5 Lessons from Mahabharata that will Help Reshaping your Life as an Entrepreneur
Mahabharata is a chronicle of the struggle that occurred in the Kurukshetra War between two groups of cousins Kaurava and the Pandava. It may sound so simple but this Sanskrit classic by Veda Vyāsa is full of deep meanings. The Mahabharata was written in Dvapara Yuga and each adhaya of it consists of understanding beyond the story, character, and the war.
The history of Mahabharata brings forward the complex interpretation of wealth, life, death, ideas, perspective, humanity, success, expectations, and a lot more. Since our childhood, we often have heard from our mother or grandmother about Dharma (right way of living), Karma (deed or action), rebirth, soul, moksha (liberation).
The Mahabharata brings forward some good lessons that can reconstruct one’s personal as well as professional lives in Kalyug. The lessons of sacrifice, pledge, and devotions might seem to us like the easiest one to follow but they are the greatest asset one can hold on their lives especially in the World of Business.
Devavrata, who is also known as Bhishma Pitamaha had taken the pledge of celibacy by sacrificing his ‘crown-prince’ for the sake of his father Shantanu who was the Kuru king of Hastinapur.
Here are the lessons from Mahabharata that would lead you in reshaping your life as an entrepreneur:
1. Play along by the rules In Ramayan, king Ram who is an avatar of Lord
Vishnu is the central character who follows the rules. Whereas, in Mahabharata Lord Krishna is seen playing along by the rules. In Business, the life of a businessman is similar to that at times you are supposed to make rules and make sure that your fellow members follow it. And there are times when you need to be one of them and play along as it would increase productivity.
2. Simple solutions are enough to handle crisis
When Arjun entered Yudhisthira (the eldest Pandav) and Draupadi’s chamber searching for his bow, she didn’t like the interruption and in anger, she demanded that he should be killed. When in a company someone fails to perform, it is not necessary to take tough steps but can be compensated by simple logical measures.
3. Consequences of Hurt and Ego
Time passes but some things have not changed in all these years! Draupadi made a mistake by making fun of Duryodhana (eldest of the Kauravas) by calling him a blind son of blind parents, not realizing what one comment could do. The journey of entrepreneurship is stood upon testing our patience.
There are times when the company rises to the cloud of success that leaves a negative imprint by making partners, employees stand against each other. A successful business is more in need of friends rather than enemies. Support from both big and small associates are needed.
4. Control your Demons not to destroy everything
The famous saying, the one who gamble, lose all! It reminds us of a famous game of dice from Mahabharata where Yudhishtira places everything at stake which includes his Kingdom, wealth, brother, and wife Draupadi. This gives a lesson that even the virtuous king couldn’t think of the failure and lost everything. In business, sometimes even the smartest men in the office, just for the sake of winning puts everything at risk and loses them in a moment that took years to build.
5. The true worth of power is when used for others
An incident in Mahabharata teaches you that Dharma is thinking about others. An incident where Yudhishtira was at a point where he can save only one of his siblings and he chose Nakul, the one who was born to Madri another wife of Pandu. When asked why? He explained, “I Kunti’s son is alive, one of Madri’s son should live too”. How you apply to have a theoretical understanding of Dharma practically describes what kind of figurehead you can be.
When you are running a company, you are required to take decisions at a time that might not be best for you but it would make others gratified. Although, it may not look like a wise decision at a time, but you will get the fruits of it. It is said that a man of integrity goes a long way in entrepreneurship.
When it’s a matter of sustaining the business, knowledge, skill, and merit is what matters. However, for most of them, it’s the linage that holds extreme importance. The company you are running is your responsibility, not your property. Each person from the ground level is responsible for its creation. Your employees require a good leader that would lead and help them in growing up the company to the highest.
