Followers

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Time Management from Mahabharat

It is well known that the great battle of Mahabharat was the consequence of a long series of intrigues and conspiracies planned and abetted by the wicked prince Duryodhana, the eldest son of Dhritarashtra. Right from the very beginning, it had been a major (and the only) preoccupation of Duryodhana and his maternal uncle, Shakuni, to deprive the Pandav brothers of their legitimate rights. In order to achieve their goals, they were bent upon using any methods foul or fair. The duo did not let any opportunity slip by to eliminate Pandavas or at least to keep them away from the throne of Indraprastha.

One such occasion for hatching a conspiracy presented itself when the Pandavas were sent to Varnavrat festival. Unknown to them, Duryodhana and Shakuni had an apparently magnificent palace erected for the Pandavas. The grandeur of the palace impressed the Pandavas so much that they felt a very deep sense of gratitude towards their cousin Duryodhana who, in their view, took so much pain to make their stay at Varnavrat so comfortable.

However, Vidur, the uncle of the Pandavas and Kauravas, was not convinced that Duryodahana and Shakuni could be doing all this as a matter of affectionate hospitality. Vidur has always been admired - and rightly so - for his wisdom. He viewed and examined everything critically; more so where there was involvement of Duryodhana or Shakuni. He found out that the apparently grand palace was built of wax.

And why wax? Shakuni had worked out his scheme with meticulous planning. He had planned that the Pandavas would be invited to Varnavrat festival and lodged in this palace of wax, where they would be provided with generous hospitality. Their needs would be attended to with utmost care and politeness. In the process, they would develop an uncritical and affectionate attitude towards Duryodhana. Nothing would be done which might incite their suspicion. They would thus stay till the last day of the Varnavrat festival. Doing anything untoward during the days of the festival would create confusion and invite the ire of the general population who are joyfully participating in the festival.

Once the festival was over and the Pandavas were left alone in the palace, they would be requested as a matter of courtesy to stay on for a couple of days more. On the last night of their stay, the palace of wax would be put on fire. The unsuspecting Pandavas would be consumed by fire in their sleep. The world would know of the accident only to sympathise with Duryodhana rather despise him.

As indicated above, Vidur had anticipated some trouble, and could read through the wicked designs of Shakuni and Duryodhana. By the time he got to know the totality of the conspiracy, only one week was left. But he lost no time in arranging to do what the situation demanded. He sent for a very skilled Khanik (tunnel maker) and asked him to prepare a tunnel well before the night when the wax palace was to be put on fire. In the meantime, Vidur was able to send across his message to the Pandavas as well, indicating to them as to how they would escape from the palace without the knowledge of the men of Duryodhana, who were all around the palace on a constant vigil.

As pre-planned, the wax palace was put on fire and with the help of foresight of Vidur the tunnel was completed in time and all the Pandavas walked out of the palace, untouched by the evil designs of Duryodhana and Shakuni.

This is a crystal clear instance of how Time Management plays a vital role in achieving success along with meticulous planning. If these two are done, 90% of success is inevitable.

No comments:

Post a Comment