An epic narration of the war between Pandavas and Kauravas, Mahabharata has given us enough lessons about life which is applicable in today’s time as well.
Known to the world as one of the best warriors of his time, Arjuna is considered the most influential of all the Pandavas. His excellent battle skills combined with sharp thinking made him a force to reckon with.
Guru Dronacharya who mastered the skill of military arts was responsible for teaching both the Kauravas and Pandavas the art of warfare. Many, including Duryodhana, accused him of favouring Arjuna. However, this story gives perspective as to why Dronacharya thought there was no warrior quite like Arjuna.
Dronacharya’s bird eye test
Once, Dronacharya overheard Duryodhana accusing him of favouring Arjuna and ignoring the rest. To prove him wrong, Dronacharya placed a wooden bird on a branch and decided to put everyone through a simple test.
He gathered all his subjects and asked them to strike the eye of the wooden bird. But before letting them set their arrows loose, he asked each one of them a question.
He first called and asked Yudhisthir, the eldest of the lot: ” What do you see there?” To which Yudhishthir replied, “I see a wooden bird, the branch and the tree, the leaves moving and other birds.”
Everyone else who followed also mentioned the same elements: tree, branch, bird, leaves etc. and Dronacharya asked them all to lay down their bow & arrow. When it was Arjuna’s turn, he confidently stated:
“I can only see the eye of the bird.”
Dronacharya smiled for he had been proven right. Everyone else had set their eyes on everything but Arjuna had set his eyes on his goal, the eye of the bird.
Arjuna’s reply is reflective of his abilities to streamline all his focus towards the goal. Concentration is what we learn from here.
While others failed to separate their goal from the distractions in their path, Arjuna was able to ignore everything else and have his eyes only on the prize. In life, there are so many irrelevant things that consume our energy on a day-to-day basis. We should always put the chaos aside and concentrate on things that matter.
We should know our goals and how to chase them. For everything else is a waste of time.