In the first chapter of Bhagwad Gita, Sanjay described to the blind king Dritrashtra the detailed events of the battle field. Sanjay said that Duryodhana, looking at the armies on both the sides went to his teacher Dronacharya to apprise him of the situation & seek his guidance
Duryodhana who was the chief of the army and king himself seeks advice even at the battle field. Duryodhana was proud of their own strength, yet as per the tradition, even at the critical moment chose to consult his Guru : this shows how a teacher is respected as per Indian traditions.
Dronacharya named all the worriers who are ready to fight from his side. This gave him a reasonable confidence. He expressed his confidence while saying, “Our strength is immeasurable.” At the same time he felt that the Pandavas were protected by Bheema who was an invincible. He did not underestimate the opponents, but was proud of having Bheeshma Pitamah: their great valiant Grandfather on their side. Thereafter the trumpets, the drums and the horns tore through the sky with their very loud roaring sound.
The loud and clear message is that even at the battle field you have to keep your mind cool. One must take an objective view of the situation. One must consult the professional guru. This is the management principle derived. Not easy, but necessary.
Thereafter, Sanjay described the army and strength of ‘Pandavas’. Pandavas started blowing their counch shells (Shankas) very loudly. While this was happening, Arjuna requested Lord Krishna, his charioteer, to take the chariot to the middle of the battlefield between both armies. He wanted to look at both sides- all the valiant and brave warriors who had come to fight this monumental battle. Finding his own relations on both the sides Arjuna felt deeply disturbed. He explained to Lord Krishna that he did not feel like fighting his own cousins and elders of the own family. He felt that it was better to give away everything to Kauravas and to avoid the bloodshed of his own family members.
We learned from this episode that often our decisions are shaken by various attachments and emotional reasons . Lord Krishna whom we consider as the ultimate power, in his wisdom, advises Arjuna to follow the path of his duty.
To me it appears that it gives us a lesson – that of sticking to our duty or following our goals under any circumstances.
So we learned from this chapter the following management principles
- That no crises should our shake the leader. He/she must be fully in control and dispassionately assess every situation, and work out solutions.
- Some partial damage may take place, whenever there is a conflict. So we must take it as a part of life and face it courageously.
- Principles are to be given a higher consideration than our personal relationships.