Strategy!!

Strategy!!

It is a tale little-known but provides a glimpse into the working of the mind of one of the greatest thinkers the world has ever known.

He was Chanakya, the king-maker, better known as Emperor Chandra Gupta Maurya’s political advisor. He is famed for his work – Arthashastra, which is the mother of all management books and provides a thorough insight into the state-craft, economic policies and military strategies during the period 350-283 B.C.

The tale relates to the moment when a beleaguered Chandragupta meets his future confidante.

Chandragupta was a youth when he and his clan were imprisoned with intent to be starved to death by the ruling Nandas of Magadha. All his clansmen totaling to a hundred were held captives in a cave in the forest and fed a grain of rice each per day. The clansmen decided to collect the grains and provide it to Chandragupta, the youngest of them, so that he could live and avenge their death.

Days passed and all but him died. He too feigned dead and was dragged out with the rest of them to be food for the birds and beasts. Chandragupta escaped under the cover of darkness and was soon wandering with the burning intent to avenge his clansmens' death. He saw, one day, a middle-aged Brahmin walking purposefully through the forest. He suspected him to be a spy of the Nandas. Hiding himself behind vegetation, he continued his vigil on the Brahmin, until the Brahmin stopped abruptly, wincing in pain. The Brahmin looked up to see that he was standing under a thorn-tree, and as he lifted his foot, Chandragupta could see vividly that a thorn had embedded itself deeply in and was bleeding.

The Brahmin pondered for a few seconds, pulled out the thorn and wrapped his injured food with a piece of cloth and pulled out a gourd from his waist. The gourd was filled with honey to satiate his hunger during his journey. He emptied the gourd of honey carefully at the base of the thorn-tree and walked on. Amazed and puzzled at the same time, Chandragupta walked up to the Brahmin and said,” Sir, you appear to be a learned scholar but your actions puzzle me. Why do you waste a gourd of honey on a tree whose thorn caused you pain?”

The Brahmin- Chanakya, said,” Young man, it is my intent to rid this pathway off this thorn-tree so that it will never cause pain to other passers-by. If I cut it down, it will sprout again after the rains. I will also injure myself in the process, since the thorns are long and sharp. So I have spent my gourd of honey at the base of this tree. Soon the honey will attract the termites to the root. They will eat away the root and the tree will surely die, never to sprout again.”

Chandragupta was astonished at the potency of the action and introduced himself to Chanakya and prayed for his assistance in overthrowing the Nandas. The rest is history and Chandragupta became the most powerful Emperor during his time.