899. The Half Knowledge..... I!

Mahabharata by C. Rajagopalachari was the book recommended by my father to read when I was in high school. I was fortunate enough to read that great epic in simple language at that age. Later on it became easy for me to read the epic from other authors and listen to the discourse from various personalities. 

For a seeker Mahabharata is filled with metaphors. The battle of Kurukshetra is not only that which took place in a battlefield but is a battle happening daily within us. There is a continuous tussle between the positivity and the negative emotions. The hundred negative attitudes we harness are like Duryodhana and his brothers while our five senses represent the sons of Pandu. It should be our constant quest to enrich the Pandavas and subdue the Kauravas with the help of Antaryami Sri Krishna, the Inner Voice.

One incidence in the Great War that has a positive impact on me since my younger days was the “Chakravyuha” episode. I also played the role of Abhimanyu in a play when I was in a summer camp.  

Chakravyuha is a two word amalgamation in Sanskrit vocabulary. Chakra is wheel and Vyuha is formation. This is a most complex circular defensive pattern that keeps on moving in a spherical order. The formation is unseen from the ground but when one views it from above he can decipher the movement.    

The making and breaking of Chakravyuha was a closely guarded secret by military elites. Arjuna once in his flamboyant moods revealed its secret to his pregnant wife Subhadra. This narration was overheard by Abhimanyu from within his mother’s womb. Midway during narration Subhadra fell asleep. Abhimanyu who was listening could only grasp the knowledge of entering the Chakravyuha, not the exit strategies. 

We all know that Abhimanyu volunteered to enter the wheel formation but lost his life for the lack of knowledge to break away. I regard this episode with great relevance. Subhadra signifies the state of my mind that yonder and go to sleep when it was necessary to pay attention. Abhimanyu is the zeal in me ready to accept challenges without complete knowledge of task and risk involved. Abhimanyu is the son of Subhadra, zeal is the by product of my mindset. The blame is not on the zeal but on my mind which was unprepared. 

My sleeping mind lacks concentration and commitment. Whether it is my personal or professional life, the impact is irreversible. So the question now is how do I keep my mind active and avoid detrimental situations???

Bhagavad-Gita talks about Yagna which vaguely translate to in English as Sacrifice. Yagna is an act done with complete knowledge and selfless dedication. Any work done by me with limited resources but with full knowledge, devotion and detachment will produce better results than when done with more resources but with half knowledge and lack of dedication.

This half knowledge has put me in a sticky situation in few occasions at my factory. The zeal to start the work has made me unprepared for the unfurling events causing a little hardship. Whether it was in my factory or in my personal life, the half knowledge is dangerous. I learnt that it is important to wake-up the Subhadra in me so that the Abhimanyu in me is well equipped with sufficient knowledge so that it will be like a cake walk to enter and exit the Chakravyuhas in my life.