Never outshine the master. “The 48 laws of power” by Robert Greene
One day during the era of Mahabharatha, Dronacharya, the second commander in chief of Kauravas army, Arjuna, a skilled archer and others were going out into the forest. They saw a dog which was unable to bark due to the seven arrows in and all-around its mouth. This had been done by very skilled archer as the construction is not harmless to the dog yet it couldn’t bark.
By seeing this Dronacharya was amazed as well as frustrated because he had promised Arjuna that he would make Arjuna as the greatest Archer in the world. So he and his students were started investigating this incident and came to know that this was the work done by Ekalavya.
Dronacharya asked Ekalavya where he learnt archery and he replied that Dronacharya is his teacher but Dronacharya got surprised as he didn’t teach him and he is not his student. Ekalavya said that a long time ago he wanted to learn archery from Dronacharya and met him. Dronacharya ignored him as Eklavya does not belong to the royal family and he was not allowed to teach Ekalavya. But Eklavya accepted him in the heart as his master and he made a statue of him. He started practising himself in front of it every day. Over the year, with practice and discipline, he became one of the greatest Archer.
Eklavya might not have done this on purpose. He was not only surpassed Arjuna, but he also made Dronacharya very uncomfortable. Dronacharya promised that he will make Arjuna as the greatest Archer in the world. But the truth is, Eklavya surpassed Arjuna in archery skills which Dronacharya cannot accept and needs to do something to keep his promise as he cannot spend the rest of his life worrying about the feelings of others.
In ancient times, a student would give a token of gift or fee for the knowledge gained from the master. Dronacharya asked Eklavya his thumb as Guru-Dakshina. So without hesitation, Eklavya cut his thumb and gave it to Dronacharya and Arjuna remained as the only greatest Archer in the world as Dronacharya promised.
When it comes to power, outshining the master is perhaps the worst mistake of all. Do not fool yourself into thinking that life has changed much since those days. Those who attain high standing in life are like kings and queens: They want to feel secure in their positions. — Robert Greene
Robert Greene wrote the book “48 laws of power” in 1998. All the laws mentioned in the book are brutal and unethical. But clearly its a reflection of those who are in high power and wants to remain in power. The Book is a must-read for anyone who wants to become an entrepreneur and you can get it from Amazon.
