In the Mahabharata, one of the common stories is when Krishna speaks with Duryodhan and Arjun and asks them to choose the entire army, the infantry, cavalry etc. or Krishna alone.

Duryodhan, immediately responds by stating, he would choose the entire army over Krishna.

Interestingly, Duryodhan wasn’t perceptive enough to understand who Krishna really was. He was so full of himself, that he was never listening nor observing others. His decision-making was purely on what appeared strong.

Some interesting analogies which I would like to draw keeping this story in mind.

While building a business people often look at net worth or finance, network, first impression, your car, home, qualifications from a branded university etc.

A lot of emphasis is given to these parameters. This shows power. This is the strong army of the Kauravas. It has all the ingredients of strength — society perceives and recognizes it as power.

However, I have a different take on this. Another route to building a successful business is to make yourself a subject matter expert by going deep into the subject. To be involved and passionate about what you’re doing.

Use every opportunity to sharpen the saw. The next step is to build strong relationships with every client where you can help them evolve both personally and professionally.

Make every interaction a magical experience. This in my opinion is choosing Krishna.

This is when you will find Krishna. You can win the war without the entire army.

In families, as well this pattern plays out many times. Some examples which I’ve come across in my personal journey.

Parents value children who are financially strong or vice versa, spouse values their partners if they are smart and well-placed.

The most violent space is the family.

When this happens, it causes immense pain, people’s hearts bleed like a battleground, and there is no acceptance or inclusion.

What we’re missing is finding the Krishna in our relationships but running behind creating a strong army with all the infantry and cavalry.

When we do this the result is war.

In a war, there are no winners everyone dies. The epic is an excellent example.