Looking for heroes

Ms Bhawna Gupta, Vice Principal of a school in Kanpur, Northern India who is reading my most recent book, Invincible Arjuna, sent me a text message that reads: "Your Arjuna is simply amazing. Each sentence is so powerful and relevant for all of us. Feel like reading all over again."

A hero grows when people start relying on him

Arjuna grows by giving. When a hero gives his energy, his time and, his life for others, his mind expands. When his mind expands, others are touched by his generosity. The more he touches the hearts and minds of others, the more they rely on him for protection, security, direction and leadership. The more people rely on him, the more they contribute to the hero’s growth. This is the story of all heroes, of all times.

Arjuna is always ready to take responsibility on behalf of his five brothers. Although each of the Pandava brothers has unique talents, it is usually Arjuna who takes the ultimate call. He is ready to sacrifice his personal comfort and accept voluntary exile for transgressing Yudhishthira’s privacy. This is why he is so admired by his own brothers. His nobility is seen in his large-heatedness towards his enemies even when he has defeated them. He conquers his adversary, the Panchala King Drupada and yet touches the enemy’sheart.  Drupada is delighted to give his daughter Draupadi’s hands in marriage to Arjuna. Arjuna’s human errors are forgiven by his brothers and his followers as he is always for giving rather than for taking. When we are for giving, we are forgiven. When we are for getting, we are forgotten.

Krishna teaches Arjuna, how to be an ati maharathi—the ultimate warrior. Just as Indra gave Arjuna the gift of being born as a hero, Krishna taught Arjuna the art of dying as a hero. The hero fights not to avoid death but to live a full life. Arjuna does not want to be saved, he wants to be used in the service of others. When a grain of rice falls into the earth and decides to remain a grain, it’s identity as a grain is lost over time. Yet, when the same grain decides to sacrifice itself to the soil, the grain becomes a seed and bears much fruit. From one grain of rice are born millions of grains that make our earth prosperous.

Such is the journey of a hero.

What more can you expect if you choose to read Invincible Arjuna that is now out there in the world? I will let Karthik Venkatesh, Consulting Editor, Westland Books have the last word on this:

In this creative re-imagining of the much-loved story of Arjuna, Debashis Chatterjee, the nation’s foremost voice on transformational leadership, mines the Mahabharata and discovers nine precious milestones for a new generation of heroes. Our world is desperately in need of heroes. Heroes leave their footprints on the tracks of time. They inspire generations to look at those footprints as milestones on the hero path.

 Invincible Arjuna is as old as the hills and as fresh as the morning dew. He is timeless and yet he belongs to our times. A magical blend of mythology and management, this book is worth reading, re-reading, many times over. 

P.S.  I would look forward to reading your comments and thoughts on Invincible Arjuna

? Debashis Chatterjee, 2016