Lessons of management inspired by Mahabharatha.

1. LESSONS OF MANAGEMENT
FROM
MAHABHARATHA

2. FACTS
 Mahabharatha is the longest sanskrit epic till
date.
 Origin of the epic probably fall between 8th
and 9th century B.C.
 It contains almost 1 lakh shlokas and is
almost 4 times larger than RAMAYANA.
 It is believed to be narrated by maharshi
Vyasa to lord Ganesha ,who wrote it down.

3. MAJOR CHARACTERS
•Bhishma
•Drona
•Karna
•Shalya
•Kripacharya
•Ashwathama
•Duriyodhana
•Arjuna
•Bhima
•Dhrshtadyuma
•Abhimanyu
•Ghatotkach
•Shikhandi
•Satyaki
KAURAVA
S
PANDAVAS
LORD KRISHNA

4. MAHABHARATHA IN BRIEF
 Pandavas and Kauravas were the sons of the
brothers ,Pandu Maharaj & Drutarashtra.
 Kauravas being greedy about kingdom ,with the
help of Shakuni won the game of dice and sent
Pandavas for 14 years of Vanavas and 1 year of
Agnyatavas.
 After completing it,Pandavas were not given their
Kingdom back and were asked to fight for it.
 Pandavas sought the help of lord Krishna, whereas
Kauravas concentrated on strengthening their
arsenal
 The battle lasted for 18 days, and Pandavas wisely

5. SO
HOW ACTUALLY DID
PANDAVAS
“MANAGED”
TO
WIN THE WAR??

6. LESSONS
 Turn your weaknesses into strengths.
 Turn enemies into allies.
 Share your responsibilities.
 Team works scores over Individual Effort.
 The right man for the right job.
 Right strategies at right time.
 Know your enemy/challenges. Exploit its
weaknesses. Take calculated risks.
 Empower Women:The Gender Balance is
required for stability and administration.

7. TURN YOUR WEAKNESS INTOYOUR STRENGTH
Pandavas :
 Though in exile they turned their attention to
improving over their weakness
 Arjuna set out on a mission to acquires Divya-
astras.
 Bhima met his brother Hanuman and got a
blessing of enhanced strength.
Kauravas :
 Karna went on a country-wide military mission,
subdued the different kingdoms and acquired
wealth. But it meant a loss in terms of both men
and money and creation of new enemies.

8. MAKE POWERFUL ALLIES
Pandavas :
No wealth. No power of their own. But powerful allies all over India.
 Panchala through Marriage with Darupadi.
 Dwaraka through marriage with Arjuna and Subhadra.
 Magadha through marriage of Shadeva and Vijaya.
 Chedi through marriage of Nakula and Karenmayi.
 Kekaya through marriage of Yudhisthira and Devika.
 Matsya through marriage of Abhimanyu and Uttara.
 The Rakshasas through marriage of Bhima and Hidimba.
 The Nagas through marriage of Arjuna and Uloopi.
Kauravas :
 Centralized power system.
 The greatest empire of the time. But not many powerful allies, except
from old relations from far off places like Gandhara (Shakuni), Sindhu
(Jayadrath) and Kambodia (Camboja - Bhagadutt)

9. INDIVIDUAL MOTIVES--GET THE RIGHT MEN FOR THE
RIGHT JOB
Pandavas :
Common goal. But the individuals had their individual targets. Their own
agenda, which just became one with the teams’ agenda.
 Yudishtira : Drona.
 Shikhandi : Bhishma.
 Arjuna – Karna.
 Bhima – Duriyodhana and his brothers.
 Nakula –Karna’s sons.
Kauravas :
Except for Duriyodhana nobody wanted the War. All the 4 main generals
had strong ties with the Pandavas.
 Bhishma (grand childern) – Wont kill the pandavas. Will kill a thousand
soldiers each day.
 Drona (students) – Wont kill the Pandavas. Will capture them only.
 Karna (brother to the Pandavas) : Promised not to kill any of the other
Pandavas, save Arjuna.
A Team of Traitors.

10. RIGHT STRATEGY AT RIGHT TIME
Pandavas:
 Pandavas planned to have Lord Krishna on their
side knowing that having him is almost winning half
the war.
 Killing Bheeshma using transexuality of Shikhandi.
Kauravas:
 No such specific strategy because of lack of co-
ordination among them.
 Dhuryodhana’s aggressiveness never let him to
plan and execute.

11. SHARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
Pandavas :
Distributed leadership. Seven commanders for the seven divisons.(1
man command 1 akshouhini each).
 Virat (King of Matsya).
 Drupad (King of Pancala).
 Sahadeva (King of Magadha).
 Dhrshtaketu (King of Chedi).
 Satyaki (Only warrior from Dwaraka).
 Shikhandi (Prince of Panchala).
 Dhrshtadhyuma – Commander in Chief.
 Arjuna –Supreme Commander.
 Krishna – Arjuna’s charioteer and counselor.
Kauravas :
Centralized leadership. One Head of Army at a time, who has supreme
authority of 11 akshouhini of army.

12. TEAMWORK SUCCEEDS
WHEREAS
INDIVIDUAL EFFORT FAILS
Pandavas :
One team. One Goal. As men, they all had huge respect for Krishna and
Yudhishtira. While as warriors they were in complete awe of Bhima and
Arjuna. Most of them were close relatives – cousins, brother-in-laws,
father-in-laws. More than that they all were part of the decision-making
process. It was their “common” war.
Kauravas :
No team spirit. They all fought their individual wars.
 Bhishma : For his Vow to protect the throne Hastinapur.
 Shalya : Simply cheated by Duriyodhana to be there. Was originally a
Pandava ally.
 Karna : To prove his mantle against Arjuna. Friendship for Duriyodhana.
They didn’t get well with each other. Bhishma and Karna. Bhishma and
Shakuni. Karna and Shakuni. Karna and Shalya. Shalya and Bhishma. It
was like a bees, hornets and mosquitoes put together in a jar.

13. “KARMANYE VAADIKA RASTE
MA PHALESHU KADA CHANA”

14. -VINESH
THANK YOU