Shifting the battlefield itself is victory🔗

yudhāmanyuś ca vikrānta uttamaujāś ca vīryavān saubhadro draupadeyāś ca sarva eva mahārathāḥ

There are the mighty Yudhāmanyu, the brave Uttamauja, Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadrā and the sons of Draupadī, all of them great chariot warriors.

People who feel responsible become leaders.

asmākaṃ tu viśiṣṭā ye tān nibodha dvijottama nāyakā mama sainyasya saṃjñārthaṃ tān bravīmi te

O best of the brāhmaṇas, let me tell you, who are the powerful warriors on our side—the generals of my army; for your information, I mention them

Taking responsibility is a power

All wars between countries are nothing but triggering the collective root patterns of that society. Whether it is war at home, or war in the communities, or war between the countries, the root pattern is responsible. Incompletion at the level of a single individual piles up and becomes the incompletion at the level of society. Incompletion in the level of society piles up and becomes the incompletion in the level of large communities. Incompletion in the level of large communities piles up and becomes the incompletion in the level of the whole country. Incompletion in the level of countries leads to and causes wars. War is the result of incompletions. Whether it is war between you and you, or war between a country and country, it is the result of incompletions, which is there in a single human being. Kurukṣetra war is the ultimate war of the collective root patterns of humanity itself.

Duryodhana was the crown prince, and for all practical purposes the king as well, since his father was both blind and powerless to stop him. Duryodhana saw the soldiers of the Pāṇḍava army arrayed in front of him. There were many ways he could have responded to the sight. As the person who single-handedly instigated this war, Duryodhana could have gloated, that surely he would vanquish his cousins. As a measure to reassure himself and his army,

Duryodhana could have roared out in anger and in defiance. Yet, after seeing the army he chose to approach his teacher and mentor, Droṇa, one of the commanders of the Kaurava army, to seek his blessings. The move was to ensure that any blame for the outcome of the war would fall on

Droṇa's shoulders; it was to hold him responsible more than to seek reassurance or blessings.

This is how most people act when they go forward with a plan of action, knowing fully well that it is wrong and can lead to serious consequences. They find something or someone else to blame. Blaming somebody else will only make you feel more and more powerless, more and more incomplete.

Duryodhana understood well the modern management concept of delegation. Like many managers today, he delegated so that he could abdicate responsibility. It is very unfortunate that human beings are taught from the beginning to put the responsibility on others.

Responsibility means living and responding to life from the truth that you are the Source of, and therefore responsible for all happenings in and around you. Listen. There are only two types of human beings on planet Earth—those who feel responsible for everything and those who don't feel responsible for anything. People who feel responsible become leaders. People who don't feel responsible become slaves. There are some people who don't feel responsible even for their actions. Duryodhana is one of them. He could not take responsibility for the situation as it was, since he was caught in his root patterns. He was not planning for success, he was only planning to hold others responsible, if he fails. All he could do was turn to his mentors and tell them they were responsible for ensuring his success.

Inspiring the student to become a leader by making them realize that taking responsibility is powerful.

• 4. Why is Duryodhana's strategy a failure? 1. What are the two types of human beings on planet Earth?
• 2. Who is a slave?
• 3. Who becomes a leader?

• 5. Do you experience discomfort

when you are about to make a decision?

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• 1. Paper
• 2. Pencil
• 3. Eraser
• 4. Sketch

• 5. Pen

PROCEDURE

Ask each child to draw a picture of their family.

Inference:

Authenticity has the power, the power to expand you and your possibilities of relating with anything and everything. Authenticity gives you the power to relate with anything and every-thing.

Procedure:

Tell a story where you are the hero because you decided to save the day

Inference:

This activity will help the children realize that they have been the hero because they have taken some form of responsibility to make things better. Conclude by reiterating the importance of taking responsibility for everything around us.

Materials needed: Paper Pencil or pen