Krishna – The Strategist: A Viewpoint

In my last write up I had spoken about how Arjuna had taken the cushion of the teachings of Karma Yoga in the Bhagwat Gita, to fight the war of Mahabharata. It was a clinching argument for all those who shut themselves off from reality to retain their sanity, but were in no way escapists.
Yesterday, while chatting with a colleague, it occurred to me that in the current scenario, Lord Krishna and his political maneuverings in the Mahabharata had a lot of relevance. Hearing me speak about Lord Krishna as a human-like, political strategist did not go down well with him. When I came back and discussed the same with my family, they blamed it all on the pop culture. So I decided to understand and put forth my view-point of the life and times of Lord Krishna through the most political literature of Indian mythology – the Mahabharata.
When the Pandava’s acceded to the throne of Indraprastha, they honored their cousin Krishna. They were indebted to Krishna’s support in getting them to power, when the kingdom was ruled by their blind uncle Dhritrashtra, who was keener to pass on the throne to his son Duryodhana.
Pandava’s and Kaurava’s were faced with sibling rivalries since childhood. Be it while learning weaponry or the shastra’s. Since, their father was at the helm of things in the kingdom, the Kaurava’s led by Duryodhana, did not appreciate their paternal cousins, hogging all lime-light due to sympathy on the demise of their father Pandu.
This rivalry grew with age and became increasingly evident. Dhritrashtra was now faced with a difficult question of dividing the kingdom between his sons and those of his late brother Pandu. At this moment, entered Krishna, who was a cousin of the Pandava’s and had by then earned a name for himself, through his accession to the throne in a neighboring kingdom. He had since childhood displayed some actions which had earned him great respect amongst his kin. He had truly risen to be Lord Krishna – an incarnate of Lord Vishnu.
Krishna was gifted with a great sense of understanding of the inter-play of emotions between his fellow humans. He had a good timing and used it well too. So, when he saw Dhritrashtra’s dilemma he entered the scene. He advised the two families that continuing with the single kingdom would not be possible for long. A partition was necessary. Dhritrashtra was a blind king and did not have the courage to handle a discord of mammoth proportions. So after many maneuverings, he divided the kingdom between the Pandava’s and the Kaurava’s.
Krishna had arrived in the political scene as a cousin, and now a statesman. His hands on approach and good judgments had earned him enough respect from the Pandava’s and a section of the Kaurava’s.
At the coronation of the eldest of the Pandava’s, Yudhishtra, Krishna was the center of attraction and was being showered with praises. His contemporary, Shishupal, who was present there, did not like this special attention being accorded to Krishna. He was jealous.
Krishna, like any of us, could not take the increasingly incendiary abuses from Shishupal. He wanted to teach the man a lesson, but could not. He and Shishupal did not go well since childhood. Krishna’s meteoric rise irked Shishupal. This did not go amiss from Shishupal’s mother, who made Krishna promise her that he would forgive a hundred blemishes of her son.
At the coronation, Krishna’s hands were tied. He could not do anything to Shishupal, who was abusing him hard and fast. Krishna’s reputation was taking a hit. He had to do something to redeem him, and that too in a big way.
He let Shishupal abuse him a hundred times and then told him that his hundred lives were over. He told all who were attending about his promise to Shishupal’s mother. And then he killed him. This was Krishna’s first test and had done well to establish himself as a no nonsense player. Soon Krishna’s popularity rose and he became known as a trusted aide of the Pandava’s.
But fresh power and prosperity led to Yudhishtra becoming complacent. He did not consult Krishna much now. He wanted to assert himself as the King. And he committed a grave mistake by accepting Duryodhana’s invite to a game of dice. He did not consult Krishna, who did not take it nicely. He backed off and let the Pandava’s lose and commit hara-kiri.
When a distraught Yudhishtra lost Draupadi in the game everyone present was taken for a surprise. Krishna was sent an urgent message for help. But since he had not been consulted or invited to the game, Krishna refused. Draupadi and her family begged him and after much convincing, Krishna agreed to help. He came to the scene as a trouble shooter and retorted all attempts at Draupadi’s disrobing.
Having lost in the game of dice, Pandava’s were struck with the reality, that they had lost their land and wife both. They asked Krishna for help and begged forgiveness for ignoring him earlier. Krishna accepted their apologies as it redeemed his stature now.
He negotiated a deal with Dhritrashtra and the Kaurava’s. As per the deal, Pandava’s would go for an exile for 13 years and Duryodhana would be the King of Indraprastha. On his side, Duryodhana and Kaurava’s would absolve their claim on Draupadi. Krishna’s deal was acceptable to the Kaurava’s, and Pandava’s did not have an
option.
While Pandava’s proceeded for the exile, Krishna stayed back in his kingdom. After 13 years when Duryodhana refused to give back the land to Pandava’s, Krishna faced his first setback. He told all that an all consuming war was looming large. His credibility as a statesman and negotiator was hurt. Duryodhana led Kaurava’s ridiculed the idea of returning even five villages to the Pandava’s.
The war was now a reality. Both Kaurava’s and Pandava’s had built alliances amongst their friends.
Krishna expected support for Pandava’s from his brother Balrama. But he refused to side with either of the parties. This was another jolt to Krishna’s strategy.
So hurt with two immediate setbacks, Krishna needed to redeem himself. So he gave the army to Kaurava’s and himself took up the role of a driver and guide for Arjuna. He had to use his full political guile to win for the Pandava’s and for himself too.
Rules of engagement were decided amongst the advisors and the on the day of the war, just before first light Arjuna led by Krishna arrived at Kurukshetra.
Arjuna had 2 motives for the war. He wanted his land back, and also had to fight for Draupadi’s honor. But being an intelligent strategist he knew, his opponents were his brothers, relatives, and teachers. And if, he fought and subsequently killed them, he would go down history as a villain. So he played to Krishna’s honor.
Krishna, who had been hurt by the twin setbacks earlier, got Arjuna’s dilemma as a third quick hit. He had to ensure a clear cut victory for the Pandava’s for everybody’s sake. But primarily a victory would be beneficial for his stature amongst his kin and Yadava brothers.
So he preached Arjuna, the Bhagwat Gita, thus giving him a shield to hide behind if faced with historical backlash. When Arjuna’s dilemma was not diminishing, he showed him his “Virat Roop” as a nudge to join him for the war; if he would not join, Krishna now had the resolve to win the war on his own. Now Arjuna had a reason to be back in the war or be called a coward in history. Krishna had maneuvered his first small victory.
More than being Arjuna’s driver, Krishna was now manipulating the entire goings on of the war. He knew Arjuna had two real nemeses in the opposing camp – Karna and Bhishma.
He tricked Karna through Indra, who disguised as a beggar, asked Karna to give him his armor. Karna was caught off guard with his generous self ruling in favor of the beggar’s request. With his special armor gone Karna was a sitting duck for Arjuna’s attack.
When Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu was tricked into the Chakravyuha by the Kaurava’s, Krishna had to ensure a quick and equally emphatic retaliation; else the Pandava’s would have been lost due to their grief.
He tricked Jaidrath, a Big Kaurava General, and continued the war well into darkness when a solar eclipse was happening. As per the rules of engagement the war had to stop at sunset. Jaidrath who by now was surrounded heaved a sigh of relief. But suddenly with the sun coming out of the eclipse, ensured his killing by Arjuna to take revenge of Abhimanyu’s merciless killing at the hands of Kaurava’s. Krishna through his guile and knowledge had ensured to reduce the loss of Abhimanyu.
Now with Karna out of the way, and Jaidrath’s revenge killing, Krishna had to play a master move to remove Bhishma from the play of events.
Bhishma was now very old and was not very much in favor of the war and Kaurava’s. He was supporting whoever sat on the throne. Knowing this Krishna sent messengers to ask Bhishma how to kill him. Bhishma quipped that only Shikhandi could make him set down his weapons. This let down by Bhishma was enough for Krishna to bring Shikhandi into play by asking her the question of honor and revenge on Bhishma. With Shikhandi present with Arjuna, Bhishma let down his weapons, only to be injured into submission by Arjuna’s attacks. Krishna had now removed the biggest hurdle in the war.
With all major players out of the way, Krishna sent Bheema after Duryodhana. And in the final fight between the two equal warriors, Krishna advised Bheema to break another rule of engagement in the war. He reminded Bheema of Draupadi’s insult by Duryodhana, and advised him to hit his thigh. Hit below the belt, a bewildered Duryodhana lost the fight and was killed.
The Kaurava army was now in disarray and Krishna extracted revenge and put himself as a King-maker and master strategist. He had used guile and chinks in the rules of engagement of the war to ensure victory for the Pandava’s.
With the war over, Pandava’s got their land, and also that of Kaurava’s. Krishna had played his role the prime. Soon after he moved to his state and continued to consult and benefit from the Pandava’s.
Like all best laid plans have an error, he too had miscalculated one important point in the war. His kin, the Yadava’s were now a divided lot. Part of them who had supported the Kaurava’s, denounced Krishna.
A war ensued between Krishna supporters and nay sayers leading to a destruction of the entire dynasty. A shaken Krishna went to the forest to plan his return, in this suddenly gloomy political scenario. But as luck would have it, he was accidently killed by a hunter who mistook his toe thumb as the eye of a deer.
But how does a toe thumb resemble the eye of a deer? I believe the entire killings in the Mahabharata and subsequent internal strife between the Yadava’s had taken its toll on Krishna. He left for the forest, never to return.
Krishna used his guile and in depth knowledge of the Raj Dharma, to help him out through all situations. His teachings of Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga have been of immense importance to one and all. And all throughout, his approach was almost common sense that one can relate to it in similar contemporary situations.
Once, after establishing his kingdom at Dwarka, he sent his good friend Uddhao to invite Radha and her friends. But Radha and her friends chided Uddhao away, telling him that Krishna lived in their hearts. Like wise, as I sum up from his almost human like existence and common sense approach to life, I feel Krishna resides in all of us. Most of our actions at work and outside, although contemporary and inspired are just like his; all we have to do is to find him from the depths of our hearts.