The story

Durvasa, the short-tempered, highly respected and most feared Rishi, was wandering over the earth; when be saw in the hands of a nymph, a garland of flowers with fragrant odour. The sage demanded it from the nymph, who, bowing to him reverentially, immediately presented it to him. He placed the garland on his head and resumed his journey. On seeing Indra, the ruler of the three worlds, seated on his infuriated elephant Airavata, and attended by the gods, presented the garland of flowers to him. Due to his extreme arrogance and disrespect, suspended the garland on the brow of Airavata. The elephant, attacked by the bees attracted by the flowers, threw it on the ground and trampled on it. Sage Durvasa was highly incensed at this disrespectful treatment of his gift, and thus angrily addressed the Lord of the immortals: “Inflated with the intoxication of power, you did not show respect to the garland I presented, which was the dwelling of Fortune (Sri). Now, fool, for that disrespect your sovereignty over the three worlds shall come to an end. Due to arrogance, you have shown disrespect to me and therefore henceforth you and all devas would be bereft of all strength, energy, and fortune and will no more be immortal. Though Indra immediately apologised to the enraged Sage, he did not withdraw the severe curse cast upon the Gods.

Where there is energy, there is prosperity and upon prosperity, energy depends. How can those abandoned by prosperity be possessed of energy; and without energy, where is excellence? Without excellence, there can be no vigour nor heroism amongst men.

The three regions being thus wholly divested of prosperity and deprived of energy, the Asuras, the enemies of the gods agitated by ambition, attacked the gods. They engaged in war with the feeble and unfortunate divinities; and Indra and the rest, having lost, fled for refuge to Brahma, who advised them to approach Vishnu for support. Upon seeing the divine Vishnu, Brahma and the other deities, paid him homage, and said, “We, defeated by the Asuras, have fled to seek your refuge and compassion and pray to defend us with your mighty power. Hari, the creator of the universe, being thus prayed to by the prostrated divinities, smiled, and spoke “With renovated energy, oh gods, I will restore your strength. Do you act as I say. Let all the gods, associated with the Asuras, cast all sorts of medicinal herbs into the sea of milk; and then taking the mountain Mandara for the churning-stick, the serpent Vasuki for the rope, churn the ocean together for ambrosia; depending upon my aid. To secure the assistance of the Asuras, you must be at peace with them, and promise the equal portion of the ambrosia, drinking of which they shall become mighty and immortal.

Thus instructed, the divinities entered into alliance with the Asuras, and they jointly undertook the churning of the milky ocean. They collected various kinds of medicinal herbs, and cast them into the sea of milk. The churning of the Ocean of Milk was an elaborate process: Mount Mandara was used as the churning rod, and Vasuki, king of snakes, became the churning rope. The Asuras demanded to hold the head of the snake, while the Devas, taking advice from Vishnu, agreed to hold its tail. However, fumes emitted by Vasuki poisoned the Asuras. Despite this, the Devas and the Asuras pulled back and forth on the snake’s body alternately, causing the mountain to rotate, which in turn churned the ocean. When the mountain was placed on the ocean, it began to sink. Vishnu, in the form of the Kurma (turtle), came to their rescue and supported the mountain on his shell.

The Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean) process released a number of things from the Ocean of Milk. First was the lethal poison known as Halahala, escaped from the mouth of the serpent king as the Asuras and gods churned. This terrified them as the poison has the power to destroy all of creation. Then the gods approached Shiva for protection. Shiva consumed the poison to protect the three worlds but it burned the throat of Shiva. As a result, his throat turned blue and hence called Neelakantha. Subsequently many other divine and precious things emerged out of the ocean because of the churning.  That included Uchhaisravas, the white horse, Airavata, the elephant, various divine nymphs like Rambha, Menaka, etc, Lakshmi: the Goddess of Fortune and Wealth, Varuni: Goddess of wine, Kamadhenu: the wish-granting cow, Kausthuba: the most valuable gem, Parijat: the divine flowering tree with blossoms that never fade or wilt, etc. Most of these items were shared between the Devas and Asuras and some, like Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and Kausthuba gem were given to Vishnu. Finally came Dhanvantari, the heavenly physician with Amrita, the nectar of immortality. Fierce fighting ensued between the Devas and the Asuras for it and finally Asuras took it away. The Devas appealed to Vishnu, who took the form of Mohini as a beautiful and enchanting damsel, distracted the Asuras, took the amrita, and distributed it among the Devas, who drank it. The story ends with the rejuvenated devas defeating the Asuras.

Lesson 1

Durvasa, the short-tempered, highly respected and most feared Rishi, was wandering over the earth; when he saw in the hands of a nymph, a garland of flowers with fragrant odour. The sage demanded it from the nymph, who, bowing to him reverentially, immediately presented it to him. He placed the garland on his head and resumed his journey. On seeing Indra, the ruler of the three worlds, seated on his infuriated elephant Airavata, and attended by the gods, presented the garland of flowers to him. Due to his extreme arrogance and disrespect, suspended the garland on the brow of Airavata. The elephant, attacked by the bees attracted by the flowers, threw it on the ground and trampled on it. Sage Durvasa was highly incensed at this disrespectful treatment of his gift, and thus angrily addressed the Lord of the immortals: “Inflated with the intoxication of power, you did not show respect to the garland I presented, which was the dwelling of Fortune (Sri). Now, fool, for that disrespect your sovereignty over the three worlds shall come to an end. Due to arrogance, you have shown disrespect to me and therefore henceforth you and all devas would be bereft of all strength, energy, and fortune and will no more be immortal. Though Indra immediately apologised to the enraged Sage, he did not withdraw the severe curse cast upon the Gods.

Indra has become extremely powerful and arrogant due to his expanding authority over the three worlds. History shows that he has disrespected his Guru, GODs and raped innumerable women as he was drunk on his power and authority. Sage Durvasa not only destroyed his arrogance but also took away immortality and authority over three worlds from him. This is what happens to highly successful organizations led by arrogant CEOs. They not only destroy their company but also the life of its employees with his own career.

In a study conducted on the narcissism levels of 953 CEOs from a wide range of industries, as well as examining objective performance indicators of their companies, two Europe based researches observed that organizations led by arrogant, self-centred and entitled CEOs tend to perform worse and their CEOs were significantly more likely to be convicted for corporate fraud (e.g., fake financial reports, rigged accounts, insider trading, etc.). Interestingly, the detrimental effects of narcissism appear to be exacerbated when CEOs are charismatic, which is consistent with the idea that charisma is toxic because it increases employees’ blind trust and irrational confidence in the leader. Jim Collins in his widely-noted book ‘Good To Great’ (2001) concluded that one of the distinguishing characteristics of good-to-great companies, or those that showed sustained performance improvements over a 15-year period, was that they were headed predominantly by “humble CEOs.”  He used words like quiet, humble, modest, reserved, shy, gracious, mild-mannered, self-effacing, understated, did not believe his own clippings, and so on” about successful CEOs who led their companies to glory.

Optimism is healthy. Arrogance is not. Self-confidence is healthy. Megalomania is not.

Believing that you can do a great job as CEO is healthy. Thinking that you know better than others is not. You need confidence and conviction to succeed as a CEO or in life, but what these studies clearly show is that – taken to extremes – narcissism kills companies and kills CEO careers.

Lesson 2

The three regions being thus wholly divested of prosperity and deprived of energy, the Asuras, the enemies of the gods agitated by ambition, attacked the gods. They engaged in war with the feeble and unfortunate divinities; and Indra and the rest, having lost, fled for refuge to Brahma, who advised them to approach Vishnu for support.

Where there is energy, there is prosperity and upon prosperity, energy depends. How can those abandoned by prosperity be possessed of energy; and without energy, where is excellence? Without excellence, there can be no vigour nor heroism amongst men.

When an arrogant and narcissistic CEO leads your organization and employees are demotivated, performance spirals downwards. Customers will desert you and competitors enjoy the greater opportunity and market share. Due to poor financial performance, there would be cuts in promotional budgets and in extreme cases retrenchment of employees, which further demotivates employees and overall performance. Unless the company finds a way to rescue itself from this difficult situation, their very existence may be in danger. The gods approach Vishnu as the saviour, but who would be your company’s saviour?

Lesson 3

Upon seeing the divine Vishnu, Brahma and the other deities, paid him homage, and said, “We, defeated by the Asuras, have fled to seek your refuge and compassion and pray to defend us with your mighty power. Hari, the creator of the universe, being thus prayed to by the prostrated divinities, smiled, and spoke “With renovated energy, oh gods, I will restore your strength. Do you act as I say. Let all the gods, associated with the Asuras, cast all sorts of medicinal herbs into the sea of milk; and then taking the mountain Mandara for the churning-stick, the serpent Vasuki for the rope, churn the ocean together for ambrosia; depending upon my aid. To secure the assistance of the Asuras, you must be at peace with them, and promise the equal portion of the ambrosia, drinking of which they shall become mighty and immortal.

Coopetition or co-opetition is a word coined to describe cooperative competition.

“Coopetition” is a term used to describe unconventional collaboration and cooperation within an otherwise competitive field of players. When companies learn to work together effectively, industry competitors can reach a wider global market while still leveraging their unique value proposition to stand out amongst the crowd. Coopetition occurs at inter-organizational or intra-organizational levels. At inter-organisational level, coopetition occurs when they cooperate with each other to reach a higher value creation if compared to the value created without interaction and struggle to achieve competitive advantage. Often coopetition takes place when companies that are in the same market work together in the exploration of knowledge and research of new products, at the same time that they compete for market-share of their products and in the exploitation of the knowledge created. It is possible for more than two companies to be involved in coopetition with one another. One of the examples of coopetition in practice in high technology context is the collaborative joint venture formed by Samsung Electronics and Sony formed in 2004 for the development and manufacturing of flat-screen LCD Panels. Cartels are not an example of coopetition because their goal is to limit competition, and the goal of coopetition is to take advantage of the complementary resources of the firms in order to reach lower costs and manage innovation possibilities, still regarding competition in a further moment.

More and more companies – from start-ups to incumbents– are taking a less literal approach to pursuing competitive advantage. They are discovering untapped value potential by engaging industry rivals with a hybrid strategy of cooperation and competition, or “coopetition”. For example, Amazon and LinkedIn have welcomed competitors onto their respective platforms, recognising that expansion of their network was its own reward.

Obviously, coopetition alliances come with a unique set of tensions requiring careful management. Adopting two diametrically opposed attitudes– cooperation and competition – toward the same party is a tricky balance to sustain. If participants are too obliging, they risk being exploited; if they are too guarded, the intended synergies are jeopardised. That is why most scholars recommend that coopetition partners employ separation strategies, such as convening two different teams to handle the cooperative and competitive aspects of the relationship.

There are many case studies that shows highly successful coopetitive strategies as well as those that failed. In the Analytical industry, there are many such examples. Analytical Software that can be used to control, acquire, analyse and report results from a wide variety of instruments from different manufacturers is only possible if the Instrument manufacturers and software developers share their control code to each other. There are also many failed agreements that resulted in bitter court battles and bad blood.

Lesson 4

Thus instructed, the divinities entered into alliance with the Asuras, and they jointly undertook the churning of the milky ocean. They collected various kinds of medicinal herbs, and cast them into the sea of milk. The churning of the Ocean of Milk was an elaborate process: Mount Mandara was used as the churning rod, and Vasuki, king of snakes, became the churning rope. The Asuras demanded to hold the head of the snake, while the Devas, taking advice from Vishnu, agreed to hold its tail. However, fumes emitted by Vasuki poisoned the Asuras. Despite this, the Devas and the Asuras pulled back and forth on the snake’s body alternately, causing the mountain to rotate, which in turn churned the ocean. When the mountain was placed on the ocean, it began to sink. Vishnu, in the form of the Kurma (turtle), came to their rescue and supported the mountain on his shell.

Total trust, openness and willingness to compromise and make concessions are essential for any cooperation to be successful between competitors. High level of mistrust and suspicion of the other party is what always make such arrangements a failure. Mount Manthara is used as the churning rod and Vasuki, the snake as the rope. Significance of the churning process explained here is important. Gods are pulling from the tail end and Asuras at the head side. They are not constantly pulling in one direction. In that case, it becomes either a tug of war with no churning and no results or rotating always in one direction. Here when Gods pull, Asuras release their hold and Asuras pull, God releases and the process goes alternatively. That is where the give and take happens. Any agreement without such a compromise is bound to fail.

Mount Manthara was used here for the churning and not any small spindle. Similarly one has to deploy the right resources based on the complexity of the task to achieve the desired objective. CEO level involvement is mandatory to make any agreement with competitors successful. That is why we have seen that both Indra (Head of Gods) and Bali (Head of Asuras) was involved in the negotiation and execution process.

Lesson 5

The Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean) process released a number of things from the Ocean of Milk. First was the lethal poison known as Halahala, escaped from the mouth of the serpent king as the Asuras and gods churned. This terrified them as the poison has the powerful to destroy all of creation. Then the gods approached Shiva for protection. Shiva consumed the poison to protect the three worlds but it burned the throat of Shiva. As a result, his throat turned blue and hence called Neelakantha.

First lesson we learn from here is that every organizational transformational process usually produces negative results in the beginning before it attains stability and growth again. Be prepared.

In everyone’s life there are good and bad times. So is in organizations. There are periods of excellent growth and profitability and sudden decline due to either internal or external conditions including competitive and regulatory reasons. When things go wrong, there is pressure on the Executive from every stakeholders. Shareholders will always demand better return on their investment either directly or through the board of directors. Customers always want better product and prompt support at lower and lower prices. Government want more money through duties and taxes and society needs investment from the company for social improvement. When the business is downward, meeting all these demands becomes challenging and pressure from external sources could become increasingly harsh and unbearable. The CEO now has the responsibility to insulate the executives and employees from unwanted external pressure so that they can focus on their job, which is make the company successful. If too much pressure is put, their performance can deteriorate and the downward spiral can start with alarming consequences. That means the CEO should be the buffer between harsh external environment and hardworking internal team members and therefore should act like Siva. Do not pass the poison from the stakeholders to the team members and let the external world do not know the frustration and helplessness of the team. If the poison is let out, the external world will be damaged and if let in, internal world will be damaged. So hold at the throat. And CEO acts like the throat….

Lesson 6

Subsequently many other divine and precious things emerged out of the ocean because of the churning.  That included Uchhaisravas, the white horse, Airavata, the elephant, various divine nymphs like Rambha, Menaka, etc, Lakshmi: the Goddess of Fortune and Wealth, Varuni: Goddess of wine, Kamadhenu: the wish-granting cow, Kausthuba: the most valuable gem, Parijat: the divine flowering tree with blossoms that never fade or wilt, etc. Most of these items were shared between the Devas and Asuras and some, like Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and Kausthuba gem were given to Vishnu. Finally came Dhanvantari, the heavenly physician with Amrita, the nectar of immortality.

Organizational transformational process or change management is never an easy process.  Usually the initial results one see are not always very positive but keeping and gaining momentum is mandatory by being resilient and committed in our quest to create value for the organization and people we serve. However, the reality of the workplace is that we are dealing with people who complicate matters with their corporate politicking, self-promotion, power plays and ploys, and envy. Competitors equally create problems for us when they unexpectedly convert a long-standing client, establish a new industry relationship, or launch a new product, brand or corporate strategy.   As we normally say, failures are orphan as none accepts a negative outcome like the ‘halahal’ poison and finally Siva had to swallow it. However there were many claimants for the success as both Gods and Asuras argued and fought for each and every good things that came out of the churning process. A leader has to act tactfully and ensure that there is minimum disruption and the transformation process must be continued even after reaching the milestone set initially.

Lesson 7

Fierce fighting ensued between the Devas and the Asuras for it and finally Asuras took it away. The Devas appealed to Vishnu, who took the form of Mohini as a beautiful and enchanting damsel, distracted the Asuras, took the amrita, and distributed it among the Devas, who drank it. The story ends with the rejuvenated devas defeating the Asuras.

Neither the Devas nor Asuras had any plan to share the Amrita with the other party. Any agreement made with hidden agenda is bound to fail and may lead to protracted battle, literally or in the court. However, Asuras had a better plan and strategy to hoodwink gods, took away the Amrita, and escaped to their kingdom. Gods approached Vishnu for help again. The first case of honey trapping happened long back in history and the main protagonist was Vishnu in the guise of an enchantress Mohini. Honeytrap is a stratagem in which an attractive person entices others and trick them to do something unwise. Such cases are very common these days for espionage or for political or financial gains. This story clearly depicts the pitfall of such a vulnerability and all must be extremely careful and vigilant to ensure you do not fall into such traps.

Janamejaya, the son of Maharaja Parikshit was attending a long sacrifice on the plains of Kurukshetra with his brothers. As they were sitting at the sacrifice, there saw a dog. Beaten by the brothers of Janamejaya, the dog ran away to his mother, crying in pain. Questioned by the mother Sarama, the dog mentioned that the brothers of Janamejaya beat him. Hearing this and much distressed at the suffering of her son, she went to the place where Janamejaya with his brothers addressed them in anger, saying, “this my son has committed no fault: he has neither looked upon your sacrificial butter nor touched it with his tongue. Why have you beaten him?” They said not a word in reply; whereupon she said, “as you have beaten my son who has committed no fault evil shall come upon you, when you least expect it.”

In organizations, whether military, government or private, execute authority increases with rank or positions. Seniors have authority to reward or punish juniors. Similarly, in scriptures one can read the authority and power of Kings and Rishis. However, the story above clearly shows that even a dog can punish a King, if the King harasses without any reason. If you are a low-level employee in a company, do not worry. None can harass you without reason, and if they do, you have the moral right to punish them. If not directly, providence will interfere and do the needful.

Sanat Sujatiya

In order to avert the impending war and yet give his sons the kingdom, Dhritarashtra sends his emissary to Yudhishthira with a message not to wage war and continue living in the forest for ever. However the Pandavas did not heed to his request and sends the emissary back with a stern message from all the brothers. Dhritarashtra becomes restless and summons Vidura his half-brother and minister for advice.

‘O Vidura, Sanjaya has come back. He has gone away after rebuking me. Tomorrow he will deliver, in the midst of the court, Yudhishthira’s message. I have not been able today to ascertain what the message is and therefore, my body is burning, and that has produced sleeplessness. Tell us what may be good for a person that is sleepless and burning. You are well versed in both religion and profit. Filled with anxiety about what he may deliver, all my senses have been disordered. I desire to hear from you words that are beneficial and fraught with high morality.

The advice given by Vidura is known as Vidura-niti and is a great source for wisdom of the highest order. Even after 5000 years, what Vidura said is relevant today and we can apply these principles in our day to day life.

After intensely listening to Vidura, Dhritarashtra said, ‘If there is anything still left unsaid say it then, as I am ready to listen to you. The discourse is indeed, charming.’

Vidura said, ‘O Dhritarashtra, the ancient and immortal Rishi Sanat-Sujata who, leading a life of perpetual celibacy, will expound to you all the doubts both expressed and unexpressed. Since I am born in the Sudra order and, therefore, do not venture to say more than what I have already said. The understanding of that Rishi, a Brahmin by birth and leading a life of celibacy is regarded by me to be infinite.

Sage Sana kumara was one of the Four Kumaras, the four Manasaputras (mind-born-sons) or spiritual sons of Brahma according to Puranic texts of Hinduism. When the four Kumaras came into existence, they were all embodiments of pure qualities. Upon remembering his name, Sanat kumara appears before them and the discussions between him and Dhritarashtra by way of question and answer session is called Sanat Sujatiya. 

Sanat-sujata said, ‘that asceticism which is not stained by faults is said to be capable of procuring emancipation, and is, therefore, successful, while the asceticism that is stained by vanity and want of true devotion is regarded unsuccessful.

Dhritarashtra said, ‘I have listened to what you said about asceticism unstained by faults, and by which I have succeeded in knowing an eternal mystery. Tell me now, O Sanat-sujata, about asceticism that is stained by faults!’

O king, the twelve, including anger is the faults of asceticism that is stained. Anger, lust, avarice, ignorance of right and wrong, discontent, cruelty, malice, vanity, grief, love of pleasure, envy, and speaking ill of others, are generally the faults of human beings. These twelve should always be avoided by men.

(1)Assertion of one’s own superiority, (2)desire of enjoying others’ wives, (3)humiliating others from excess of pride, (4)wrathfulness, (5)fickleness, and (6)refusing to maintain those worthy of being maintained, these six acts of wickedness are always practised by sinful men defying all dangers here and hereafter.

(1)He that regards the gratification of lust to be one of life’s aims, (2) he that is exceedingly proud, (3) he that grieves having given away, (4) he that never spends money, (5) he that persecutes his subjects by exacting hateful taxes, (6) he that delights in the humiliation of others, and (7) he that hates his own wives,–these seven are others that are also called wicked.

(1)Righteousness, (2)truth (abstention from injury and truthfulness of speech), (3)self-restraint, (4)asceticism, (5)delight in the happiness of others, (6)modesty, (7)forbearance, (8)love of others, (9)sacrifices, (10)gifts, (11)perseverance, (12)knowledge of the scriptures,–these twelve constitute the practices of Brahmans.

He that succeeds in acquiring these twelve becomes competent to sway the entire earth. He that is endued with three, two, or even one, of these, should be regarded of heavenly prosperity. Self-restraint, renunciation, and knowledge of self, in these are emancipation. Those Brahmans that are endued with wisdom, say, that these are attributes in which truth predominates. Self-restraint is constituted by eighteen virtues.

The eighteen faults (that have been enumerated) constitute what is called mada or pride. Breaches and non-observance of ordained acts and omissions, falsehood, malice, lust, wealth, love of (sensual) pleasure, anger, grief, thirst, avarice, deceit, joy in the misery of others, envy, injuring others, regret, aversion from pious acts, forgetfulness of duty, calumniating others, and vanity-he that is freed from these (eighteen) vices; is said by the righteous to be self-restrained.

Renunciation is of six kinds. ‘The six kinds of renunciation are all commendable. They are these: The first is never experiencing joy on occasions of prosperity. The second is the abandonment of sacrifices, prayers, and pious acts. That which is called the third is the abandonment of desire or withdrawing from the world. Indeed, it is in consequence of this third kind of renunciation of desire, which is evidenced by the abandonment of all objects of enjoyment (without enjoying them) and not their abandonment after having enjoyed them to the fill, nor by abandonment after acquisition, nor by abandonment only after one has become incompetent to enjoy from loss of appetite. The fourth kind of renunciation consists in this: One should not grieve nor suffer his self to be afflicted by grief when one’s actions fail, notwithstanding one’s possession of all the virtues and all kinds of wealth. Or, when anything disagreeable happens, one feels no pain. The fifth kind of renunciation consists in not soliciting even one’s sons, wives, and others that may all be very dear. The sixth kind consists in giving away to a deserving person who solicits, which act of gifts is always productive of merit. By these again, one acquires the knowledge of self.

As regards this last attribute, it involves eight qualities. These are truth, meditation, distinction of subject and object, capacity for drawing inferences, withdrawal from the world, never taking what belong to others, the practices of Brahmacharya vows (abstinence), and non-acceptance (of gifts).

So also the attribute of mada (the opposite of dama or self-restraint) has faults which have all been indicated (in the scriptures). These faults should be avoided. I have spoken to you of renunciation and self-knowledge. And self-knowledge has eight virtues, so the want of it has eight faults. Those faults should be avoided. O Bharata, he that is liberated from the five senses, mind, the past and the future, becomes happy. O king, let your soul be devoted to truth; all the worlds are established on truth; indeed, self-control, renunciation, and self-knowledge are said to have truth for their foremost attribute.

These three, viz., the desire of enjoyments, lust and wrath lead foolish men to death.

Success and Prosperity
1. The following brings happiness in life
a. Health,
b. Un-indebtedness,
c. living at home,
d. Companionship with good men,
e. certainty as regards the means of livelihood,
f. Living without fear.
g. acquirement of wealth,
h. a beloved and a sweet-speaking wife,
i. an obedient son,
j. knowledge that is lucrative
k. meeting with friends,
l. conversation with friends in proper times,
m. the advancement of persons belong to one’s own party,
n. the acquisition of what had been anticipated,
o. respect in society
2. Prosperity takes its birth in good deeds, growth in consequence of activity, drives its roots deep in consequence of skill, and acquires stability owing to self-control.
3. He that accepts the teaching of the wise; he that is acquainted with the rules of morality; he that is liberal; he that eats having first dedicated the food to the gods and Pitris; he that envies none; he that is incapable of doing anything that injures others; he that is grateful, truthful, humble and learned, succeeds in attaining to heaven.
4. Success – He who with a firm resolution strives to accomplish by a virtuous policy purposes that have once been frustrated, is said to possess real manhood. That man attains all his objects, who is conversant with remedies to be applied in the future, who is firmly resolved in the present, and who could anticipate in the past how an act begun would end. That, which a man pursues in word, deed, and thought, wins him for its own; therefore, one should always seek that which is for his good.
5. Effort after securing what is good, the properties of time, place, and means, acquaintance with the scriptures, activity, straightforwardness, and frequent meetings with those that are good, these bring about prosperity. Perseverance is the root of prosperity, of gain, and of what is beneficial. The man that pursues an object with perseverance and without giving it up in vexation, is really great, and enjoys happiness that is unending.
6. Prosperity never approaches from fear the person that is excessively liberal, that gives away without measure, that is possessed of extraordinary bravery, that practises the most rigid vows, and that is very proud of his wisdom. Prosperity does not reside in one that is highly accomplished, nor in one that is without any accomplishment. She does not desire a combination of all the virtues, nor is she pleased with the total absence of all virtues. Blind, like a mad cow, prosperity resides with someone who is not remarkable.

Kings and Managers – How to be successful
1. A king (Manager) should renounce these seven faults that are productive of calamity, inasmuch as they are able to effect the ruin of even monarchs firmly established; these are women, dice, hunting, drinking, harshness of speech, severity of punishment, and misuse of wealth.
2. Before one engages in an act, one should consider the competence of the agent, the nature of the act itself, and its purpose, for all acts are dependent on these. Considering these one should begin an act, and not take it up on a sudden impulse.

3. Kings (Managers) duties and responsibilities and way of operation.
a. That king whose counsels cannot be known by either outsiders or those about him, but who knows the counsels of others through his spies, enjoys his prosperity long.
b. One should never speak of what one intends to do.
c. Let anything you do in respect of virtue, profit, and desire, be not known till it is done.
d. Let counsels be not divulged. Ascending on the mountain-top or on the terrace of a palace, or proceeding to a wilderness devoid of trees and plants, one should, in secrecy, mature his counsels.
e. Neither a friend who is without learning, nor a learned friend who has no control over his senses, deserves to be a repository of state secrets.
f. Never make one your minister without examining him well, for a king’s finances and the keeping of his counsels both depend on his minister.
g. That king is the foremost of rulers, whose ministers know his acts in respect of virtue, profit and desire, only after they are done.
h. The king, whose counsels are kept close, without doubt, commands success.
i. He that from ignorance commits acts that are censurable loses his very life in consequence of the untoward results of those acts. The doing of acts that are praise-worthy is always attended with ease. Omission to do such acts leads to repentance.
j. As a Brahmin without having studied the Vedas is not fit to officiate at a Sraddha (in honour of the Pitris), so he that has not heard of the six (means for protecting a kingdom) deserves not to take part in political deliberations.
k. He that has an eye upon increase, decrease, and surplus, he that is conversant with the six means and knows also his own self, he whose conduct is always applauded, brings the whole earth under subjection to himself.
l. He whose anger and joy are productive of consequences, he who looks over personally what should be done, he who has his treasury under his own control, brings the whole earth under subjection to himself.
m. The king should be content with the name he wins and the umbrella that is held over his head. He should divide the wealth of the kingdom among these that serve him. Alone he should not appropriate everything.
n. A foe that deserves death, when brought under subjection should never be set free.
o. If one be weak one should pay court to one’s foe that is stronger, even if the latter deserves death; but one should kill that foe as soon as one commands sufficient strength, for, if not killed, dangers soon arise from him.
p. One should, with an effort, control his wrath against the gods, kings, Brahmins, old men, children, and those that are helpless.
q. He that is wise should avoid unprofitable quarrels such as fools only engage in. By this one wins great fame in this world and avoids misery and unhappiness.
r. People never desire him for a master whose grace is fruitless and whose wrath goes for nothing, like women never desiring him for a husband who is a eunuch.
s. Intelligence does not exist for the acquisition of wealth, nor is idleness the cause of adversity; the man of wisdom only knows, and not others, the cause of the diversities of condition in this world.
4. Learned men have declared that a king, although powerful, should never consult with these four,
a. men of small sense,
b. men that are procrastinating,
c. men that are indolent, and
d. men that are flatterers
5. A king should cherish a counsellor that worships persons of wisdom, is endued with learning, virtue, agreeable appearance, friends, sweet speech, and a good heart. Whether of low or high birth, he who does not transgress the rules of polite intercourse, who hath an eye on virtue, who is endued with humility and modesty, is superior to a hundred persons of high birth.

Venu Payyanur

Bhishma – Bhishma was a great archer and a warrior of peerless valor and courage. He had the stature and personality befitting that of a King and was a true Kshatriya and disciplined ascetic – a rare combination. In the great battle at Kurukshetra, Bhishma, bound by his oath to serve the ruler of Hastinapura, fought very reluctantly on the side of the Kauravas; nevertheless, gave his best effort. He tried his best to bring reconciliation between Pandavas and Kauravas to prevent the war, before, during and even at his deathbed, without success.  In this war, Bhishma vowed not to kill any of the Pandavas, as he loved them, being their grandsire. Duryodhana often confronted Bhishma alleging that he was not actually fighting for the Kaurava camp as he wouldn’t kill any Pandava but would let them kill Kauravas. But in fact, Bhishma was the strongest barrier that had protected the Kaurava camp from impending defeat. The war was thus locked in a stalemate. As the Pandavas mulled over this situation, Krishna advised them to visit Bhishma himself and request him to suggest a way out of this stalemate. Bhishma knew in his heart that the Pandavas were righteous and chaste, and that he stood as the greatest obstacle in their path to victory, so when they visited Bhishma, he told them that if faced by a woman in battle he would cease to fight and not lift weapons against her. Arjuna with the help of Shikhandi, kills the Grandsire the next day and paves the way for eventual win for the Pandavas.

The story of Bhishma is full of enigma. His mind and body was never in one place, more so during and the time preceding the Great War. Physically with Kauravas, he always supported the Pandavas and blessed them with victory. Even accepting the post of Commander in Chief was conditional and eliminated another great warrior Karna from participating in the war. He was one person who could have averted the war and the subsequent tragedy, if even once he has exercised his moral authority over Dhritarashtra. Having known that Karna was the eldest Pandava long before the war from Narada, disclosure of the same to others would have resulted in Karna becoming the king uncontested by either side, and the war averted, but kept this knowledge within. Do you like your Head of Sales, to be a confused person with questionable loyalty? How would you judge him when he dismisses the best sales person without any reason from the company?

Drona – Drona was born a Brahmin, son of Bharadwaja, in modern day Dehradun (a modification of dehra-dron, a clay pot); he was a master of advanced military arts, including the divine weapons and was the teacher for both the Kaurava and Pandava princes. Like Bhishma, none can defeat Drona as long as he is with his weapons and ready to fight, including his most favourite disciple Arjuna. Like Bhishma again, he was emotionally attached to the Pandavas than Kauravas but have to side with the Kauravas due to loyalty to the throne. He was delighted when Duryodhana requested him to capture Yudhishthira rather than to kill him. But as a Brahmin and a teacher, Drona displayed many weaknesses. He always favoured his best student Arjuna and son Ashvatthama against the basic principles of teacher student relationships.  Drona’s biggest criticism springs from his behavior towards Ekalavya (having understood that Ekalavya has better skill than Arjuna, Drona ask for his thumb finger as guru dakshina even though he was never his student directly) and Karna as he rejected him as student for not being a Kshatriya. As Brahmin he was supposed to be a teacher, Vedic scholar and a priest and not to take part in a war killing other people. During the war, while he was the commander in chief, Drona ordered his commanders to attack and kill Abhimanyu which was against the principles of war. In fact on his fifth day as Commander in chief, just before he laid down his arms, many Rishis appeared in the sky and requested him stop the heinous crime of man slaughter as it was not befitting his stature as a Brahmin and teacher.

We see many Drona like characters in every organization. Favoritism and nepotism is very common which leads to groupism and demoralization of capable performers.  There are many senior managers who forget their primary responsibility and interfere in other departmental activities leading to intra departmental rivalries and loss of performance.

Duryodhana – The meaning of Duryodhana is the one who is very difficult to conquer; it also means the one who misuses wealth. He was the eldest of the Kauravas and perpetually fighting with the Pandavas for power and position, particularly Bhima. As his name suggests, his body is steel like due to special blessing from his mother and none can defeat him in the war, except for the devious plan hatched by Krishna to hit below the waist which is not permitted in war. During the time he was the king, he made all the subjects love him by showering them with wealth and positions. With the help of Karna he also captured kingdoms far and wide and became an Emperor of the Universe and amassed wealth and army of unimaginable proportions. Although loved by all his family, Duryodhana and most of his brothers are seen as inferior to the Pandavas in their adherence to virtue and duty, and respect of elders. Duryodhana was a strong and powerful king, willing to do anything to ensure his continued supremacy and position. During the war he constantly reprimanded Bhishma and later Drona for not doing enough to destroy the Pandavas and win the war, and annoyed Kripa and Ashvatthama to incur their wrath.  There were also occasions where Duryodhana has shown greatness and magnanimity. Starting from anointing Karna as the King of Anga when all assembled at the great display of talent by the young Kaurava and Pandava princes after their training by Guru Drona, he chose not to accept the offer made by Yudhishthira to fight with any one of the Pandavas and take the kingdom if wins.

Duryodhana was a successful CEO, had the power, knowledge, drive and dynamism to get whatever he wants and eliminated the enemies (competitors) with disdain. But his disrespect for the seniors in the team, disregard for ethical behavior and practices, poor interpersonal relationship with his subordinates all cost him a lot. 

Karna – Karna was the son of Surya and Kunti before her marriage with Pandu and the King of Anga. Karna is the very embodiment of sacrifice and stories of his generosity are legendary. In the entire world you cannot find another person equal in the spirit of sacrifice to Karna. Karna was one of the greatest warriors, considered equal or better than Arjuna. Yudhishthira could not sleep worrying about the prowess of Karna and how the Pandavas will win the war against such powerful enemies like Karna and was also highly respected by Bhishma and Krishna. Karna fought against misfortune throughout his life and kept his word under all circumstances. Karna was the closest friend of Duryodhana and fought on his behalf against the Pandavas (his brothers) in the famous Kurukshetra war. His wrongful attachment to Duryodhana made himself remote from God and goodness, the cause of his final downfall. Just before the start of the war Krishna revealed to Karna that he was the eldest son of Kunti, and therefore, technically, the eldest Pandava, and asked him to change sides. Krishna assured him that Yudhishthira would give the crown of Indraprastha to him. Karna refused this huge offer because he had sworn loyalty to Duryodhana, and as such, was compelled to stay by his side despite his blood ties to the Pandavas. He said that Yudhishthira was a righteous man, and knowing that Karna was older than he was, he would immediately give up the crown. However, to repay his debt to Duryodhana, Karna would have to confer the crown of Indraprastha immediately onto Duryodhana, which Karna thought was against Dharma. Krishna was saddened, but appreciating Karna’s sense of loyalty, accepted his decision, promising Karna that his lineage would remain a secret. During the war Karna had many opportunities to capture or kill the Pandavas, except Arjuna, but he left them free, in spite of his loyalty towards Duryodhana due to the promise made to his mother.

Karna serves as an excellent example of a gifted, generous, righteous and brave individual who was doomed because of his misplaced sense of loyalty. He could have been the CEO of the most successful organization with excellent team, but chose not to accept it for friendship and loyalty. He is idealized as an inspiration for struggling humanity not to lose heart. He is also considered an example of how misjudgment can render all the finer qualities of an individual futile.

Abhimanyu is the son of Arjuna, nephew of Lord Krishna and grandson of Lord Indra, god of mystical weapons and wars, was a courageous and dashing warrior. Considered an equal to his father owing his prodigious feats, Abhimanyu was able to hold at bay great heroes like Drona, Karna, Duryodhana and Dushasana and none from the Kaurava side (except Bhisma) can kill him in a one on one combat (dwandva yudha). He was praised for his audacious bravery and absolute loyalty to his father, his uncles and to their cause. As an unborn child in his mother’s womb, Abhimanyu learned the knowledge of entering the deadly and virtually impenetrable Chakravyuha from Arjuna, his father but never learned how to get out of it.

Abhimanyu is often quoted as an example of how partial knowledge can endanger ones career and life. His name also suggests that “false prestige” (abhiman) leads to claiming unknown capabilities followed by disaster. When ordered by Yudhishthira to enter the Chakravyuha, he readily accepts that and instructs his driver to take the chariot into the battle formation made by Drona. When the charioteer cautioned about the danger of entering the battle formation and the prowess of Drona, Abhimanyu replies. ‘O charioteer, who is this Drona? Indra himself on his Airavata and aided by all the celestials, I would encounter in battle. This hostile army of Kauravas does not come up to even a sixteen part of myself. O son of a Suta, getting my maternal uncle Vishnu himself, the conqueror of the universe or my father, Arjuna, as an antagonist in battle, fear would not enter my heart.’ Is this bravery or foolish utterances of an immature sixteen year old arrogant brat? If you have ever worked in a family owned corporation, you would have seen such behaviour from the school going children of the owners.