The central figure is Yudhishthira ; the two to his left are Bhima and Arjuna . Nakula and Sahadeva are to his right. Their wife, at far right, is Draupadi. Deogarh, Dasavatar temple. (Source:Wikipedia)

The central figure is Yudhishthira ; the two to his left are Bhima and Arjuna . Nakula and Sahadeva are to his right. Their wife, at far right, is Draupadi. Deogarh, Dasavatar temple. (Source:Wikipedia)

When I was writing the forecast for this week and thinking about Mars moving into the sign of Cancer, I kept remembering the Pandava brothers from the Indian epic, The Mahabharata.  The Mahabharata is an awesome, complex story in which the righteous heir to the throne, Yudishthira, loses his kingdom in a game of dice to his evil cousin.  He and his four brothers are exiled from their lands for thirteen years with the additional condition that during the thirteenth year they must be kept completely hidden. If anyone located them, they would have to spend another 12 years in exile.

Yudishthira and his brothers were known far and wide for their stupendous skills as warriors and for their weapons which were forged by the gods.  One display of these famous weapons and their whereabouts would immediately be recognized.  So they stowed their weapons in a tall tree in a cemetery and went into disguise for the year.  Each brother adopted a different cover and dwelled in the court of a righteous foreign king. 

This story of the exile of the warriors and hiding of the weapons reminded me so much of Mars in Cancer.  For the next two months we will make very little progress toward new or competitive goals, so what should we do?  How can we avoid being frustrated by our lack of momentum?  I turned to the Pandavas to see what we can learn from them to apply to our business lives between now and mid-October – our “warrior in hiding” time!

The Disguises

Yudishthira, the eldest and most righteous brother, put on the garments of a mendicant, a philosopher, and an expert in the game of dice.  He offered himself to the king as his companion.

Bheema, the strongest brother and the one most prone to anger and temper, offered his services as the chief cook in the kitchen of the king.  Cooking had always been his hobby and he used this proficiency to his advantage during this time.  He also was put in charge of the king’s gymnasium where he trained youngsters in the art of wrestling.

Arjuna, the greatest archer of his time, had once visited his father, Indra, the king of heaven, and had been cursed by a heavenly dancing girl for refusing her offer of love.  She cursed the virile Arjuna to spend a year as a eunuch.  During their year of hiding, Arjuna took advantage of this curse.  Versed in the dancing, singing, and music arts, he offered to train the women in the king’s harem to be singers and dancers.

Nakula, the most sensitive and beautiful brother, was an ancient times horse whisperer.  He demonstrated his power to the king and the king put him in charge of the stables.

Sahadeva was the wisest and most diplomatic of the Pandava brothers.  He was talented at gently coaxing cows to yield the best milk.  Since the king’s chief wealth was his cattle, he offered these services to the king.

The Take-aways

Of course these classic stories are open to many levels of interpretation, but here is my take.  Generally each brother, upon relinquishing the weapons he normally relied upon, turned to another skill in their possession and brought it forward.  They set alternate goals to achieve success during the time.

Yudishthira became philosopher and teacher, and interestingly, taught the king the very skill, dice, that he had played so badly he had lost his entire birthright.  Take-away:  Use this time to hone a skill to perfection that has caused you trouble in the past.

Bheema offered a hobby he loved and also mentored young people in his skill as a warrior.  Take-away:  Focus on fulfilling an alternate pastime and use this time to mentor others in your primary skills.

Arjuna used the time to discharge a difficult karmic debt to his advantage by accepting the curse to become a eunuch and teaching music and dancing.  Take-away:  use this time to address a difficulty in your business that you’ve been putting off.  Find an area where you must acknowledge a debt and make it right.

Nakula brought his hidden psychic qualities to the fore and became head of the horse stables.  Take-away:  Embrace the passivity of the period and dream.  Bring forward and develop inner skills and qualities you can put to use when the energy thrusts forward again.

Sahadeva worked with the king’s cows to get them to produce the best milk.  Take-away:  Focus on one aspect of your business you usually don’t have time for, perhaps a research and development project, and see if you can really perfect the process or product.

Let me know how you plan to make the most of these next two Mars in Cancer months.  What alternate ways will you employ to keep you and your team motivated?