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Writer's pictureAimSolute Solutionist

Management from "Bhagavad Gita"

Management is a process of aligning people and getting them committed to work for a common goal to the maximum social benefit – in search of excellence. The critical question in all managers’ minds is how to be effective in their job.

The answer to this fundamental question is found in the Bhagavad Gita, which repeatedly proclaims that “you must try to manage yourself.” The reason is that unless a manager reaches a level of excellence and effectiveness, he or she will be merely a face in the crowd.


Management in principle teaches us to become better leaders, the art of delegation, motivation, and communication, work commitment, developing human resources, planning and executing, way of enhancing knowledge and developing the overall managerial skills.



1. Leadership:


Leadership, a critical management skill, is the ability to motivate a group of people toward a common goal. Therefore it is necessary for a leader to be a visionary and seek the wave forward.


The Essence of leadership is well explained in the Bhagavad Gita – Chapter 7, Verse 11 by lord Krishna to Arjuna “I am the strength of those who are devoid of personal desire and attachment. O Arjuna, I am the legitimate desire in those, who are not opposed to righteousness” It is very important that a leader is the one who believes in self-excellence which is attained by doing his duties rightly first. Bhagavad Gita talks about the meaning of life and its purpose. Its talks about how a human being finally attains self-realization and how karma plays an important role in shaping up our lives.


2. Motivation:


Motivation is the driving force that causes us to achieve goals. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external pressure. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the individual. Common extrinsic motivations are rewards like money and grades, coercion and threat of punishment. This situation is explained by the theory of self-transcendence propounded in the Gita. Self-transcendence involves renouncing egoism, putting others before oneself, emphasizing teamwork, dignity, co-operation, harmony and trust – and, indeed potentially sacrificing lower needs for higher goals, the opposite of Maslow.



3. Decision Making:


A decision is a choice. “The object of studying philosophy is to know one’s own mind, not other people’s – commenting on philosophers – William Ralph Inge. In eighteen chapters, seven hundred verses, the Bhagavad Geeta devotes itself to one task – making one decision. It does so through its protagonist, the warrior Arjun, and the metaphor of war. It does so by enabling Arjun to undertake a voyage of self-discovery so he can master the art of making a complex decision in the face of conflicting values.


World philosophers and spiritual leaders of today and yesterday teach tips that are not very different from that.


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