Episode 1 KARNA THE ANTI HERO

a prince with a heart of gold who struggled to gain acceptance and the love he deserved. You could not help but feel for the dark hero -a warrior prince loved for his generosity and admired for his character yet with deep dark shadows that haunted him. Today I look at him differently and I try to relate his struggles in the organizational context. Here are some reflections!

As the son of Sun God, Karna was a blessed child yet he did not enjoy a blessed life. He had all the makings of a prince – glowing looks, Suvarna kavach, intelligence and above all a generous and courageous heart. Karna has been loved and admired for these sterling qualities and there are many stories which show him as a man of his word and man of integrity.

A story goes that Arjuna once asked Krishna why Yudhishthira was called ‘Dharmaraj’ and Karna ‘Daanveer’ although neither had ever refused alms to anyone. To answer this, Krishna and Arjuna both disguised as Brahmins and decided to visit both Yudhishthira and Karna on the pretext of collecting sandalwood for Yajna. The whole kingdom was under the deluge of heavy rains on that day. Yudhishthira sent his servants across the kingdom but could not secure dry wood for the Brahmins. Karna, on the other hand, did not waste time in this; he simply strung his bow and stripped the interiors of his home for dry wood! Krishna then explained to Arjuna that Yudhishthira donated because it was written in the Dharma to do so, while Karna did it because he liked to donate and help. It was his nature to do so.

The message in this story about Karna is relevant to us even today because we see people putting in superficial efforts to do things without getting into the spirit of things. It is more of an effort to feel good about themselves than helping others or getting things done. At an organizational level, it makes us think about -what our systems, policies and processes are doing for us. Are we following them to show we are compliant or are we getting into the heart of it for the right reasons?

As the firstborn, Karna was the heir to the kingdom but denied all his rights due to destiny. His life was one of continual struggle for acceptance and so when Duryodhana extended a hand of friendship, he was loyal to him despite knowing he was on the losing side in the war. When Pandavas were serving exile, he fought more than 18 strong kingdoms and brought them under Duryodhana in an attempt to make Kauravas stronger. If we relate this to our work lives, it happens sometimes that we are not on winning teams or our customers are not appreciative but they deserve our best efforts which are a result of our loyalty and commitment. The outcome is not always in our hands but the effort always is!

Karna is also an excellent example of living the values in difficult circumstances. It so happened that during the great battle between Arjuna and Karna, a serpent called Naga Ashwasena secretly entered Karna's quiver because he wanted to avenge his mother’s death. The serpent’s mother had died when Arjuna had set ablaze Khandava –pasta but Naga Ashwasena had survived because he was in his mother’s womb. During the battle, he transformed himself into an arrow and waited his turn in Karna’s quiver. Unfortunately, Arjuna’s charioteer saved him and Vrishasena lost his chance for revenge. He confessed his plan to Karna and requested him to reuse him against Arjuna. Karna, a true warrior prince & bound by his values said "It is beneath my stature as a warrior to shoot the same arrow twice. Find some other way to avenge your family's death." Here was an opportunity to defeat his arch-rival, but being a man of integrity he chose otherwise. We are often faced with such choices – easier but unscrupulous as against the more difficult yet ethical ones. It is our values which guide us to choose wisely and triumph over temptations.

Karna’s end is also a shining example of his generosity and magnanimous nature. The royal prince lay on his deathbed when two Brahmins approached him around sunrise and asked for alms. Helpless and in great pain, Karna had nothing to offer so he broke off two of his teeth with some gold in them and gave them to the Brahmins.

What can the story of Karna teach us today?

Firstly that loyalty and commitment become a legacy even though you may be on the losing side. Today, the business environment is dynamic resembling the Kurukshetra but what sets heroes apart is how they respond to the challenges they face. Do you change sides when things become difficult? Or do you fight it out like Karna?

Hardships and obstacles are lessons for the future.  All organizations face ups and downs depending on the business environment. The problems we face should be the learnings that make us more skilled and competent for the future and not defeat us in our quest for success.

Aligning yourself to people who are guided by morality and empathy. Loyalty is noble but ultimately loses to ethics and values. Sometimes we get so carried away by loyalty and gratitude to our particular leaders, teams or friends that we do not realize we are supporting behaviours or attitudes which will ultimately harm the organization.

Some of you will believe I have cherry-picked stories to bring out Karna’s virtues and its possible I am biased towards my childhood hero. So do share your views below I would love to hear them! :-)

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