Geethartha Chinthane 54: Two work styles – Krishna’s Marga & Duryodhana’s Marga

I still remember an incident from my fourth grade. I had scored 98 marks on an exam. While walking with my father, we met Honnayya Master, who praised me saying, “Your son has scored well. No one has scored 98 marks so far.” My father, however, picked up a stick and beat me, asking, “Why didn’t you get the remaining 2 marks? What stopped you from scoring a perfect 100?”

Honnayya Master, surprised by this, asked my father why he was beating me. My father responded, “He doesn’t study at home, Master. He’s always playing. If he can score 98, why couldn’t he score those extra 2 marks?”

This story illustrates two perspectives: doing work under pressure versus doing it out of joy. Krishna’s approach was to inspire enthusiasm from within, making people work with happiness. On the other hand, Duryodhana’s style was to provoke and push people into action.

In today’s world, we often see target-based work, commissions, and competition among people, all examples of pressure tactics. However, there is another angle—working with joy and satisfaction is becoming less common these days.

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