddownastheKingofHastinapur.Hetransferredhis

powerstoParikshit,Arjuna’sgrandsonandthesonofAbhimanyu,andcrownedhimthenewKing.ThePandavasannouncedthattheyweregoingontheirfinaljourneyandthattherewasnoturningback.ThebrothersaskedDraupaditostayinHastinapursothatshecouldbesparedthehardshipofatough,asceticlifeintheHimalayas.Draupadi,however,wouldnot listen.Dressed in thebarkofatree,herhandsandneckshornofjewelsandornaments,shemovedalongwithherhusbands.TheywerealsoaccompaniedbyYudhishtira’sdog.Arjunatookalong,lingeringlookatthecityofHastinapur.Yudhishtira,his

eyes like frozenmarble, lookedsternlyatArjunaandsaid, ‘Heroesdon’t lookback on what they are supposed to leave behind.’ As he moved away fromHastinapur,Arjunarealizedthatdetachmentbringswithitalightnessofbeingand a deep sense of peace. The Pandavas and Draupadi felt the same

togetherness they had experienced in their many years in exile. Just that thistime,therewasnoturningback.

ThePandavaswerenowonapilgrimageofself-realization.Theywereonaquest for the knowledge that goes beyond death. They first visited the city ofDwarka,whichwasnowsubmergedunderthewatersofthesea.Theystoodbytheseashoreandreflectedonhowtheirownlives,likethemanytributariesofariver, would ultimately meet and merge with the sea. Giant waves brokeceaselesslyontheseashore.ArjunathoughtofKrishnaasthegiganticseathatremainsunmovedandunchangedevenaswavesappearedanddisappearedonitssurface.Suddenly,Agniappearedbeforethem.HelookedatArjunaandsaid,‘Arjuna, you need to renounce your favourite Gandiva. I got the bow fromVaruna. Now that you do not need Gandiva anymore, will you return it toVaruna?’ Arjuna’s heart ached. Gandiva was dearer to him than his owngrandchild. He looked at Yudhishtira who nodded approvingly. Arjuna putGandivaandthequiverfullofarrowsontheoceanbank.Then,hewentaroundGandivaonceandfinallyimmersedthemintheocean.Bhimaputhislargearmaround Arjuna’s shoulders for he knew how much a part of Arjuna’s lifeGandivawas.Draupadi thought, ifonlyArjuna lovedmeasmuchashe lovedthis bow and arrow. Arjuna now felt like a monk who had renounced allpossessions.ThePandavasthentravellednorthtowardstheHimalayaswhosepeakalmost

kissed the sky.As they trekkedup towards the ruggedmountains,achill creptthroughtheirbones.Inthedimlightofthehillseveryfootfallwasuncertainastreacherous ice slid below their feet. Suddenly Draupadi fell down from thesteeppathshewastaking.ThechainofloveandlongingthathadlinkedthefivePandavaswith thisextraordinarywomanwasnowbroken.OnlyBhimarushedback to see if he could save Draupadi. But, the braveheart around whomPandavahistorywaswovenwasnowgone.BynowArjuna’shearthadbecomeice-cold.YudhishtiradidnothavetoremindhimnottolookbackatDraupadi’sbody. Arjuna’s lips trembled a little but his eyes were fixed on the peak that

shoneinthelastraysofthesun.SeeingthatDraupadiwasdead,BhimarusheduptoYudhishtira toaskwhy

she,whohadbeensobraveandcommittedtoherhusbands,hadtodiesosoon.Yudhishtiraspokewithoutmovinganeyelid,‘Draupadiwasmarriedtoall fiveof us. By the law of dharma we were all equal unto her. Yet, she had greatpartiality forArjuna,whomshe loved themost.Sheobtained theresultof thatconducttoday.’Bhimamorethanallhisbrothers,hadtrulylovedDraupadi,yethis love was never fully reciprocated by her. Tossed by waves of emotions,Bhima gathered himself and the Pandavas continued their journey. Soon, theyoungest of the lot, Sahadeva fell by the wayside. Bhima once again askedYudhishtirawhatthereasonforhisfallwas.Yudhishtiraexplained:‘Thoughaverywiseman,Sahadevanever thoughtanybodyhisequal inwisdom. It is forthatfaultthathehasfallendown.’ThenexttodiewasNakula.Yudhishtirasaid,‘Nakula was a righteous prince.He, however, thought that there was nobodywho equalled him in good looks. Indeed, he was extremely vain about hishandsomefeatures.ItisforthisthatNakulahasfallendown.’BhimaknewthatitwasArjuna’sturnandasked,‘WhyhasArjuna,thegreatestamongmen,thesonofmightyIndra,todieonthisjourney?’Yudhishtiraexplained,‘Arjunahadsaidthathewouldkillallourenemiesinasingleday.Proudofhisheroism,hecouldnothoweverachievewhathehadpromised.Hence,hewillfalldown.’Inthe samebreath,he lookedatBhimaandsaid, ‘Bhima,youare reallydear tome.Butyouwillfallbecauseofyourboastingaboutyourstrengthandexcessivelove for food.’ Yudhishtira, the son of Dharma had a way of interpretingeverything in terms of the laws of karma. For him, the human world was atheatreofcauseandeffect,directedbyunyieldinglawsofmorality.Thus,onebyoneallthePandavasweredestinedtoperishexceptYudhishtira

andhisdog.Arjunawondered,‘Iwasneverindifferenttoinjustice.Iprotecteddharmaattheriskofmyownlife.Iplungedheadlongintotheseaofpassion.Iusedforceandforgiveness inequalmeasure.Allsaidanddone, Ihave livedafulllife.IfIhaveanyregrets,theyareonlytwo.MyfirstregretisthatIwishIdid not have to kill Karna the way I did. Secondly, that I should have givenDraupaditheundividedlovethatshetrulydeserved.’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 voiceresembledKrishna’s.AmIdeadoramIdreaming,thoughtArjuna.Krishna’svoicerangclearlynow:‘Arjuna,youareinbetweenonelifeandthe

next—a brief interval of waking up in between two dreams. Don’t look atyourself fromwhere your body now lies. See yourself from the standpoint ofpurnam, thewholeofexistence.Youare thatatman that isonewithBrahman,

thewhole.Thisbodyofyoursisjustapassingspectacleinthegranddesignofthewhole. This fleetingworld, the snow-cappedmountain, the icywinds andyourownbriefyeteventfullifeareakintoawakingdream.Inthedream,everyobjectandeventappearsrealtothedreamer.Yet,whenthedreamerwakesup,everything iswipedoff. I, thewholeof existence, swallowupalldreams, andmakeeverythingwhole.’ThenKrishnautteredthisincantation:Wholenessisthat,wholenessisthisFromwholeness,wholenesscomesforth

Wholenessfromwholenesstakenaway

WholenesstowholenessaddedOnlythewholeremains.YouandIareoneArjuna, justasagoldchain isnothingbutgold,acotton

robe isnothingbutcottonand thewavesarenothingbutwater.Youand Iarenothingbutthiswholenessinessence.

ARJUNA’SAWAKENING

Arjunasaid,‘JustonemorequestionKrishna,AreyouamanlivingonearthoraGodlivingupthere?’‘I am neither,’ chuckled Krishna, ‘I am simply awake! It is also your time

Arjuna,toawakentoyourlargerreality.Ourhumanlivesaremuchmorethanbiologicaleventsbetweenbirthanddeath.Wearebeingsoflight.Yourbodyisonly a shadow of this light. The light originates in love thatmoves thewholeuniverse. The shadow has to vanish when it faces the light. It is the same aswhenthedreamvanisheswhenthedreamerwakesup.’Hearingthis,Arjunatookadeepraspingbreathashisbodywascompletely

numbedbysnowflakes.‘AmIdeadordyinginthisbody,Krishna?’askedArjunaashislifeflickered

likeadyingflameblownaboutbyanicywind.‘No,youarewakinguptodeathlesslife.’‘WheredoIgowhenIdie?’Krishna’smelodicvoicesoundedlikeachantfromthedistantpeak:‘YouwillcometomeArjuna,onthewingsoflight.Wewillmergetogetheras

twolong-lost friends.Ourmortalbirthsarenomore thanawinkof theeyeofthe eternal. A human birth is about sleeping and forgetting our infinitewakefulness.Our two faces are themasks of one infinite being. Thisworld ofnamesandformsisnomorethanavastdreamofoneinfinitebeing.Fromthewomb of that infinite being, Arjuna, you will be born again and again.Thousandsof years fromnowmotherswill name their sons byArjuna’smanynames.Manyages fromnow,pilgrimswhohave lost theirwayon treacherousmountainswillpraytoArjunatoshowthemthelight.Yourstorywillbetoldandretoldbychildrentotheirownchildrenandgrandchildren.‘Whenever, good is threatened by the forces of evil, Arjuna, you will arise

timeandagainastheinvinciblewarrioroflight.’Arjunaclosedhiseyesforthelasttimeastheskydarkened.Apealofthunder

parted thehorizon.Was that Indracalling forhis favouritechild tocomebackhome?

Heroesleavetheirfootprintsonthetracksoftime.Theyinspiregenerationstolook at those footprints as milestones on the hero path. Where Arjuna goes,anotheroneinanothertimeandplaceseehisjourneyasmilestonesontheirpath.Arjuna is apathmaker.The torchlightof invincibility is takenoverbyaherofrom a new generation. Heroes come and go. Stars flourish and fade away.However,thetouchstonesforheroismneverreallychange.Likearisingtide,anew Arjuna is surfacing somewhere from the ocean of human existence.Bharatavarsha iswaitingfor the turningof the tide.YouandIwill re-discoverArjuna again in the guileless laughter of a child, in the ceaseless strivingof ayoungmantomakehismarkintheworldandinthelastprayerofanoldmanwholeavesaninspiringlegacy.Untilthen,Arjuna,theinvincible,farewell!

WhyandHowIWroteThisBook

Whatisinaname?Evidently,alot!IvisitedoveronehundredschoolsinIndiato take stock of the number of students who were named ‘Arjuna’ by theirparentsandwell-wishers.Therewasnotasingleschool that Iwent to thatdidnothaveastudentbythisname.Infact,Idiscoveredthatin2012,ArjunawasthemostpopularnameforboysinIndia.‘Whyso?’IaskedthoseArjunas,thatmanythousandyearsafterthatoriginalArjunalived,hisnamestillremainsdearto us. What indeed are those qualities of Arjuna that makes him such anenduringandendearingnameinIndia?Iwas surprised and inspiredby someof the answers I got from the several

hundredArjunasImetaspartofmytwoyearsofresearch.HereisasampleofwhatIheardfromthem:FormeArjunarepresentstheconsciousnessofmyultimategoal.Arjunahasconfidenceinhiseyesandstance:doesn’tbowdownoutoffear.

Heisreadyforanychallenge,heisreadytorealisehisfullpotential.Arjuna’sArrow:Itisnotaweaponoranexternalobject;itisanextensionof

hisownaims.Knowledge iswhat teachesme to lift thebowandaim thearrow.Releasing

thearrow,soitstrikesthetargetissomethingthatcomeswithpractice.AsArjunaIhavethepowertobefriendGodhimselfandaskhimquestions.I am limitless, a polymath, transcending fieldswhich I did not even think I

wouldeverreach.LikeArjunaIwishtoseelifeasawholeandwonderhowitwouldtransform

measanindividual.Iamreadytosacrificemyowncomfortsandpleasuresforthesakeofothers.

Iwillbeasdetermined,asfocussedandassincereasArjunawas.LikeArjuna I dreamwhat noonehasdreamtbefore; if it is achievable, no

matterhowabsurd,ridiculousorseeminglyimpossibleitis.Arjunaisavisionary.Hethoughtaboutconsequencesofactionsandhetried

todeliverallhiscommitments.AsArjunaIseeavisionofoneIndia.Inmyroleasaninstitutionalleader,Icommissionedandgotinstalledalarger-

than-lifestatueofArjunathatnowsitsimperiouslybeforetheArjunaPathinthe

IIM Kozhikode campus. One day I sat quietly at the feet of that dark andexquisitestatueandprayedfor inspirationso thatIcouldre-tellArjuna’sstoryfor our own time.Thebook, InvincibleArjuna that you are now looking at isperhapstheanswertomysincereprayers.In an unforeseen turn of events I met Gautam Padmanabhan, CEO of

Westland. He agreed to publish whatever I wrote on Arjuna and backed thatpromise with generosity of time and spirit. My heartfelt gratitude to KarthikVenkatesh,ConsultingEditor ofWestland,who tookuponhimself the taskofediting the book first. Karthik is a diligent and no-nonsense editor. I wasthereforepleasantlysurprisedtoseeaninformalcommentbyhimattheendofoneofthechaptersofthisbook:Thisisthefinestchapterofthemall.Itliterallygoadsoneintoaction.Ithad

thiselectrifyingeffectonme.Breathtaking!IwillleaveittomyreaderstofindoutwhichchapterKarthikwasreferringto.

Radhika Mukherjee edited and proof-read the book with great earnestness. Ithankherforthesincerityofhereffort.ThereareseveralpeoplewhoweremyinspirationwhileIwrotethis.Mydeep

gratitude to SwamiDayananda Saraswati who planted inme the seeds of thetruthandbeautyofVedantabeforehelefthisbodyinRishikesh.IalsowishtoacknowledgemydebtofgratitudetoaselflesssoulandmymentorG.Narayanawhodiligentlyhandwroteseveralpagesofmeticulouslyresearchedinformationforthisbook.IdedicatethisbooktohimasmymodesttributetosomeoneIholdclosetomyheart.AditiandSiddharthweremyunofficialeditorsandShrishtiwasmyconsultant

inabsentiaforthecoverofthisbook.Chetna.Sgraciouslyvolunteeredtoreadthemanuscriptandofferedconstructiveandappreciativecomments.Ithankherfor her kindness.ShifaliMakkar, a student inmy IIMLeadershipClinic classagreedtobemyArjuna.Ihopeshelivesuptoherpromiseandherpotential.Imet theRt.Hon.SirAneroodJugnauth,PrimeMinisterof theRepublicof

MauritiusandheconsentedtowriteanendorsementforthisbookasdidoneofIndia’smost-lovedauthorsAmishTripathi.AmishincidentallywasastudentatIIMKolkatawhenItaughtthere.IhadtheprivilegeofspendingaweekendwithhimandhisfamilyinOoty.Itisnotveryoftenthatateacherdecidestowriteabookfollowinginthefootstepsofaformerstudent.Thisbookmustbeonesuchrarity. One of my earlier books, Timeless Leadership: 18 Sutras from theBhagavad Gita that has now spread far and wide in the world, provided thefoundationalresearchforthiswork.IowewhateverIhavewritteninthisbooktothaticonicheroofIndiawhose

namespellsmagicandelectrifiestheheart.Theverybestinthisbookbelongsto

Arjunaandtheworstisminetotakeresponsibilityfor.Ihavedevotedtwoyearsofmy diligent and devoted time, travelling the length and breadth of India tocraftArjuna’sstoryinwords.Ihopemyreaders,allArjunasinthemaking,findjoyandinspirationinthislabouroflove.

DebashisChatterjee

IIMLucknow

REFERENCES

1.Subramaniam,Kamala.2014.Mahabharata.Mumbai:BharatiyaVidyaBhavan

2.Divakaruni,ChitraBanerjee.2008.ThePalaceofIllusions.NewYork:Doubleday

3.Chatterjee,Debashis.2012.TimelessLeadership:18LeadershipSutrasfromtheBhagavadGita.Singapore:Wiley.

4.FrawleyDavid.1995.AriseArjuna.NewDelhi:VoiceofIndia.

5.Lidchi-Grassi,Maggi.2011.TheGreatGoldenSacrificeoftheMahabharata.Noida:RandomHouseIndia

6.Badrinath,Chaturvedi.2013.TheMahabharata:AnEnquiryintheHumanCondition.Hyderabad:OrientBlackSwan

7.Dutt,M.N.2001.Mahabharata.Delhi:ParimalPublications

8.Campbell,Joseph.1974TheMythicImage.NewYork:MJFBooks

9.Greene,Robert.2002.48LawsofPower.London:ProfileBooks

DebashisChatterjeehastaughtleadershipclassesatHarvardUniversityandattheIndianInstitutesofManagement(IIM)inKolkata,LucknowandKozhikodeforovertwodecades.Agloballyacclaimedauthorandscholar,ProfessorChatterjeeisformerdirectorofIIM,Kozhikode(2009–2014)andcurrentlyservesasdean(InternationalRelations)andprofessoratIIM,Lucknow.Hehaspublishedseventeenbooks,includingTimelessLeadership:18SutrasfromtheBhagavadGita.AleadershipcoachforCEOsofmajorIndianorganizationsandprominentpoliticalleaders,ChatterjeehasservedasdeanofaninternationalbusinessschoolinSingapore.

Hecanbereachedat:www.debchat.comhttps://in.linkedin.com/in/debashischatterjee1