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Contents

Introduction

TheLeadershipSutra

Significance

Property

Rules

Stability

Conclusion

Notes

IndexofSutras

Introduction

DurgaisthegoddessofpowerinHinduism,aswellasinBuddhismandJainism.Her name is derived from theword ‘fortress’ (durg). Shewas the goddess ofkings.Sherodealion,thekingofthejungleandsymbolofroyaltyeverywherefrom China to England. We tend to tiptoe around the role of power inmanagement,andfailtoopenlyacknowledgehowtheanimaldesiretodominateoftendestroysthebestoforganizations.Criticstendtoseepowerasanegativething.But power is a critical tool that affects the implementation of any idea.Anyattempttorestrainitwithrulesresultsindomesticationandresentment,andfails to energize the organization. Leaders often equate themselveswith lions,andindulgetheirdesiretodominate,wheninfactthepointofleadershipistobesecure enough to outgrow the lion within us, and enable and empower thosearoundus.Butthisisnoteasy,asanxietyoverpowersthebestofleaders.

TheLeadershipSutra,aworkderivedfrommybookontheIndianapproachto business andmanagement,Business Sutra, focuses on sutras related to thehumanquestforsignificance,theimportanceofpropertytopropupself-worth,

thepowerofrulestostrippeopleofself-esteem,andtheneedforstabilityevenatthecostoffreedom.

Ideas in this book are provided in the formof ‘sutras’. Sutra (theword orconcept)hastwomeanings:

It means a string that joins dots to create a pattern. The book stringstogetheramyriadideasfromJain,HinduandBuddhisttraditionstocreateasynthesized whole, that helps us understand the Indian way. Likewise itstringstogetherGreekandbiblicalideastounderstandtheWesternwayandConfucian and Taoist ideas to understand the Chinese way. Each one ofthesegarlandsisman-madeandrevealsmytruth,notthetruth.Sutraalsomeansanaphorism,atersestatement.Thebookisfullofthese.Theyarelikeseedswhich,whenplantedinthemind,germinateintoplants.Thenatureoftheplantwilldependonthequalityofthemind.Indiansagesavoidedthewrittenwordastheyrealizedideaswereneverdefinitive;theywere transformed depending on the intellectual and emotional abilities ofthegiveraswellasthereceiver.Thusanideaisorganic.Manysageschosesymbols rather than sutras to communicate the idea.What appears like anakedman to one person, will reveal the nature of themind to another.Botharerightfromtheirpointofview.Thereisnostandardanswer.Thereis no correct answer. The point is to keep expanding the mind toaccommodatemoreviewsandstringthemintoasinglewhole.

These sutras are ‘made in India’ but are ‘for theworld’, for they complementmodernmanagementbydrawingattentionbackfromprofit, throughhunger, tohumanity.

THELEADERSHIPSUTRA

Significance Property Rules Stability

he human ability to see the quest for power is called divya-drishti. Plantscannot run from animals that feed on them, but animals can run from

animalsthatpreyonthem.Thepreylivesinfearofthepredator,neverknowingwhen itwill be ambushed.But it never thinks about asking for external help.Humans, on the other hand, constantly seek external help with a sense ofentitlement.Fearfulofexploitation,humansseekprotection:a fence,a fort,or‘durg’.FromdurgcomesDurga,thegoddessofpower.

Durga needs to be distinguished from Shakti, who is the inner power—physical and mental prowess—every living creature is born with. Durgarepresents external power, embedded in tools, technology, laws, titles andproperty thatgrantshumans their social status, a location in theorganizationalhierarchywheretheyfeelsecure,physicalandmentalprowessnotwithstanding.

This is made explicit in the following story: the gods one day soughtprotection from the asura, Mahisha. They were advised to release their innerShaktis.Thesegoddesses,embodyinginnerstrength,emergedandmergedintoablazinglightthatcreatedanew,externalgoddess,Durga,whoheldinhermanyarms variousweapons and rode a lion.Durga killedMahisha and became thegoddess of kings.Herweapons represent technological innovations and socialstructuresthatgrantpowertoman.Thelionrepresentstheanimalinstinctwithinus,ourdesiretodominate,beaggressiveandterritorial.

Shakti cannotbegivenor taken; it canonlybe invokedby tapasya.Durga

can be given or taken during a yagna: using social structures a person can beempowered or disempowered. A craving for Durga is indicative of a lack ofShakti. Durga compensates for a lack of Shakti.When Shakti is invoked, thehungerforDurgawanes.Whatisbeingprotectedhereisnotthephysicalbody,butratherthementalbodyviathesocialbodyorkarana-sharira.

InJainmythology,besidesvasudevthereisanothershalaka-purush:thekingor chakravarti. Chakra in the title means wheel or circle and refers to thehorizon, which is circular in shape. The chakravarti is master of all that hesurveys.

The chakravarti knows that all subjects in his kingdom want to feelsignificantandseekstatus,aroleandresponsibility.Heknowsthatthevalueofpeoplecomesfromwhattheypossess(property,talent,skills)whichistangibleandmeasurable.Hevalues rulesaswithout rules theworld isnodifferent from the junglewheremightisright.Heseeksstability,aworldwherethereiscertaintyandpredictability.

In thischapter,weshall explore significance,property, rulesandstability, andbydoing so, appreciate a chakravarti’sgaze.Ayajamanwhopossessesdivya-drishtiandvaluesDurgawalksthepathofachakravarti.Achakravarti’sgazeisthatofa leaderdetermined tostabilizeanalreadyestablishedorganizationandshapethedestinyofhispeople.

RameshdidnotwanttohireShailabecauseshewasagirlandshebelongedtoalowercaste.Butthe

head of human resources,Mr. Sengupta, pointed out that company policywas very clear about notdiscriminatingon thegroundsofgenderor caste.WhetherRamesh liked it ornot,Shailahad tobehiredbecauseshehadallthequalificationsforthejob.Intime,Shailagainedareputationforbeingavery goodmanager. She was promoted to the position of junior manager in less than three years.Shaila’sgenderandherintelligenceconstituteherShakti.HereducationalqualificationconstitutesherDurga, something she has obtained from the outside. The rules of the company that ensure she istreatedwithrespectalsograntherDurga.Overtime,hersocialbeingthatwasbeingdisempoweredbyher caste came to be empowered by her promotion at theworkplace.Mr. Sengupta behaved like achakravartiusingrulestoensureshegotthepowershewasdue.

Significance

Everyhumanbeingwantstofeeltheymatter.Socialstructuresgrantthisvalue through rules and property. This value allows us to indulge ouranimal instinct to dominate, hence feel powerful and secure.Unfortunately, social structures are not permanent. Any change canrenderuspowerless;thatiswhyweseekstability.

Everydevataimagineshimselfdifferentlyfromnaturalreality

hiva,withash-smearedface,wasdeep in thought.WhenheopenedhiseyeshesawamirrorinfrontofhimheldbyGauriwhohadanointedherselfwith

turmericinordertolookradiant.“Whatdoyousee?”sheasked.“Iseemortalflesh,”hesaid.“ButIseeabeautifulbody,”shesaid.“Thatisyourimagination,”heargued.“Whatishumanitywithoutimagination?”shereplied.Shivasmiled.Forthiswastrue.When animals look into amirror they do not recognize themselves. They

wonder if the reflectedbeast isa threatoranopportunity. If it isneither, theymoveawayandcontinuewiththeirlives.Afewapesanddolphinsseemtoshowcuriosity about reflected images but they do not actively seek reflections ashumansdo,soscientistsarenotentirelysureiftheyrecognizethemselves.We,ontheotherhand,areabletoseeourselvesinmirrors.Ordowe?

Isitourselveswesee,orwhatweimagineofourselves?Thisimaginationofourselvesisourmentalimageofourselves.Thestrongcanimaginethemselvesasweak, thebeautifulcan imagine themselvesas strong,avillaincan imaginehimselfasahero.NoonestopsaBrahmafromimagininghimselfinanyway.

Naturedoesnotcareforthismentalimage.IntheRamayan,whenHanumanisflyingovertheseaonhismissiontofindSita,themonsterSurasablockshispath,intentoneatinghim.Hanumansays,“IamonamissionforRam.LetmecompleteitandthenIpromiseIwillreturnsoyoucaneatme.”Surasaretorts,“IdonotunderstandthemeaningofmissionorRamorpromise.AllIknowisthatIamhungryandyouarepotentialfood.”

Natureonlyrecognizespredatorsandprey,alphaontopofthepeckingorderandomegaatthebottom.Thesearefunctionalrolesthatfacilitatesurvival;theyarenotpermanentroles.Theycannotbeinherited.

Human structures make no sense to animals or plants. That is why allanimalsandplantstreatallhumansequally.Waterwillquenchthethirstofbothsaintandsinner;thetreewillgiveshadetotherichaswellasthepoor;thedogwilladoreitsmaster,eveniftheworldconsidersthemastertobeacriminal.

Astheeldestsoninhisfamily,Virendrahasalwaysbeentherecipientofmuchloveandrespect.Hissiblingsandcousinslookuptohim.Hemanagesfamilyfundsandissoughtoutwhenmajordecisionsneedtobetaken.However,whenVirendragoestooffice,hefeelsmiserable.Foreverythinghedoes,hehastoaskpermission:fillforms,getapprovals,andseekclearances.Hedoesnotfeelheistrustedor respected. Theworkplace does not endorse themental image of him that his family has helpedcreate.

Onlyanotherhumanbeingcanendorsethementalimage

women approach eachother on a bridge.Each expects the other tomakewayforhim,butneitherdoes.Oneidentifieshimselfasalearnedsage.The

otheridentifieshimselfasapowerfulking.Thesageproveshislearnednessbyspewingchantsandhymns.Thekingproveshispowerbyflexinghismuscles,butstillneitherof themyieldsto theother.Thelearnedsagethinkslearningissuperior to power. The powerful king thinks power is superior to learning.Finally,theangrysageputsacurseonthekingandturnshimintoademon.Thefirstactofthisnewlytransformeddemonistoeatthesageinfrontofhim.Twolivesarethusruinedbymutualstubbornness.

All human beings want to be identified by those around them. Withidentificationcomesevaluation.Thesageisnothappysimplybeingidentifiedasasage;hewantstobevaluedforitandthisvalueisdemonstratedbyreceivingtherighttofirstpassage.Likewise,thekingseeksrightoffirstpassageasasignthathe,too,hasbeenidentifiedandvalued.

Whenwearerecognizedwefeelpowerful.Whenwearenotrecognizedwefeelpowerless.WhenwearevaluedwereceiveDurga.WhenwearenotvaluedwedonotreceiveDurga.Wewanttofeelsignificant.Wewanttobelocatedinasocial hierarchy. In other words, we seek aukaat, which means status andprestige. The purpose of social structures is to grant us a social position andpower,whichmakesusfeelpowerfulandsecure.Weseekizzatorrespect,andacknowledgementofwhatwebelieveisouraukaat.

Onlyhumanscanendorsethementalimageofotherhumans.Thisiswhywefeelnervousaroundstrangers.Wefeelinsecureuntiltheotherisabletoidentifyus. So we exchange visiting cards and introduce ourselves. But identificationalone is not enough, we want to feel seen and valued. And so followingintroductions we speak of our achievements and refer to mutual friends andcontacts,especiallythosewhoaresociallysignificant,soastofeelincreasinglypowerful when others are able to recognize us and locate us in a culturalhierarchy.

When Siddhu saw Abhay’s visiting card, he was startled to find it detailing the latter’s degrees,affiliations,titles,numerouscharitableactivitiesandbusinessroles.SiddhurealizedthatAbhaywantedto be recognized for all his achievements.Hewanted to feel hemattered for all that he had done.Abhay’spromotionofhissocialrolesthroughhisvisitingcarddrewattentiontohismentalimage,hisyearning for validation. When people looked at the card and showed amazement and admiration,AbhaygothisDurga.

Wedefendourmentalimageatanycost

ahodasuddenlyhearsavoicecorrectinghim.Itishisunbornchild,speakingfromwithin hiswife’swomb! “Perhaps,” the child says, “the same hymn

canbeinterpretedanotherway,father.”Rather than appreciate his son, Kahoda is annoyed. “May this over-smart

childofminebeborndeformedwitheighttwistsinhisbody,”hesnarls.Thatishowthechildgetshisname—Ashtavakra,hewhoisbentineightplaces.

WhileAshtavakraisstillaninfant,hisfathergoestothecourtofKingJanaktoparticipateinapublicdebate.Theconditionofthedebateisthattheloserhastobecome the slaveof thewinner.Kahoda,who thinkshighlyofhiswisdom,participates, but loses the debate to a sage calledBandi.He is stripped of hisfreedom,notallowedtogohomeandforcedtoservehisnewmaster.

WhenAshtavakragrowsupandlearnsaboutthefateofhisfather,hedecidesto participate in the same public debate in Janak’s court. Though barely eightyearsold,hemanages todefeatBandi.By the rulesof the competition,BandinowhastoserveasAshtavakra’sslave.“Freemyfatherinstead,”saystheyounggenius.

WhenKahodaentersJanaka’scourtherecognizeshissaviourashissonbyhisdeformityandbreaksdown.Ashtavakra’sdeformityspringsfromKahoda’sowninsecurity.

Kahoda’s aukaat is threatened by Ashtavakra’s brilliance, which is whyKahoda curses his own son, behaving like a cornered beast. Later, his socialbodytakesabeatinganywayatthehandofBandiwhoreduceshimtoaslave.HadKahodaallowedhisson’sbrilliancetonourishhismentalbody,enhancehisShakti,thiswouldhaveperhapsnothappened.Ininsecurity,weoftenkeepawaythings that can benefit us in the long run, contribute to our sustainability.Wechoose comforting Durga over discomforting Shakti. We banish AshtavakrasfromourownlifeandmakesourselvesvulnerabletoBandis.

AssoonasitwasannouncedthatthenewCEOwantedamatrixorganization,Vandanasmiled.ThiswastheCEO’swayofensuringnoonethreatenedhisposition.Therewouldbebusinessunitverticalsandfunctionalhorizontals.Foreveryjob,eachteammemberwouldhavetoreporttotwobosses.The

official reason for this was to create push and pull—tension to maximum output. The underlyingmotive,however,wastoensuretherewastensionbetweenbusinessheadsandfunctionalheads.TheywouldbetoobusyfightingeachothertothreatenthenewCEO.Moreover,bygettingamanagementfirmtoproposethematrixstructure,theCEOhadensuredthattheboardofdirectorsdidnotsuspecthewasplayingpoliticstoensurethesurvivalofhissocialimage.

Weareterrifiedofhowstrangerswillevaluateus

eimaginethosearoundustobepredatorsandourselvesastheprey.Wefearwewillbereducedtoanomegainagroupwhenwewouldratherbe

thealpha,thecentreofattention.Everydevatahasthedesireto,attheveryleast,feelsecure,recognizedandvalued,notsidelinedandforgotten.Theofferingofhaldi(turmeric),kumkum(redpowder)andchaval(grainsofrice)todeities,inthatorder,isaritualacknowledgementofthishumananxiety.

Theyellowof turmeric isavirilecolour, thecolourof thesun, spreadingacrosstheskyandreachingouttotheearth.Theintentbehindsprinklingitover the deity is to evoke the deity’s grace and power. Turmeric isantiseptic, destroying germs as the gods destroy demons. It is meant toremovenegativeenergy,thefeelingofprevailingthreat.Redisthecolourofpotentialenergy;virgin-goddessesaredrapedinaredsari.Redevokesasenseofthefertileredearthbeforetherains,holdingthepromiseofcrops.Itismeanttousherinpositiveenergy,ahighlightingofourstrengths.Riceisfood,sustaininglife,thefinaloutputthatrisesoutoftheearthandiswarmedbythesun.Itismeanttodrawattentiontotheopportunitycreatedbytherelationshipthatcanfollow.

Often in meetings, for want of time, people get straight down to business,focusingontasksandtargets.Quickintroductionsarefollowedbyaclarificationof theagendaandthemeetingisbegunimmediately.Meetings then,becomeaprocessandnotameetingofheartsandminds.ThereisnoDurgaexchangedinsuchameetingandsoitlacksenergy,engagementandjoy.

WheneverHerbertgoesforameeting,healwayssmilesandadmitsheisnervous,enoughtowanttovisittherestroomseveraltimes.Thisrelievesthetensioninthemeetingroomandevenmakespeoplechuckle. This is his haldi. He then compliments the person he is meeting: sometimes about thecompany theywork for,or the shirt theyarewearing.Sometimeshestartsaconversationabout thecountrythey’refrom,orthemobilephonetheyareusing.Thereisalwayssomethingnicetosayaboutapersonifonelooksforit.Thisiskumkum.Onlyaftereasingthetensionwithacasualconversation,

doesHerbertgettothemainbodyofthemeeting—thechaval—drawingattentiontotheagenda.Overtheyearshehaslearnedthatwhenpeoplefeelrelaxedandpositive,themeetinggivesbetterresults.Healsoknowsthathaldiandkumkumofferedmechanicallyandnotgenuinelyyieldnothing.

Praiseempowersus

artiistheritualofbeholdingthedeity.Lampsarewavedaroundthedeitysothat light falls on the image of the god or goddess. This is often

accompaniedbythesingingofbhajans,thelyricsofwhichdrawattentiontothedeity’sgreataccomplishments:thekillingofdemons,therescueofdevotees,theadmiration of all beings. It is an exercise that acknowledges the deity’s deedsandachievements.

Theritualdrawsattentiontothevalueofpraise.Everyonelikestoheargoodthings about themselves and their work. Our self-image thrives on it. Praisereaffirms our faith in ourselves. It makes us feel validated. It makes us feelacknowledged.Itmakesusfeelalive.

Theaartiritualisconducteddaily,foreverydayweneedvalidationofwhoweare.Andtoensureitdoesnotbecomemonotonousor thoughtless,festivalsareorganizedwhere the sameoffering ismade rather lavishly to the soundofmusic and the smell of incense.At the end of the ritual, the devotee asks thedeityforafavour.

Intemples,theaartiisnotrestrictedtothepresidingdeity.Aartisaredonetoall the subsidiary and satellite shrines, even the doorkeepers of the shrine, theconsortsand thevehicleorvahana.Everyone isacknowledgedandpraised,nooneisinvalidated.Thisincreasesthechanceofdivineintervention.

Is an aarti and bhajan strategic or sincere? Is praise by bosses strategic orsincere?Wewillneverknow.Whatmattersis that itmakesadifferencetothesubjectbeingadmired.Nooneever complainedwhenoccasionally they foundthemselvesbeingpraised.

Farokh,theteamleaderofamediacompany,knowsthevalueofpraise.Heintroduceseachmemberofhisteamas‘anexpert’,‘stalwart’or‘keymember’.Herememberseverylittleachievementoftheirs.WhenSanjaywalks into ameeting, he beamswhenFarokh says, “Here comes the guywho stayedback late last week to get the files downloaded for the client presentation.” Shaila, the trainee, isthrilled to hear Farokh declare, “Theway Shailamaintains records of clientmeetings is laudable.”Through thesewords,Farokhempowershis team,makes them feelvaluedand important. It revealstheyarenotinvisibleperformersoftasks.Theyarepeoplewhomatter.Hispraisefuelsthemandtheygothatextramileatwork.Butjustasbhajansdonotworkwithoutbhakti,praisedoesnotworkunlessit isgenuine.WhateverFarokhsays is true.Noneof it is acharade.Heconstantly looksatwhat toadmireineverypersonhemeets.Nopersonisperfect,buteveryonehassomethingofvaluetooffer.Itmay seem insignificant toothersbut it becomes significantwhennoticed.ThatAli always calls hiswifeatlunchtimehasnocorporatesignificance.ButFarokhturnsitintoofficefuelwhenheremarksinfrontofeveryone,“IwishmydaughtergetsahusbandascaringasAli.”ItmakesAliblush.Hefeelshappy.Andinhappiness,hedeliversmore.

Insultsdisempowerus

nmanyHindutemples,atleastonceannually,thedevoteedoesninda-stutiandrituallyabuses thedeity for failinghim.This isacatharticexercise,a safety

valve.Itisareminderthatthedeityhasnomentalimage;itneedsnoDurgatosustain it. It is also a reminder that the devotee has amental image that feelsdeprivedordeniedwhenthedeitydoesnotsatisfyadesire.

An animal in the forest does not resent or begrudge anyone. The predatordoesnotcomplainwhenitfailstocatchitsprey,orwhentherivaldrivesitoutofitsterritory.Thepreydoesnotjeeratthepredatorafteroutrunningit.Animalssimplymoveonwithlife.Humansoftenconsidertheirdesiretobetheirdueandexpectlifetoprovidethemwithwhatevertheyyearnfor.

Ninda-stuti is the equivalent of office mockery or ‘backbiting’ orcomplaining (colloquially called bitching) about the boss. A yajamanunderstands its source and allows it to thrive as it relieves tension, helps theemployeeexperiencethedelusionofpower.Gossipservesthesamepurpose.Bypullingdownormockingsomeoneelse,by imagining theOther tobe inferior,we empower ourmental image. Jokes come from the sameplace—anarrative

thatgrantssuperioritytothepersonhearingthejokeoverthepersonwhoisthesubjectofthejoke.

Duringhercoffeebreak,Reshmagoestothecafeteriaandsitswiththeotherofficegirls.Afterinitialpleasantries,thetopicshiftstotheteamsupervisor:howshedresses,howshespeaks,howshecurriesfavourswiththebosses,howshegotpromoted,howshetravels.Noonehasakindwordforher.Theyseeherasamonster.Sometimes, thegirls talkabout their experienceswithcallers: theaccents, thedemands,thetimespentoninanematters.Attheendoftheseshortbutspicyconversations,Reshmafeelsfreshandinvigorated,fullofDurga,strongenoughtohandlethemonotonyofherdailyjob.Shelooksforwardtothesemeetingswiththegirls.

Comparisongrantsusvalue

he Mahabharat tells the story of Kadru and Vinata, the two wives ofKashyapa.KashyapawasoneofthemanysonsofBrahma.Kadruaskstobe

themotherofmanysons.Vinataasksformightysons.Kashyapablesses themboth.KadrulaysathousandeggswhileVinatalaysonlytwo.WhydoesKadruseekmanysons?WhydoesVinataseekmightyoffspring?

The answer lies in mental image. It is not enough being the wife ofKashyapa.Whatmattersmoreisknowingwhoisthepreferredwife.Kadrufeelsmany sonswill get hermore attention.Vinata feelsmightier sonswill get hermore attention. Each wife wants to be envied by the other, and thus be in adominantposition.Weyearn tobementalalphasofan imaginarypack.Whenweareenviedwefeelsuperiorandpowerful.

Kadrubecomesthemotherofserpents.Vinatabecomesthemotherofeagles.Serpents eat the eggs of eagles and the eagles feed on serpents. This eternalenmity is traced to the desire of themothers tomeasure, hence evaluate, ergodominate.　　

VenuwashappyhewenttothebusinessschoolthatwasrankedfifthwhileRaghavwenttoabusinessschoolthatrankedseventh.HewashappythathegotaplacementbeforeRaghav.HewashappythathisfirstsalarywasmorethanRaghav’s.Hewashappythathegotapromotionearlier thanRaghav,butthenRaghavstartedhisownbusinessanditwasasuccess.Suddenly,Raghavishisownboss;hemaynotmakeasmuchmoneybutheisanswerabletonoone.Venunowhateshislife.Hehasfalleninthemeasuringscale.HeisunabletoseehimselfwithoutcomparinghimselftoRaghav.Helivesintheworldofmeasurement:thematrixcalledmaya.

Comparisonisapowerfultooltoidentifyourselvesandlocateourselvesinahierarchy. Comparison means measurement. In Sanskrit, the word maya ordelusion is rooted in the sound ‘ma’meaning ‘tomeasure’. For aworld seenthroughmeasurementisdelusion.

Mayaandsatyaareoppositesofeachother.Botharetruths,butmayaistruthbasedoncomparisonwhilesatyaistruthnotbasedoncomparison.Mayaallowsforjudgement,asthereisareferencescale;satyadoesnot.

Innature,everythingisperfectateverymoment.Everythinghasaplaceandpurpose.Nothingisbetterorworse.Abiggeranimalisnotbetter;itsimplyhasahigher chance of survival. But in culture, measuring scales are geared nottowardssurvivalofthespeciesbuttowardsthevalidationofourmentalimage.Measuring scales are designed to include and exclude, create a hierarchy.Measuring scales can grant usDurga if they favour us, and strip us of powerwhen theydonot. Innature,nothing isgoodorbad, rightorwrong,higherorlower.Everythingmatters.Everythingissatya.

Ontheotherhand,marketingandbusiness isallaboutmaya.In interviewswerankcandidatesusingmeasuringscales.Inmarkets,werankproductsusingmeasuring scales. We give compensation and bonuses and perks based onmeasuringscales.Theworldofsanskritiisallaboutmaya.Thesocialbodyfeedson maya. Maya has the power to make us feel powerful and powerless. Inculture,somethingsalwaysmattermorethanothers.

Weseekhierarchiesthatfavourus

henheismadechakravartioftheworld,Bharat,theeldestsonofRishabh,expects all his brothers to bow before him. Rather than bow, most

renounce theworld andbecome Jainmonks.Onebrother, however, refuses tobowor to renounce.Hisname isBahubali, the second sonofRishabh.Bharatdeclares war on Bahubali. To avoid unnecessary bloodshed, the eldersrecommendthatthebrothersengageinaseriesofduelstoprovewhoisstronger.BahubaliturnsouttobestrongerthanBharat,butapointcomeswhenBahubalihastoraisehishandandstrikeBharatonthehead.TheideaofstrikinghiselderbrotherdisgustsBahubali.Instead,heuseshisraisedhandtopluckhairfromhisown head, thus declaring his intention to be a Jain monk like his youngerbrothers.

SinceBahubalihas renounced theworldafterhisyoungerbrothers,he isajunior monk and is now expected to bow to the senior monks, his youngerbrothers included.Bahubali finds this unacceptable. Surely it is the otherwayaround, andyoungerbrothers shouldbow to their elderbrothers?However, inthemonasticordertherulesofseniorityaredifferent.

Everyorganizationhasastructure;everystructurehasahierarchy.Insomeorganizations this is determined by the duration of employment, or merit, orcloseness to theowners, and inyetothers, it isdeterminedon thebasisof thecommunity,genderor institutiononebelongs to.Theconflict comeswhen thehierarchyoftheorganizationdoesnotmatchthehierarchyofthemind.

Bahubalistruggles.Hebecameamonktoavoidbowingtohiselderbrotherandendeduphavingtobowtohisyoungerbrothers.Andyet,beingamonkisnotonlyaboutrenouncingthesocialbodybutalsorenouncingthementalbody.It is easier togiveupmaterial thingsandone’s status in society, farharder togiveupthethoughtofdomination.　

WhenRahuljoinedastheassistantmanagerofashippingfirm,hewastoldthat twopeople,JaydevandCyrus,wouldreporttohim.JaydevandCyruswereseniorbymanyyearsandtheyfoundtheideaofRahulsigningtheirappraisalformsunacceptable.Rahuldidnotseewhattheproblemwas,surelythesystemhadtoberespected.LikeBahubali,herealizedtheproblemwhenhewasaskedtoreporttotheowner’s son,Pinaki,who, though senior in years,wasneither as qualifiednor as smart as him.JaydevandCyruscouldnothandlereportingtoayoungerman.Rahulcouldnothandlereportingtoamanhethoughttobelesssmartthanhim.Bothhadtostrugglebetweenthedesiretodominateandtherulesofdomestication.

Wewouldratherbeuniquethanequal

herewasakingdomcalledAndherNagari, literallymeaningthedarkland,whereeverythingcostjustonerupee.Ameasureofvegetablescostarupee,

thesamemeasureofsweetsalsocostarupee.Ayoungmanthoughtthisplacewas paradise. “No, it is not,” said his teacher, “A country where there is nodifferentiation between vegetables and sweets is a dangerous place. Just runfromhere.”Buttheyoungmaninsistedonstayingback,enjoyingthedelightsofthemarket.

It so happened that in this kingdom a murderer had to be hanged for hiscrime.Unfortunately,theropewastooshortandthenoosetoowidetohangtheshort, thin criminal.SoChaupatRaja, the insanekingofAndherNagari, said,“Findatallandfatmanwhocanbehangedinstead.Someonehastobehangedfor thecrime.”Thesoldierscaught theyoungmanin themarket.Heprotestedthathewasnomurderer.“Butyouaretallandfatenoughtobehanged,”saidtheking.Itwasthentheyoungmanrealizedwhathisteacherhadbeentryingtotellhim:thatthepeoplewhocouldnotdifferentiatebetweenvegetablesandsweets,whereeverythingwasvaluedequallyandcostthesame,intheireyestherewasnodifferencebetweenacriminalandaninnocentman.

Thisfolkstoryspeaksofalandwhereeveryoneistreatedequally.Novalueis placed on differences. Only humans can imagine such a world. In nature,physical differencesmatter.Thisdifference results in food chains andpeckingorders. Humans can, if they so will, create a world where no differences areseen.Suchautopiaisfrighteningasitmeansinthisworldnothingisspecial,noonematters,nooneissignificant.

Theheadofficepreparedadesignandinsistedthateveryofficeofthecompanyaroundtheworldbedesigned accordingly. They were essentially open offices, with no cabins for individuals, but withrooms for meetings and teleconferences. The point was to express the organizational value oftransparency and equality. Instead of energizing theworkplace, the new design demotivatedmany.Shridharsuddenlyfoundhimselfwithoutacabin.Allhis lifehehadworked tobecomeworthyofacabinandnowthepolicyhadchanged.Hefeltangryandhumiliated.HefelthehadbeendeniedhisDurga.Hedidnotmatter.Hewasanobodylikeeveryoneelse.Assoonashegotajobinarivalfirm,withtheassuranceofacabin,heleft.Attheexitinterview,thehumanresourcemanagerfeltthathewasbeingimmature:howdidacabinmatter?ClearlywhatmatteredtothemanagerwasverydifferentfromwhatmatteredtoShridhar,whodidnotwanttobepartofAndherNagari.

Cultureprovidesonlyatemporaryframeworkforoursocialbody

ntheRamayan,asDasharath,kingofAyodhya,isdying,hepanicsandcallshiswife and says, “I amdying.Myeldest son,Ram,hasbeen exiled to the

forest. My other son, Bharat, has not yet returned from his uncle’s house. Icannotaffordtodie.WhatwillhappentoAyodhyaifIamnotthere?”Tothis,hiswifesays,“Nothingwillhappen.Thesunwill rise,andset.Themoonwillwax and wane. People will go about their business. Ayodhya will survive,perhapsnotevennoticingtheabsenceofitsking.”

It is Ayodhya that makes Dasharath feel he matters. If there were noAyodhya,hewouldnotbekingandhisdeathwouldhavenogravesignificance.Organizationsgrantusvalue.Theypositionusbothwithin theorganizationaswellasoutside.Whatwefail torealize is thatwhileweneedtheorganization,the organization does not need us. Brahma needs sanskriti to escape theindifferenceofprakritibutsanskritidoesnotneedBrahma.

Everyday,organizationshirenewpeopleandoldpeopleleavethecompany—eitherangrily,orhappily,orbecausetheyhavenochoice.Thisisthe‘birth’ofa new employee and the ‘death’ of an old one. Both events are filled withinsecurity. The arrival of a new employee threatens the old discourse, and sothereisneedtoinductthenewintotheoldwaysofthecompany.Thedepartureoftheoldemployeealsothreatenstheolddiscoursehencethedesperateneedforatalentpoolandpipeline.Veryrarelydoesanindividualbecomeindispensabletoadegree thatdetermines the fateofan institution.There isalwayssomeonewho can take his place. The denial of this truism leads to panic. Acceptanceleadstopeace.

Pathakji had served the company as an accountant for over thirty-eight years. He was so good atmanaging the accounts that the owner felt hewas indispensable. So did Pathakji, until one day theownerdiedandhisnephewtookover.Thenephewdidnot thinkmuchofPathakji.Hewasgivenanice salary and a nice cabin but no real work. Pathakji was furious and soon after submitted hisresignationinahuff;thiswasacceptedwithouteventhepretenceofresistance.“Letmeseehowtheysolve the accounts,” he said, as he left the building for the last time.Five years have since passed.

Pathakjiisstillwaitingforthenewmanagementtocallhimback.Theyaremanagingwithouthim.It’sa feelinghedoesnot like.Themanagementdidsuffer forawhilewithoutPathakji,buthisabsencecreated a vacuum and new talent emerged. That was a good thing. But now that apparentlyindispensable Pathakji has been replaced, those left behind in the company feel they, too, aredispensable. It isa feelingnoone likes.Suddenly, theyall feel like ‘full timeequivalents’orFTEs,numbersonanexcelsheetthatcanbedeletedatanymoment.Insecurityseepsintotheorganization.And, in insecurity,everybodyclings to their respective rolesand responsibilitieswith tenacity.Newtalentisnotallowedtocomeinandiftheydocomeintheyarenotallowedtothrive.Everyonewantstomakethemselvesindispensable.Theywillalldietrying.

Property

Propertyisanideaofman,byman,andforman.Propertygivesamanvalue,formostpeopleassumewearewhatwehavebecausewhatwehaveistangible,notwhoweare.Wemaydie,butwhatwehavecanoutliveus.Thuspropertygivesusthedelusionofimmortality.

Weseethingsnotthoughts

hen they decided to go to war, both the Kauravs and the Pandavsapproached Krishna for help. “I love you both equally so will divide

myselfintotwohalves.Takewhicheverhalfyouwant.”Krishna offered one side theNarayani Sena, his fully-armed army. To the

other, he offered Narayan, that is, himself unarmed. The Kauravs choseNarayani Sena. The Pandavs chose Narayan. The Kauravs chose Krishna’sresources that are saguna: visible, tangible andmeasurablewhile the PandavschoseKrishna’spotentialornirguna:invisible,intangibleandnotmeasurable.

Narayan is who-we-are. Narayani is what-we-have. Narayan is expressedthroughNarayani.MostpeoplerelyonmeasuringNarayanitodeterminewhatisNarayan.

That is how the value of a person is determined by his possessions: hisuniversitydegrees,income,bankbalance,clothes,car,andsoon.

Possessionsareresources.Theyaretangibleandmeasurable.Potentialisnottangible and measurable. In the world of management where measurementmatters, Narayan is ignored andNarayani preferred.We checkwhat a personbrings to the tableduring interviews.Wevalueacustomer’swallet,more thanthecustomer.Aemployeeisvaluedforhisskillsonly.Hisvision,hisfears,hisfeelings do not matter. The latter cannot be measured. Their value cannot bedetermined. Nobody knows how to leverage whowe are. But we havemanywaysofleveragingwhat-we-have.Inotherwords,wewelcomeKauravsintotheorganization,notPandavs,whichdoesnotbodewellforanyone.

Everyleaderwondersifthepersonspeakingtohimspeakstohispersonortheauthorityhewieldsbyvirtueofhisposition.Thekingwondersifhemattersorhissword:thisisthecurseofkingship.

Tomotivatehis team,Bipinaskedhisgurutogive themaspeech.TheguruquotedversesfromtheBhagavadGitaaboutstayingcalminsuccessandinfailure.Whileitfeltgoodtohearthediscourse,oneofBipin’ssalesmanagerswasheardcommenting,“ImaybecalmbutmyfailurewillcertainlygetBipinagitated.Hedoesnot care forus.Heonlycares forourperformance.Weare aperformance-drivenorganizationafterall.”Thesalesmanagerknewthatifhissalesnumbersdipped,hecouldbidhisbonusgoodbye.ThecompanyonlycaredfortheNarayani,nottheNarayan.

Thingshelpuspositionourselves

henHanuman,amonkey,enteredLankaandidentifiedhimselfasRam’smessengerandaskedforaseatasprotocoldemanded,hewasspurnedby

the rakshasa-king, Ravan, who insulted him by denying him one. Hanumanretaliatedbyannouncingthathewouldcreateaseatforhimself:heextendedhistail, coiled it aroundandcreateda seathigher thanRavan’s throne. Insteadofbeingamusedorimpressed,Ravanwasinfuriated.Hispowerwasthreatened.Inarage,heorderedthatHanuman’stailbesetaflame.

The story reveals how a thing (a seat) is used to communicate a thought(peckingorder).Hanumandoesnotcareforpowerorforthronesbutherealizesthings mean a lot to Ravan. By the dramatic use of his tail, he breaches thefortressofRavan’smindandshattershismentalimageinaninstant.

What is interesting is that Hanuman does not need an external thing topositionhimself;he expandswhathealreadyhas—his tail. Inotherwords,hefindsstrengthwithinanddoesnotneedthehelpofanobjectorasalutation.HehasenoughShaktitocompensatefortheDurgathatRavanrefusestogivehim.

We constantly use material things to position ourselves: our cabins, ourhouses,ourcars,ourmobilephones,andsoon.Whenthesearetakenawayfromus,ordamaged,wefeelhurt.Whenourpossessionsaredamaged,whenourcargetsscratched,orourwatchgetsstolen,orourseatisgiventosomeoneelse,oursocialbodygetsdamagedandthiscausespaintothementalbody;eventhoughthephysicalbodyisperfectlyfine.

Whenitwastimetobuyanewmobilephone,Pervezhadasimplerule.Hecheckedwhatmodelshisclientsandhisbosseswereusing.Hethenboughtaninferiormodel.Hedidnotwanttointimidateanyofthemormakethemfeelinsecure.Infact,hewantedthemtocriticizehischoiceandmockhimforbuyingapoor-qualityphone.“Iwantthemtoputmedown.Iwantthemtofeelsuperior.Ithelpsmeinmyrelationshipwiththem.”PervezhasunderstoodthepowerofusingthingstogenerateDurga.

Thingsaresurrogatemarkersofourvalue

ndracallsVishwakarma,hisarchitect,andordershimtobuildapalaceworthyof his stature.Vishwakarma builds a palace of gold but Indra feels it is not

good enough. SoVishwakarma builds him a palace of diamonds; Indra is notsatisfiedwith thateither.SoVishwakarmabuildshimapalaceusing thatmostelusiveofelements,ether;eventhisdoesnotpleaseIndra.

WhydoesIndrawanttobuildalargerpalace?Isnotbeingkingofthedevasenough?Clearlynot;heneedshismentalstatustohaveatangiblemanifestationin the form of a palace.But no palacematches hismental expectation, as hismentalbodyismuchgreaterthanallthethingshecanpossess.Thatleaveshimdissatisfied.

IntheworldIndralivesin,peoplearemeasuredbytheamountofthingstheyhave.Sincehewants to bebigger andbetter than everyone else, hewants hispalacetobebiggerandbetterthanothers’.

Propertyisaphysicalmanifestationofourmentalbody.Itcontributestooursocialbody.Whatwehavedetermineswhoweare.Wecannot see thementalbody,butwedo see the socialbody.Ourpossessionsbecomeanextensionof

whoweare.Weequateourselveswithwhatwehave.Whenwedie,whatwehaveoutlivesus,thuspossessionshavethepowertograntusimmortality.Thatiswhypropertyissodeartohumans.

Rajuhateddriving.Sincehecouldnotaffordadriver,hedidnotbuyacar.Hetravelledeverydaytoofficebyauto.Thisannoyedhisboss.“Your teammemberswillnot respectyouunlessyouhaveacar.” Raju did not understand this: surely they respected him for his work and managerial skills.Nevertheless,hefinallysuccumbedtothepressureandboughtacar.Hissonwasveryannoyed,“Butdaddy,allmyfriendshavebiggercars.”Rajurealizedthecarwasnotonlyamodeofconveyance;itwasaboutgrabbingaplaceinthesocialhierarchy.

Thoughtscanbecodedintothings

aradasked thewivesofKrishna togivehimsomething that they feltwasequalinvaluetotheirhusband.Hegetsaweighingscaleintothecourtyard

andmakesKrishnasitononeofthepans.Ontheother,eachofthewivesputswhat she feels equalsKrishna’sworth. Satyabhama puts all her gold, utensilsand jewels,but the scale stillweighs less thanKrishna.Rukmini,on theotherhand,placesasprigoftulsionthepananddeclaresittobeasymbolofherloveforKrishna.Instantly,thescalesshift.

BothSatyabhamaandRukminivalueKrishnafor theimpacthehashadonthem.How does one quantify this transformation?How do they give form totheirmental imageofhim?Satyabhamaexpressesher thoughts through thingswhileRukminiusesasymbol,ametaphor.Whenpeoplerecognizethiscode,thetulsibecomesmorevaluable thangold.Everyonevaluesgold.Only thosewhoappreciatethelanguageofsymbolswillappreciatetulsi.

The same principle applies to brands. Brands are thoughts embodied bythings.Whenpeoplebuyabrand,theyarebuyingathoughtoraphilosophythat

makes them feel powerful,which raises their stature in the eyes of thosewhomatter to them. Naturally, people are willing to pay a lot of money for suchcodes.Thecostofmakingaproductismuchlessthanthecostatwhichbrandsare sold. In order to charge a premium, great effort has to be made throughadvertising and marketing to establish the brand’s philosophy in a culturallandscape.Unless people are able to decodewhat the brand stands for, itwillhavenovalue.

Zafar has a small shop that sells fake brands at about a quarter of the real price. He has neverunderstoodwhypeoplepaysomuchforbrandnames.Theactualcostofproduction ismuch lower.Hisuncleexplained,“Thecustomerisnotbuyingatoolthattellsthetime.Heisbuyingaukaat:status,dignity, respect, admiration and envy. For that the customer is ready to pay anything.” Zafar thusunderstoodthedifferencebetweentheliteralandsymbolicvalueofRukmini’stulsi.

Weassumewearewhatwehave

aundraka,kingofKarusha,wearsacrownwithapeacockfeather.Heholdsalotusflowerinonehandandaconch-shellintheother.Aroundhisneckhe

wearsagarlandofforestflowers,theVanamali.Fromhisearshangearringsthatare shaped likedolphins, theMakara-kundala.He isdraped in abrightyellowsilkdhotiorthePitambara.Heevenhashairdresserscurlhishair.Heinsistsoneating rich creamy butter with every meal. He plays the flute in flowerymeadows on moonlit nights surrounded by his queens and concubines whodancearoundhim.“IlooklikeKrishna.IdoeverythingKrishnadoes.ImustbeKrishna,” he says to himself. His subjects, some gullible, some confused andothers frightened, worship him with flowers, incense, sweets and lamps.EveryonewonderswhothetrueKrishnaissincebothlooksosimilar.

ThenafewcourtierspointoutthatKrishnaofDwarakahasawheel-shapedweapon that no other man has called the Sudarshan Chakra. “Oh that,”Paundraka explains, “He borrowed it from me. I must get it back from theimpostor.” So a messenger is sent to informKrishna to return the SudarshanChakraorfacesternconsequences.Tothis,Krishnareplies,“Sure,lethimcomeandgetit.”

Irritated that Krishna does not come to return the Sudarshan Chakra,PaundrakasetsoutforDwarakaonhischariot,decoratedwithabannerthathastheimageofGarudonit,reinforcinghisidentity.WhenhereachesthegatesofDwaraka, he shouts, “False Krishna, return the Sudarshan Chakra to the trueKrishna.”Krishnasays,“Here it is.”TheSudarshanChakrathatwhirrsaroundKrishna’sindexfingerfliestowardsPaundraka.Paundrakastretchesouthishandtoreceiveit.Asthewheelalightsonhisfinger,herealizesit isheavier thanitlooks.Soheavy, in fact, thatbeforehe cancall forhelphe is crushed topulpunderthegreatwhirringwheel.ThatistheendofthemanwhopretendedtobeKrishna.

Thecorporateworldisteemingwithpretendersandmimics.Theythinktheyknowhowtowalkthewalkandtalkthetalkbuttheysimplydon’tknowwhatthe talk is all about. They know how to dress, how to carry their laptops andsmartphones,whatcartodrive,wheretobeseen,withwhom,howtousewords

like‘valueenhancement’and‘onthesamepage’and‘synergy’and‘win-win’.Inotherwords,theyknowthebehaviourthatprojectsthemascorporateleaders,butarenowhereclosetoknowingwhattrueleadershipactuallymeans.

Atafast-growingfirm,Vijaychandraselectsayoungmanwhoshowsallthesignsofhavingthetalentand drive of a leader. The young man’s name is Jaipal. His CV indicates he’s from the rightuniversities,has therightcredentialsandimpressive testimonies.Besideswhich,he’snattilydressedandarticulate.Heevenplaysgolf!Heisfittoheadthenewe-businessdivision.Twoyearsdowntheline,however,despiteallthemagnificentPowerPointpresentationsandExcelsheets,whichimpressedquite a few investors, the e-division’s revenue is way below the mark. The market has just notresponded. Jaipal knowshow to talk business, but evidently hedoesnot knowhow todobusiness.VijaychandradecidestoinvestigatewhatJaipalhasdoneinthepasttwoyears.ItemergesthatwhileJaipalhasstayedintherighthotelsanddriventherightcars,hehasnevergonetopersonallymeetthevendors or customers. He has not made the effort to immerse himself in market research; on thecontrary,hehashiredpeopletodoitforhim.Hefocuseson‘strategy’butnoton‘tactics’.Helovesboardroombrainstormingbutnotshop-floorsweat.Hisorganizationstructureisdesignedsuchthatitkeepshimisolatedfromthefrontline.Hesimplyassumes thathis teamwillknowwhat todo in themarketplace. He has never picked up the phone and addressed client grievances—he prefers thesummaryofconclusionsprovidedbyreputedanalysts.Hedoesnotgettohearhissalespeoplewhineand groan and prefers the echoes of the market presented by strategy consultants. VijaychandrarealizeshehasaPaundrakaonhishands—allimitation,noinspiration.

Weexpectthingstotransformus

ne day, asKingBhoj and his soldiers approach a field, a farmer is heardscreaming, “Stay away, stay away, you and your horses will destroy the

crops.Havesomepityonuspoorpeople!”Bhoj immediatelymovesaway.Assoonashe turnshisback, the farmerbegins tosingadifferent tunealtogetherandsays,“Whereareyougoing,myking?Pleasecometomyfield,letmewateryourhorsesandfeedyoursoldiers.Surelyyouwillnotrefusethehospitalityofahumble farmer?” Not wanting to hurt the farmer, though amused by histurnaround,Bhojonceagainmovestowardsthefield.Again,thefarmershouts,“Hey,goaway.Yourhorsesandyoursoldiersaredamagingwhatisleftofmycrop.Youwickedking,goaway.”NosoonerhasBhojbeguntoturnawaythanthe farmer cries, “Hey, why are you turning away? Come back. You are myguests.Letmehavethehonourofservingyou.”

Thekingisnowexceedinglyconfusedandwonderswhatisconspiring.ThishappensafewmoretimesbeforeBhojobservesthefarmercarefully.Henoticesthatwheneverthefarmerisrude,heisstandingontheground,butwheneverheis hospitable, he is standing atop a mound in the middle of the field. Bhojrealizesthatthefarmer’ssplitpersonalityhassomethingtodowiththemound.Heimmediatelyordershissoldierstodigupthemoundinthecentreofthefield.ThefarmerprotestsbutBhojisdeterminedtosolvethemystery.

Beneaththemound,thesoldiersfindawonderfulgoldenthrone.AsBhojisabouttositonit,thethronespeaksup,“ThisisthethroneofVikramaditya,thegreat.Sitonitonlyifyouareasgenerousandwiseashe.Ifnot,youwillmeetyour death on the throne.” The throne then proceeds to tell Bhoj thirty-twostoriesofVikramaditya,eachextollingavirtueofkingship,themostimportantbeinggenerosity.ItisthroughthesestoriesthatBhojlearnswhatittakestobeagoodking.

Thestoryispeculiar.Inthefirstpartofthestory,thethronetransformsthestingyfarmerintoageneroushost.Inthelatterhalf,thethronedemandsthekingbegenerousbeforehetakesaseat.

In organizations, we expect a man in a particular position to behave in aparticularmanner.We assume that he has gained this position because he has

those qualities. But what comes first: gaining the qualities or acquiring theposition.Canakingberoyalbeforehehasakingdom,ordoesthepossessionofakingdommakehimroyal?

CanapersonwhoseeksDurgafromtheoutsideworldgiveoutDurga?OrshouldakinghaveenoughShaktiwithinhimtobeanunendingsupplyofDurgatoothers?

Sunderwasgreatfriendswithhisteambeforehebecametheboss.Themomenthewaspromoted,hestartedbehavingdifferently, became arrogant, obnoxious and extremelydemanding.Was it the rolethathadchangedhimorhaditallowedhimtorevealhis truecolours?Sunderblamestheburdenofnewresponsibilitiesand theover-familiarityofhiscolleaguesas thecauseoffriction.That iswhen,Kalyansingh, the owner of the company, decides to have a chatwith him. “Doyouknowwhyyouhavebeengivenahighersalary,acar,asecretary,acabin?”Sunderretortsthatthesearetheperksofhisjob.Kalyansinghthenasks,“Andwhatisyourjob?”Sunderrattlesoffhisjobdescriptionandhiskeyresultareas.“Andhowdoyouplantogetpromotedtothenextlevel?”Sunderrepliesthatitwillhappen if he does hisworkdiligently and reaches his targets. “No,” saysKalyansingh, “Absolutelynot.”Sunderdoesnotunderstand.Kalyansinghexplains,“Ifyoudoyourjobwell,whywouldImoveyou?Iwillkeepyouexactlywhereyouare.”LookingatthebewilderedexpressiononSunder’sface,Kalyansingh continues, “If you nurture someone to take your place, then yes, I may considerpromotingyou,butyou seem tobenurturingnoone.Youare toobusy trying tobeboss, trying todominate people, being rude and obnoxious. That is because you are insecure. So long as you areinsecure,youwillnotletothersgrow.Andaslongasthoseunderyoudonotgrow,youwillnotgrowyourself.Orat least, Iwillnotgiveyouanother responsibility.Youwillendupdoing thesame jobforever. Is that what you really want?” That is the moment Sunder understands the meaning ofVikramaditya’s throne. After all, it is not about behaving royally, but rather about nurturing one’skingdom.HemustnottakeDurga,hehastogiveDurga.

Thelossofpossessionsrevealswhowereallyare

okingdomsmakeuskings?Orcanwebekingsevenwithoutkingdoms?Isourvaluedependentonwhatwepossess?Thesearequestionsraisedinthe

RamayanandMahabharat. Inbothepics theprotagonistshave todealwith thelossof fortune and exile. It is themanner inwhichRamdealswith it and thePandavsdealwithitthatrevealseverything.

ThelossofhiskingdomdoesnotaffectRam.Heiskingwithorwithoutthekingdom.Aranya-Ram(Ramoftheforest)andAyodhya-Ram(Ramofthecity)havethesamementalimage.HismentalbodyispoweredbyShaktifromwithinanddoesnotneedanexternalDurgatovalidatehissocialbody.Contrarily,thelossof theirkingdomshatters thePandavs.Theypanic.Theyfeel likevictims.Theirmental image takes a beating as their social body is battered. They feeldeprived, denied and cheated because their mental image depends on thekingdom.

InRam,NarayaniscompletelyawakeandsohedoesnotneedAyodhyatomake him feel secure. When his wife, Sita, is abducted he is determined torescueher, finding resourcesalong theway.Hehasnoarmywithhim,yethecreates an army in the jungle, transforming a troop of monkeys into fierce

warriorswhodotheunimaginable:buildabridgeacrossthesea,teardownthecitadelofLanka,anddefeatanarmyoffiercerakshasas.

ThesameisnotthecasewiththePandavs.TheyneedIndraprasthatomakethemfeelvalidated.KrishnahelpsthemoutgrowtheirdependenceonNarayaniandstartdiscoveringtheNarayanwithin.

Often,ajobhasmoretodowithsecuringoursocialbody,henceourmentalimage,thanaboutthetaskathand.Andso,thelossofajobleadstothelossofself-worthandself-esteem.It isthroughthingswegetDurga,butlikeRamwehave to invoke the Shakti within us so that the vicissitudes of fortune andmisfortunedonotshakeourfaithinourselves,andtheworldaroundus.

Asthevicepresident(VP)ofmarketing,Birendraishighlyregardedbyhisboss.Heisaverygoodteacher, spending time explaining the principles of marketing to his team. Everyone sees him asgenerousandagentleman.Untilthemergertakesplaceandthecompanyisboughtbyamuchlargerfirm.Intheneworganizationaldesign,BirendraisnolongerVPofmarketingbutmadeVPofmarketresearchandanalyticsinstead.Birendrafeelsthisisastepdown.Hesulksandbecomesmiserable.Herefusestotalktohisformercolleagues.Heisangryandbitterunlikehisformergenerousandgentleself.The loss ofNarayani reveals the trueNarayanwithin him.Birendra is noVishnu; he is Indra,happyaslongasthingsgohisway,unabletotakeadversityinhisstride.

Likethings,talentandloyaltycanalsomakeusfeelsecure

dogisverygoodforourself-image.Asapet,itadoresusunconditionally,wagging its tail when it gets attention, whining when it does not,

possessivelybarkingwhensomeonethreatensusorlaysclaimoverus.Thedogupholdsourmental imageofourselvesatallcosts.Theworldmayormaynotappreciateus,butthedogalwayswill.Itisthesymbolofloyalty,nourishingourmentalimage.

Bycontrast,thecowgivesusmilk.Itdoesnothingforourself-image,givingmilktowhosoevermilksit.Thecowdoesnotwagitstailwhenweappreciateitorwhinewhenwe do not. If one feeds a cowwell, takes care of it, the cowproducesmilkgenerously.Thecowprovidesforourphysicalbody.

AcowgivesusLakshmiwhileadoggivesusDurga.Thetathastuoftalentmakestheyajamanrich.Thetathastuofloyaltymakestheyajamanfeelsecure.Atworkwhat dowe seek: cowsor dogs?Dowe seek talent thatwill help usachieveourgoalsorloyaltythatwillmakeusfeelsecure?Whatifthegoalistobesecure?

Often,wealthexistsnottonourishusbuttomakeusfeelsecure.Theideaofhavingmoremoneymakesusfeelpowerful.Infact,moneyisusedtomarkourpositioninsociety.Thecaritbuys,thehouseitaffordsenablesustorisehigherin the social hierarchy.Wealth, thus, is also a source of allaying insecurities.LakshmicanbeafunctionalDurga.

However,whilepeoplecanbeloyaltous,moneyandtalentcanneveroweallegiance to anyone. That is why we need to surround ourselves with loyalpeoplewho stand by us in tough times, providing us emotional supportmorethananythingelse.Onlytheextremelyindependentorimpersonalcansurviveinaworldwithoutloyalty.

WhenSantoshretiredfromhispostascommissioner,eventhepeonstoppedstandinguptosalutehim.All his ‘friends’ stopped calling him to their parties. He suddenly realized he was a nobody. Herealizedthateveryonehadarelationshipwithhispositionandpower,notwithhim.Theycarednotforhim but for what he could do for them. He suddenly became aware of his hunger for loyalty and

friendship.Lifeis,afterall,notjustaboutmoneyandpower.

Atransactionisaboutthings,notthoughts

n the Mahabharat, Karna is a talented archer who is raised in a family ofcharioteers.Heisidentifiedasacharioteer’ssonandnotasanarcher.Inthe

socialhierarchy,thearcherhasahigherstatusthanacharioteer.Inotherwords,hehasShaktibutnotDurga.

Karna longs for social statusandgets it fromDuryodhan, theeldestof theKauravs,whomakeshimkingofAnga.Inexchange,DuryodhanseeksKarna’stalent as an archer. He hopes to use Karna’s archery skills against his archenemies, the Pandavs some day. Duryodhan is insecure about the Pandavs.Karnamakeshimfeelsecure.ButisitKarna’stalentthatmakeshimsecureorhisloyalty?

Later in the epic, Karna learns that the Pandavs are actually his youngerbrothers.Heisthefirstchildoftheirmother,Kunti,bornbeforemarriagehenceabandonedatbirth.He isencouraged to join thePandavs in their fightagainstthe Kauravs. He refuses to change sides out of loyalty to Duryodhan, butpromiseshismotherthathewillspareallherchildren,exceptArjun,whoisalsoanacearcherandhisgreatestrival.

DuryodhangivesKarnasocialstatusassvaha,and inexchangeexpectshistalentasanarchertokillthePandavs.Inreturn,Karnagiveshimhisloyalty.IntryingtobeloyaltobothDuryodhanandhismother,KarnaendsupsparingthePandavsandfailinghisbenefactor.

InthefriendshipofKarnaandDuryodhan,NarayaniisbeingexchangedbutNarayan is not invoked. Both remain insecure and needy. Neither grows inwisdom.

Rudraprakashwasunhappy.Hehadtwomanagershandlingtwoofhishealthclubs.Mehulhadworkedwithhimforyearsandwasloyal.Amitabhwasabrilliantmanager,whodidwhathewastold,butwasclearlytransactional.Mehuldidnotdeliverresultsbutcouldbereliedontostayonthroughbadtimes.Amitabhdelivered results butwould leavewhen things got rough.Eachone is insecure in his ownway.Mehul’sinsecuritymakeshimclingtoRudraprakash.Amitabh’sinsecuritymakeshimstrivetobe emotionallydetached fromRudraprakash.Neither is trying to change, or outgrowhis fear.TheyrelymoreonNarayanithatcomesfromtheoutsidethanNarayanthatcomesfrominside.

Arelationshipisaboutthoughts,notthings

n the Ramayan,whenRam and Lakshman encounterHanuman for the firsttime,Lakshmansuspectsheisademon,untilHanumanspeaksinSanskrit,the

languageoftheeducatedelite.Later,whenRamlearnshowHanumanservesSugrivwhohasbeenkicked

outofhiskingdombyhiselderbrotherVali,Ramofferstohelp.ButSugrivisnot sure if Ram is capable. Ram demonstrates his skill by shooting an arrowthrough seven palm trees and his strength by kicking the carcass of a deadbuffalosohardthatitfliesandlandsinthecourtofVali.

LakshmanandSugrivneed tangibleproofofextraordinariness.They focuson the resources that the other possesses. Ram and Hanuman recognize eachother’s worth even before proof is provided. They focus on the Narayanpotentialwithineachofthem.

Whentwopeoplemeet,therearefourthingsonthetable:youandyours,meandmine.Whenyours isexchangedformine, it isa transaction.Whenwho-I-amimpactswho-you-are,itisarelationship.SugrivandRamhaveatransaction:

RamhelpsSugrivbecomekingwhileSugrivhelpsRamfindhiswife.HanumanandRamhavea relationship:neitherexpectsanything from theotheryetbothhelpeachother.HanumanhelpsRam findSita and, indoing so,discovershisfullpotential.Hetransformsfrombeingavanar,ameremonkey,toadeityinhisownright.

Manishtellshiswife,Gitika,towearanewdiamondnecklacetotheweddingandnottheoneshehaswornearlier.“PeoplewillnoticeandIdonotwantpeopletothinkthatmybusinessisnotdoingwell.”Gitikafeelslikeabillboard.Inthecirclessheandherhusbandmovein,whatmattersiswhatclothesyouwear,what caryoudriveandwhereyougoonholiday.Everything is constantlymeasuredandkeepingupappearancescreateshugestress.ButsheenjoysspendingtimewithRafiqandReshmawhoareherfriendsfromcollege.Theystillmetinthesamecanteenwheretheyhungout,neverbotheringwitheachone’sprofessionalsuccessesorfailures.AsRafiqoftentellsManish,“Iwanttospendtimewithyou,notyourcaroryourcash.”

Rules

Anyorganizationisessentiallyasetofrules.Ruleshelphumanityoverpowerthelawof the jungle thatmight is right.Rulesdomesticate thehuman-animal.Butthe human-animal can use rules to dominate and reinforce his position as thealpha. The human-animal can also pretend to follow rules, be subversive, orrevoltwhenopportunitystrikes.Thereismuchmorehappeningwithrules.Forlifebecomesworkwhenwehavetolivebyanother’srules.

Therearenothievesinthejungle

nce Uttanka was travelling through the forest carrying a pair of jewelledearringssecuredfromakingcalledSaudasa.Theseearringswerethetuition

feeshehadpromisedhisguru’swife.On theway, serpents stole the earrings.Uttankawassoangrythathe invokedAgni, thefire-god,andfilledBhogavati,the land of serpentswith somuch smoke that it blinded them all. The torturecontinueduntilVasuki,thekingofserpents,returnedtheearringstoUttanka.

Uttanka saw the serpents as criminals; the earrings ‘belonged’ tohim.Theserpents saw Uttanka as the dominant beast who had defeated all rivals andclaimed its prey. The human gaze is different from the animal gaze, as itassumestheexistenceofculturalstructureslikerights,rulesandresponsibilities.Innature, thereisnoconceptofpossessionorpropertyhencethereisnothief,police,orcourtoflaw.

In the jungle there is territorynotproperty.Youcannotsteal territory.Youcannotbequeathittochildrenandlovedones.Youhavetofightforit.Winnertakesitall.

Inthejunglethereisnolaw,nocriminal,norights,noduties,nojudge,nojury.Everyoneisontheirown.

Brahma rejects this world. He wants a place where his possessions areprotectedandrespected.Thisistheworldofrules;thisissanskriti.Intheworldof rules there are rule-breakers, the criminal, the corrupt. There is need for apoliceforce,anauditor,andaregulator.Theyensurethattherightsoftheweakarerespectedbythestrong.

Shabbirsmiled.Oneday,amanseatedinabusspatonthecarhewasdrivingandhisbossgotveryangry.Herolleddownthewindowandabusedtheman,callinghimill-manneredandlow-class.Theverysamedayabirdflyingoverthecarrelieveditselfonthewindowscreen.Thebosswasupsetbuthecouldnotshoutatthebird.Thebirdwouldnotunderstandwhatmannersorclassmeant.

Withoutrulesthereisterritory,notproperty

psaras,thenymphswholiveinIndra’sland,donotfollowanyrules.Theysubscribetonolaw.Theyliveinabsolutefreedom.IntheMahabharat,when

Urvashi,anapsara,triestoseduceArjun,hewithdrawsfromherstatingthatsheis like a mother to him for she had seduced and stayed with his ancestor,Pururava.Shearguesthatsheisancestortonoone;shebelongstoall.Therulesofman do not apply to her, a nymph, she says. “But they apply tome,” saysArjun.

Urvashirepresentsprakriti towhomrulesdonotapply.Arjun,ontheotherhand,belongs to sanskriti—theworldof rules.With rulescomes thenotionofownership and property. In nature, the strongest or the smartest gets the prizewhereasinculture,thankstorules,eventheweakgetsomething.

IntheRamayan,whenGautamfindshiswifeAhalyainthearmsofthemoreattractiveandmorepowerful Indra,hecurses Indra’sbody tobecoveredwithsores and he curses Ahalya, turning her into stone. Gautam may not be thestrongest,smartestorrichestman;hemaynotevenbeaworthygroom,butbylawheisthehusband,nonebuthehastherighttobewithhiswife,andthesameisexpectedofher.Bylaw,Indraisathiefwhohasviolatedtherulesofsanskriti.By law,Ahalya has committed the crimeof adultery for failing to respect therules of marriage. These accusations would make no sense to an apsara likeUrvashi.

Rules establish sanskriti. They are put in place in the hope of creating aworld where even the weak can thrive and the helpless have rights.Unfortunately, rules end up creating a new form of hierarchy, one that is notbasedonforce,orcunning,butratherbasedonthewhimsofman.

Thus,insomeorganizationsonegenderisfavouredoveranother,oracertaincommunity or nationality is favoured over another. All these decisions arerationalizedusingcomplexarguments.Westriveformeritocracyuntilwerealizethatitcomesatapricethathumansareunwillingtopay.

Initially, the parking lot outside the temple was free for all. Dozens of cars could be seen parkedoutside as hordes of families visited, especially on the auspicious Fridays andSaturdays. Soon, the

numberofcars increasedsomuch therewere fights in theparking lotbetweenpeoplevyingfor thesamespace.Finally,tokeepthepeace,ruleshadtobeintroduced:itwasfirstcomefirstserved.Thosewho came late had to park outside on the road and risk having their cars towed away. Thisinconveniencedmanypowerfulandrichpeopleintheareawhocomplainedtothetemplecommitteeand even subtly threatened to withdraw their financial support. The temple authorities decided toreserveaportionoftheparkinglotforVIPs.Thisonlycreatedmoretrouble:whowasaVIPandwhowasn’t?Thefoundingfamilyofthetemple,whowereofmodestmeans,demandedmorerights thantherichdonors.Politiciansbegantoassertthemselvesandalsodemandedspecialrights.Whenthesewere denied, the temple suddenly found itself being questioned by the localmunicipality about thelegalityof its reservedparking.Theenquirystoppedwhen the local legislativecouncilmemberwasgivenaVIPpass.Intheabsenceofrules,thereischaos.Inthepresenceofrules,thereisorder.Buttheorderisconstantlythreatenedifitfailstocatertothedominantalpha.Withordercomeshierarchy.

Rulesdomesticatethehuman-animal

omesticationisaviolentprocess.IntheRamayan,Surpanakaisafreespiritwhoseeks intimacywithRam.Whenhe introducesher toSita,Surpanaka

seesherasarival.Sheisunabletofathomthemeaningofmarriageandfidelity.Theserulesmakenosenseinthejungle.Inthejungle,thestrongestandthemostbeautifulgetsthemate.SoSurpanakatriestotakewhatshewantsbyforce.Shedecides to attack Sita hoping that with the wife out of the picture, Ram willsuccumbtoher.

ToprotectSitafromharm,LakshmanintervenesandpullsSurpanakaback.Hethencutsoffhernose,disfiguringher,makingher lessworthyofanyone’saffection.Withthisact,thethreattothelawsofthemarriageiswipedaway.Thewildbeastisdomesticated.Orderisrestored.

FromLakshman’spointofview,one informedbyculture,hehasdone theright thing. From Surpanaka’s point of view, she has been humiliated andinvalidated.Shemaybehavelikeananimalbutthatshefeelsangerindicatessheisnot an animal.She ishuman.Hermental imagehas takena severebeating.Lakshmanmaythinkheisaheroforupholdingtherulesofculture,buthehasonlyfuelledSurpanaka’sfury.Onherpart,shefeelslikeavictim,notavillain.

Those who make the rules and enforce them always feel powerful andrighteous.Thosewhoareobligedtofollowtherulesdonotfeelso.Theycomplywillinglyonly if theyfeelgoodabout the rules,else theyquietlysubmit.Thenthere are somewho disagreewith the rules, rightly orwrongly, and they feelpowerfulbybreakingthem.

Thehospitalityfirmandthebuilderhadajointventure.Thehotelhadbeenbuiltbythebuilderbuthedidnotknowhowtorunthehotel.Sothemanagementwasoutsourcedtothehospitalityfirm.Vikrantwasthehotelmanagerandhesoonhadaproblem.Sanjay,thesonofthebuilder,wouldcometothebareveryeveningandsimplygrabcashfromthecounter.Whenthecashiertriedtoresist,hewouldsay,“Don’tyouknowwhoIam?Iownthisbuilding.”Thishadtobestopped.SoVikrantcalledhisbossesintheheadofficeandapprisedthemofthesituation.“Icanstopthebullybutonlyifyougivemefullsupport.”Thebossesassuredhimfullsupport.ThenexttimeSanjaytriedtograbcash,Vikrantandtwoofhismanagersintervenedandstoppedhim.Sanjaythreatenedthemwithdireconsequences.Vikrant pulled out his mobile and called Sanjay’s father and said, “Sir, I have been told by themanagementtowithdrawoperationsifSanjaycontinuestomisbehavewiththestaffandinterferewithprocesses.Pleaseadviseonwhatneedstobedone.”ThereplymadeVikrantsmile.Sanjayleftthebarshamefacedandneverreturnedagain.Surpanakahadbeencontrolledbyrules.ButVikrantknewthatthiswouldcomeataprice.Thebuilder’sprestigehadbeendentedanditcouldsourtherelationshipwiththehospitalityfirm,createtroubleinthefuture.Vikrant’sbossesknewittoo.Hewastransferredto another hotel and secretly given a cashbonusnot to speakof the incident.AndbecauseVikrantdisplayedimmensematurity,hisbossesmarkedhimoutastalent.

Domesticationcanbevoluntaryandinvoluntary

arudwasbornaslave.Hismother,Vinata,hadlostawagerwithhersister,Kadru, as a result of which she and her offspring were obliged to serve

Kadru and her children, the nagas. “If youwant to be free,” say the nagas toGarud,“fetchamritforus.”

Garud immediately flies to Amravati and finds the pot of amrit there,guardedbythedevas.Hespreadshismightywings,extendshissharptalonsandswoopsdownonthem.IndraandthedevasarenomatchforGarud.Heshovesthemasideandclaimsthepotwiththenectarofimmortality.

On thewayback, he encountersVishnu.Vishnu says, “There is awaybywhichyoucangetyourfreedomwithoutgivingthenagastheamrit.IfItellyouhow,whatwillyougiveme inexchange?”Garud swears to servehim for therestofhislife.

Vishnuthensays,“Afteryougivethepotofnectarandsecureyourfreedom,tell thenagas theymustbathebeforedrinking it.Theywill leave thepotwithyou,assumingyouwillsafeguardituntiltheirreturn.AllowIndratoreclaimthepot while the nagas are away.When the nagas question your actions, remindthem that you stopped being their slave as soon as you gave them the pot ofnectar and were thus under no obligation to stop Indra from stealing whatanyway belongs to the devas.”Garud does as he is told: he gets his freedom,Indra gets back the amrit and the nagas get nothing. Indra is so pleasedwithGarud that he makes nagas the natural food for Garud. Garud then goes toVaikunthaandservesVishnu.

In this story, Garud resents serving the nagas while he willingly servesVishnu. The former is involuntary domestication. The latter is voluntarydomestication. In involuntary domestication, we are compelled to workaccordingtootherpeople’srules.Involuntarydomestication,wechoosetoworkaccordingtootherpeople’srules.

Wevoluntarilygiveupourrulesandagreetofollowotherpeople’srules,iftheygrantuntoussomethingthatwevalue.Thecontractwesignwhenjoininganorganizationisvoluntarydomestication.

Srikanthalwayscomestoofficeontime.Helikescomingearlyandsettinguphisdeskbeforeothers.Then, one day, the company introduces the swipe-card system to ensure everyone comes on time.Suddenly, Srikanth does not feel like coming early. He hates his integrity being watched andmeasured.Sohecomestoofficeexactlyontimeandleavesonthedottoo,nevergivingthatextratimethat he did before the companymade domestication so involuntary. Srikanthwould be servant to atrustingVishnu,nottoanexploitativenaga.

Wedislikethosewhoareindifferenttorules

atiwas the daughter ofDaksha Prajapati, the supreme patron of the yagna.WhenshemetShiva,sheaskedhim,“Where isyourhome?”“Home?What

does thatmean?” he said. “Where do you staywhen it gets very hot?” “AtopMountKailas,”he replied.“Wheredoyoustaywhen itgetsverycold?”“Inacrematorium,nexttofuneralpyresthatarealwaysburning,”hesaid.“Wheredoyoustaywhenitrains?”“Inacave,”hesaid,“orevenabovetheclouds!”

Sati laughedas she realizedhedidnotunderstand themeaningofahome.ShecalledhimBholenath,theinnocentone,andfellinlovewithhim.Sheevendecidedtomarryhim,towhichherfatheragreedwithgreatreluctance.

At the wedding, sons-in-law are supposed to bow to their fathers-in-law.WhenShivarefusedtodoso,Sati’sfatherDakshatookthisasagreatinsult.Atthefeastthatfollowed,Shivafedhiscompanions,ghostsanddogs,withhisownhands. Daksha considered these creatures foul and inauspicious. His protestsmadenosensetoShiva.

SatirealizedthatShivahadnomentalimageofhimself,andsohadnoneedforasocialbody.Hewasindifferenttopropertyaswellasrulesthatareneededto endorse and affirmone’s self-image.Daksha, on theother hand, sawShivaverydifferently.Hesawhimasthedestroyer,athreattosocialorder.Shivawascomfortable with prakriti as Kali—wild and untamed, unbound by any rules.DakshainsistedonlookinguponprakritiasGauri,boundbyhisrules,underhiscontrol.

Daksha insists on rules being followed for the larger good. He demandsdomestication. But in enforcing the rules, his self-image gets inflated and hestartsbehavingasthedominantalpha.SomuchsothathestartsseeingShivaasanadversary,andnotasonewhocannotbedomesticated.

Shivaisabull.Ifabulliscastrated,itturnsintoanox,abeastofburden.Itcannolongerimpregnateacow.ItisimportanttoallowShivatostayoutsidethepurviewofrules.DakshafailstorealizethisandtakesShiva’sintransigenceasapersonalinsult.AtnopointisShivadefyingDaksha;heisjustbeinghimself.

Ravan,kingofLanka,defiestherules,andRam,princeofAyodhya,followsthem,butRavanisnoShivaandRamisnoDaksha.UnlikeShiva,Ravanwantstocontrolpeople;hedefiesauthoritybecausehewantstobeauthority.Shivaisahermitwithnodesiretodominateordomesticateanyone.UnlikeDaksha,Ramdoesnotwanttocontrolpeople;herespects therules,notauthority.Heknowsthevalueof rules and their place in life.He alsoknows thepriceonepays toupholdtherules.Thus,heisquitecomfortablesacrificingpersonalhappinessintheprocessofupholdingthelaw.

Mirchandani demands that everymemberof his accounting firmcome toofficeon time.They losehalf-a-dayofsalaryiftheyareevenaminutelate,butMirchandanialwayscomesinlate.Hebelievesthatastheowneritishisprivilegeandherationalizesitbysayingheworkslateintothenightunlikeother staff members who leave at 6 p.m. sharp. By this, he establishes his domination in theorganizationalhierarchylikeRavan.Vishal,asenioraccountant, justcannotcometoofficeontime.Helikesstartingworkonlyby11a.m.,andhedoesnotmindstayingbacklatetillalltheworkisdone.Cuttinghissalary,admonishinghim,hashadnoeffectonVishal.MirchandanicallshimarrogantandinsubordinatebutVishalhasnodesiretodefythesystem.Hesimplyfunctionsbestlaterinthedayandfindsitverydifficulttowakeupearly.ThetensionbetweenVishalandMirchandanireachesapointwhereVishalisaskedtoleave.Mirchandanilosesatalentedworkerbecause,likeDaksha,heismoreinterestedinVishal’sobedienceandadherencetorulesthaninVishal’sintelligence.

Rulescanbeoppressive

am’s obsessionwith rules dehumanizes him andmakes him detached anddispassionate. The structure he creates does not benefit all: certainly not

ShambukaandSita.The rules state that onlymembersof thepriestlyprofessions can renounce

society and become tapasvis, not members of servant professions. So whenShambuka,aservant,becomesatapsavi,Rambeheadshim.

The rules state that theking shallnothaveawomanwho is the subjectofgossipashisqueen.TheabductionofSitaandherstayinRavan’spalaceisthesubjectofgossipandsoRamabandonsSitaintheforestwhensheisheavywithchilddespiteknowingthatshehasneverbeenunfaithfulinletterorspirit.

Often in organizations, people are told to leave jobs on grounds that theyhavebrokenarule.Eventhoughtheleaderhasthepowertoforgiveoroverlooksuchtransgressionshedoesnot,forfearoftherepercussionstothecompanyasawhole.Forgivenessmaybeseenasafavour.Itmaybringethicsintoquestion.

Theruleswereveryclearthatbonuseshadtobepaidasperthebellcurve.Somewouldgetmorethan

others,andatleastonepersonwouldbedeniedabonus.Udayarguedthatallhisteammembershaddone satisfactorywork and no one person’swork stood out as spectacular.Those upstreamdid notcare:therulehadtobeappliedeverytime.Theteamhadtobegradeddifferently.Noexceptionscouldbemade.Udayfeltdisgustbuthecoulddonothingaboutit.ShambukahadtobebeheadedandSitahadtobeexiled,ifhewishedtobeRam.

Rulescreateunderdogsandoutsiders

ntheMahabharat,therearethreegreatarchers:Arjun,KarnaandEklavya.Rulesstate thatasamemberof theroyal family,Arjunhas theright tohold

the bow. The same right is not given to Karna and Eklavya because Karnabelongs to a family of charioteerswho are servants,while Eklavya is a tribalwho lives in the forest.Karnahas to learn secretly,denyinghis identity tohisteacher. Eklavya has to learn on his own as the royal tutor,Drona, refuses toteachhim.Thesocialstructureofthelandisanythingbutfair.

Rules that are meant to subvert the law of the jungle end up creating aculture that isunfair andoppressive.Hence, thegod inHinduism isnot just arule-follower like Ram but also a rule-breaker as in the instance of Krishna.Krishna is leela purushottam who is best at playing games. He is alwaysvisualized as a cowherd and charioteer, members of the servant class, eventhoughheisbornintoaroyalfamily.Heseemstobemockingsocialstatus.

The point is not the rules, or the following or breaking of them, but thereasonbehindtherules.Aretheyhelpingthehelplessastheyaresupposedto,orare they simply grantingmore power to the powerful? Rules were created tokeepthejungleoutofsocietybutmoreoftenthannottheybecometoolstomakesocietyworsethananyjungle.

Mathias knows that because he is the eldest son of the family, his taking over as CEO of hisdepartmentalstorewillalwaysbeseenasafunctionofhisbloodlineratherthanaresultofhistalent.No matter how hard he works, no matter what his performance is when compared with otherprofessionalsinthecompany,hewillalwaysbehisfather’sson.Heisthemodern-dayArjun,foundinalmosteveryfamilybusiness.Incontrast,Mathurknowsthatdespiteyearsofprovinghimself,hewillneverbecometheCEO;heisnotpartofthefamilybloodlineandthefamilywillnevergivethemantletoaprofessional.Heisourmodern-dayKarna,wholeavesthefamilybusinessandjoinsaprofessionalcompany,onlytorealizethatevenamultinationalcompanyhasaglassceiling.Heisnotanalumnusofanyknownbusiness-schoolhencehewillneverbegoodenough.Hewillalwaysbe theoutsider.Bakshiworks as amanager in thevery samedepartmental store.Hewouldhavebeen apart of thestrategic teambut hewill never be, because he is not a business-school graduate either.No schoolacceptedhimbecauseinthegroupdiscussionshewouldonlyexpresshimselfinHindi.Histhoughtswere outstanding but those who judged him heard only his language and felt he would not fit inbecause he did not know English. Bakshi did not learn English since the government schools hestudied in taught only the local language, because the political parties insisted on supporting theregional language over a ‘foreign’ language, never mind the fact that the children of these verypoliticianswent toEnglish-mediumschools.Bakshi is themodern-dayEklavya; not quite surewhywell-meaningpoliticiansandwell-meaningacademiciansdeniedhimhisthumb.

Rulescreatemimicsandpretenders

ntheMahabharat,Duryodhanbreaksnorules.HesimplyinvitesYudhishtirtoplay a game of dice for a wager. It is Yudhishtir who gambles away his

kingdomandhiswife,notDuryodhan.WhenDraupadi,thecommonwifeofthePandavs, is dragged by the hair from the inner chambers to the royal court,humiliatedandpubliclydisrobed,noonecomes toher rescue,neitherBhisma,Drona, nor Karna, even though she begs them for help. Rules and laws arequotedtojustifyhertreatment.

Later,when thePandavs return from their thirteen-year exile in the forest,Duryodhanrefusestoreturntheirlands.Hearguesthataccordingtohiscalendar,thePandavswere seen before the end of the thirteenth year and so as per theagreement, theyhave to return to the forest foranother thirteenyears.Krishnaoffersthecounter-argumentthattheKauravcalendardoesnottakeintoaccountthe concept of leap years. In fact, thePandavs have lived in exile longer thanstipulated. Duryodhan disagrees with this. So Krishna offers a compromise,“Justgivefivevillagestothefivebrothersforthesakeofpeace.”Thuscornered,Duryodhanreveals the true intentionbehindhispretenceof rationalargumentsandsays,“Iwillnotgivethemaneedlepointoflandunderanycircumstances.”

Duryodhan is thepretender, themimic,who follows the rulesbutdoesnotcarefor thepurpose theyserve.Heusesrules tocontrol theworldaroundhimandgethisway.

Inaworldwhereprocessesandsystemsmattermorethanfeelings,itisclearthat the overwhelming culture promotes Duryodhans. We assume that theobedient person is the committed person. Yet, we can sense that the team isdisconnectedanddetachedemotionally.Theybecomeprofessionalbecausetheyhavestoppedcaringaboutpeople;alltheycareaboutistasksandtargetsandgoaboutaccomplishingtheseruthlesslyandheartlessly.Infact,whenwecelebrateprofessionalism,wecelebrateDuryodhanwhovalues the letter of the law,notthespirit.Behaviourcanbeprovenandmeasured,notbelief.

Duringthebreakoutsessionsattheinternationalconferenceofalargecosmeticscompany,everyonewas asked to voice their issues with the new positioning of the old product. Yasmin had many

objectionsarisingfromthelocalrealitiesofIndia.Beforeshecouldvoice these,herboss,Gajendra,tappedherontheshoulderandsaid,“Thisisacharade.Theyhavealreadyprintedthebrochuresandthe leaflets and agencies have already filmed the ad-campaign that we have rolled out. So do notbotherprotestingorbeinghonest.Thismeeting is just a formality to tell theboardofdirectors thatlocalmarketswereconsultedbeforethelaunch.Nobodywillbelieveitbuteveryonewillapplaudtheirefforts.Sojustsmileandtell themhowwonderful thenewpositioningis.That iswhattheywanttohear.And if you tell themwhat theywant tohear, theywill rewardyouby callingyou to thenextinternationalconference.”With thisdialogue,GajendraencouragedYasmin tobecomeaDuryodhanandworkwiththesystem,herpersonalviewsnotwithstanding.

Wewanttolivebyourownrules

avan is the most charismatic and enchanting villain of Hindu mythology.Withtenheads,twentyarms,aflyingchariotandacityofgoldinthemiddle

ofthesea,hestandsoutintheepicRamayan.HedriveshisbrotherKuberoutofthe city of Lanka and declares himself king. When Ram and his brotherhumiliatehissister,Surpanaka,hedecidestoteachthemalessonbyabductingRam’swife,Sita.Ravanismuchadmiredashelivesbyhisownrules.Whatisoverlookedisthatheisthedominantalphamale,whodoesnotcareforanyoneexcept thosewhopleasehim.HekickshisbrotherVibhishanoutof thehousebecause he refuses to align with him. He wakes up his other brother,Kumbhakarn,eventhoughithasbeenforetoldthatifheisdisturbedbeforeitishistimetowakeuphewillmeetcertaindeath.HeletshiscityLankaburnandhissonsandbrothersdie,butrefusestogiveSitaup.

IntheMahabharat,thePandavBhimalsodisplaysthistraitoflivingbyhisownrules.Heisinthehabitofwalkingstraighttowardshisdestination,refusingto takeany turn,destroyingeverything that stands inhispath.FearingBhim’smight, rocks, treesandanimalsmakeway forhim.Once,whileonhisway tofetchaflowerforhisbelovedwife,Bhimfindsanoldmonkeylyingacrosshispath. Too proud to go around this old creature, Bhim introduces himself andinsiststhatthemonkeymakewayforhim.TheoldmonkeytellsBhim,“Icannotmove,Iamtooweak.Justkickmytailasideandgoforth,”Bhimtriestodothat,but fails. The tail is just too heavy! The monkey reveals he is Hanuman,representingnaturethatrefusestosubmittotheexcessesofman.

Weadmirepeoplewhodo things theirway,whostandup togovernments,change policies and make their mark in industry and society. These defiantheroes represent raw power that shapes the world around them by grit anddetermination.Upon closer observation,we realize they use rules to dominateandcontroltheworldaroundthem.Theirrulesonlyservethem.

Prakashwantstobeanentrepreneur.Notbecausehehasanygreatideaoragreatservicetooffer,hesimplywantstobehisownboss.Heistiredofobeyingothers,submittingtothewhimsandfanciesofhis superiorswhohe feelsaremuch less talented thanhim.He refuses tobeacog in thewheel;hewantstobetheownerofthewheel.Hewantstobeanalpha.Hewantseveryonetolistentohimandlivelifeonhisownterms.

Innovationisnotpossibleunlessrulesarebroken

sachild,Krishnadefiesruleswhenhestealsthebutterofmilkmaidsaswellas their hearts earning the titles ofmakhan-chor and chit-chor. Yet, he is

forgiven,forhisactionsbringjoyandcompelpeopletobemoregenerouswiththeirresourcesandaffection.

As a grownman, Krishna defies rules several times in the battlefield. Hedoes it when he gets the patriarch Bhisma to lower his bow, by getting theandrogynousShikhanditorideonhischariotinfrontofArjun.TogetDronatolowerhisweapons,KrishnaspreadstherumourthatDrona’sson,Ashwatthama,isdead.Heisreferringtoanelephant,butheknowsDronawillassumeitishissonandlowerhisweapons,givingDhristadhyumnathechancetobeheadtheoldteacher. Krishna goads Arjun to strike Karna even though Karna is unarmed,helplessandbusytryingtoreleasethewheelofhischariotfromtheground.HegoadsBhimtostrikeDuryodhanwithafatalblowbelowthenavelonhisthigh,whichisexpresslyforbiddenbytherulesofwar.

Krishna can be described as an innovator, onewho creates better rules bybreakingandbendingoldrules thatdonotserve theirpurpose.Buthedoessogently,with a smile, taking people into confidence.The shift is subtle, takingonebysurprise.Andthechangeisaimedtocreateasocietywherejunglelawsdonotexist.

Everypersonisaninnovator,apretender—compliantanddefiantindifferentcontexts.Every teamhas someonewho is such a person.This is theworld ofsanskriti,whereallisnotasitseems.Itlacksthetransparencyofnature.Aslongasthereisimagination,suchtransparencyoffeelingswillnotexist.

Mohit tookahugerisk.Breakingallcompanypolicies,hetoldhis teamtotalk to theclientdirectlyratherthangothroughofficialintermediaries.ThisledtoahugefuroreandMohitwassummonedtotheCEO’soffice.Theclient-facingteamwastherewithproofofMohit’saudacity.Mohitdidnotdenythecharges.Hesimplypresentedaslideshowthatprovedthedifferenceinturnaroundtimeinthesixmonthsbeforehebrokeandafterhebroketherule.Theturnaroundtimehadshortenedandthenumberofcustomercomplaintshaddramaticallygonedown.Bypassingtheclient-servingteam,thedeliveryteamhadreducedaffairsgettinglostintranslationtherebyimprovingtheequityofthefirm.Theclienttrusted the firmmore.Mohitwas aKrishna breaking the rules not out of spite or indifference, butbecausetheyweredoingmoreharmthangood.TheCEOagreedandMohitwasallowedtocontinuehisinitiative.

Werespectthosewhoupholdrules

am is maryada purushottam, supreme upholder of laws that make up thesocial order.He is the only formofVishnu to beworshipped as king.He

upholdsrulesevenatthecostofpersonalhappiness.Therulesstatethatthekingshallalwayskeephisword.WhenDashrathtells

Ram about Kaikeyi’s demands, Ram leaves for exile immediately without awordofprotest.This isnot theactofanobedient son; this isanactofa law-abidingprincewhoupholdsrulestoensuretheintegrityoftheroyalfamily.

The rules state that aman shall always be faithful to hiswife.RamneverlooksatanotherwomanorremarrieswhenseparatedfromSita.This,too,isanactofupholdingthelawratherthananactborneoutoflove.Ramdoesnotmakerules—hefollowsthem.Heissupremelycompliant.Andthekingdomhefostersis described as a world where nothing is unpredictable and everything isorganized.

WhenthebranchofficeisestablishedinAhmedabad,SunilisclearhewantsAlokasthebranchhead.Alokisstraightforwardandtrustworthy.Hewillfollowtherulesmeticulouslyandensureallprocessesare implemented and followed. He will create a culture of compliance. As the branch office isprimarily a delivery centre and not a client-facing arm, Sunil is looking for a Ram to create apredictableandcontrollableenvironment.Alokisperfectforthejob.

Rulesneednotdetermineourvalue

itagoesintoforestexiletwiceintheRamayan.Thefirsttime,itisvoluntary;shefollowsRamasadutifulwife.Thesecondtime, it is involuntary;she is

abandoned in the forestonRam’s instruction followingstreetgossipaboutherreputation.RamdoesnotseeSita.Hisgazeisonlyontherules.

DespitethisSitaneverbegrudgesRam.Thoughabandonedandaloneintheforest, sheknows thathis roleasakingcompelshim to take thisdrastic step.Sheknowswhereheiscomingfrom,hiscommitmenttotherules,hisobligationasscionofaroyalclanandhisresponsibilitytohispeople.Whilesheknowstheconsequencesofhisdecisions,shealsoknowsthathewillalwaysbetruetoher.Whenhersonsareoldenough,shesendsthemtotheirfather.Ramaskshertocomeback,butsherefuses.Asaresidentoftheforest,sheisnolongerboundbytherulesofthecity.Intheforestsheisnotobligedtoobey.Sheaskstheearth-goddess,hermother,totakeherback.Theearthopensupandtakesherin.

Sita no longer needs the Durga offered by social rules. She has enoughShaktiwithinhertolivewithoutthem.Shedoesnotneedasocialbody;shedoesnot need to be wife or queen. Her mental body no longer seeks externalvalidation.

Prathameshwasaccusedofsexualmisconductandaskedtoleavethefirmaslongastheenquirywaspending. Keeping him around would affect the image of the company negatively. It would speakvolumesabout thecompany’smoralstand insuchmatters.Prathameshwasfurious.Heknewthat itwasimpossibletoprovewhatactuallytranspiredbehindcloseddoors.Itwashiswordagainsttheladywhohadaccusedhim.Hisconsciencewasclearbuthekeptrelivingthedayinhismind:hadhesaid,ordonesomethingthatcouldhavebeenmisunderstood?Threemonthslater,Prathameshwasaskedtorejoin the firm. There was insufficient evidence against him. It was a case of culturalmisunderstanding.Prathameshdeclinedtheoffer.Hehadlearnedthattherewaslifebeyondthewealthandprivilegeofferedbythefirm.

Stability

Nature is changing. Markets are changing. Human needs are changing. Newtools and technologies are appearing and old ones disappearing. Some seekstability, certainty and predictability: the status quo. Others seek change,revolution, and transformation: a change in their status. With stability comespeace, monotony and stagnation. With change comes stress, excitement andgrowth.

Whentheworldchanges,oursocialbodydies

arkandeyahastheboonofimmortality,yethefeelsgreatfear.Oneday,hesees the rains fall and the oceans rise until the whole world, every

mountain,continentandpersonheknew,everyvillageandcityhe’dvisited,getdissolved.Thesundisappearsfromtheskyalongwith themoon, thestarsandevery cloud. Markandeya finds himself surrounded by vast, limitless water.Aloneinthemidstofnothingness,Markandeyaexperiencesgreatdread.Thereisnoonetoseehimorcallhimbyhisname.Withouttheworld,whoishe?Hehasnoidentity.Doesheevenexist?

As these thoughts cross his mind, he sees a banyan leaf floating on thewaves.A child is sitting on the leaf andgurgling happily, suckinghis big toejoyfully.ThechildbreathesinandMarkandeyafindshimselfbeingsuckedintothechild’sbody. Inside,hecansee theentireuniverse—thesky, theearthandtheunderworld.Heseestherealmsofdevas,asuras,yakshas,rakshasas,nagas,andmanavas,someofwhomrecognizehimandcallhimbyname.Markandeyafeels secure, his identity and value restored. All the fear that Markandeyaexperienced now disappears, thanks to the intervention of the child, who isundoubtedlyVishnu.ThenthechildbreathesMarkandeyaout.Heisbackintherealmofthewaters,ofnothingness,wherehisfearsreturn.

Markandeya’sphysicalbodymaybe immortal,butwhen theworldaroundhimcollapses,hissocialbodydies.Heisstrippedofallrelationships,titlesandstatus.Hebelongstonohierarchy;isanobody.Thatiswhyweclingtosocialstructuresaroundus:hierarchy, therulesofanorganization, thesegrantusouridentityandmeaning.Sanskritiexiststomakehumansfeelsecure.Thatiswhyanychangeinsocietyfrightensus.

Oursocialstructuresdependontheorganization.Theorganizationdependson industry, which in turn depends on the market. The market depends onsociety, which in turn relies on the environment. All these are susceptible tochange,andsoareconstantthreatstoourphysical,socialandmentalbody.Weareonlycomfortablewithchangethatnourishesoursocialbodyandreinforcesourmentalimage.Thisconstant,loomingthreattooursocialbeingsisaneternalsourceofstress.

Fortenyears,Rupenhandledtheaccountsof thejewelleryfactorywhereheworked.Hedidhis jobwellandlovedtheroutineofhislife.Everythingwasfamiliarandinorder.Hisboss,Motwani,lovedhimandhisjobwasassured.ThenMotwanidiedandhiswife,unabletohandlethebusiness,soldittoalargeconglomerate.Suddenly,allcertaintydisappearsfromRupen’slife.Hehasabosstoreporttoandisnowseenasanold-schoolaccountantwhodoesnotfitintothenewwayofthinking.Withtheendofone sanskriti and the riseof another, the socialbodyalsoneeds todie andbe reborn, locateitselfinthenewstructure.

Wewantorganizationstosecureoursocialbody

little boy called Dhruva is pulled down from his father’s lap by hisstepmother.Feelingdeprivedanddenied,heseeksafatherfromwhoselap

hewillneverbepulleddown.HepraysferventlyuntilVishnupickshimupandplaceshiminhislap.Therehesitsinthesky,onVishnu’slap,asthesteadfastPoleStar.Noonecanpullhimdown.

Weyearnforpermanenceinstructures,systemsandrules,asitreassuresusabout the permanence ofwhowe are.When bosses change, organizations getrestructured, when new teams are formed, when we are moved to anotherdepartment,fearenvelopesus.LikeDhruva,wehopethereisaVishnuoutthere,aparentwhowillalwayskeepusinhislap.

In medieval times, many wars were fought between theMughals and theMarathas,butbothagreedonone thing: theroleof theking.For theMughals,the king was jahanpanah—shelter of the world; for the Marathas, he waschattrapati—beareroftheumbrellathatprotectsusfromproblems.Thekingwasseen as onewhogrants security, not just physical but also social security that

assuresusofourmeaning.Peopleareoftenloyal tobossesor toanorganizationbecauseitguarantees

thembothlivelihoodandsocialstatus.Manyseethisasafairbargain,asocialcontract.Somepeoplebelievethataleadershouldprovidesecurityactivelylikeacatthatcarriesherkittens(bythescruffoftheirneck)tosafety.Othersbelievealeaderistheretoprovidesecuritypassivelyinthewaybabymonkeysclingtotheirmotherstofeelsecure.

Underlyingthisbeliefistheassumptionthatwearedependentandweneednotbedependable.MostdevataswanttoremainDhruvas,fewwanttogrowupandbeVishnu for others.Wedonotwish to rise in the varna ladder.We arecomfortablebeingkarya-kartasandnotbecomingyajamans.

Allhislife,Sudhawantedapermanentjoblikeherbrother,Sai,whoworkedforthegovernment,butitneverhappened.First, thecompanysheworkedforgotshutdown.Thenextcompanyshiftedofficethree times. Then her boss changed, after which the company was reorganized and she was givenvariousrolesoveraspanoftwoyears.Shewasneverabletosettledown,feelasenseofstabilityororder.Whenshecomplainedand toldherbrotherhowluckyhewas,hemoaned,“Notquite. IhavebeentransferredtothreecitiesinthepasttenyearsandnowIhavetouseallmyinfluencetoavoidthenexttransfer.”BothsiblingsarelikeDhruvayearningforalapfromwherenoonecanpullthemdown.

Weresistanythingthatisnew

hisstorycomesfromtheOriyaMahabharat.Oneday,Arjunseesastrangecreatureintheforest,onehehasneverseenbefore.Atfirst,Arjunthinksit

isamonsterand raiseshisbow tokill it.Allofa sudden,henoticesahumanhand and realizes the creature is not as unfamiliar as he thinks. On closerobservation,hefindsNavagunjara,thecreaturewiththeheadofarooster,neckofapeacock,backofabull,waistofalion,tailofaserpentandthefourlimbsof ahuman,deer, tiger andelephant.Everypart is familiarbutnot thewhole.Why did he assume the creature was a monster simply because it was notsomethinghehadencountered?

Often,weseetheworldfullofpredatorsandrivalsthreateningourbusinessand us. We condemn unfamiliar markets as being chaotic and unethical. Wewanttodominate,domesticateordestroytheunfamiliar,ratherthanunderstandit. We assume what we know is the objective truth and everything else isthreatening.Yet, it is theunfamiliarthatoffersustheopportunitytogrow.Weneed to seek the familiar in theunfamiliarandallowourselves toembrace thenew. Rather than seek control of the union it is important to include and

assimilatetheunknown.

WhenChristopherfirstcametoMumbai,hewasfrightened.Theroadswerebad,trafficwasalloverthe place, there were crowds of people everywhere, slums poured out of every corner, there wasconstruction work wherever he turned; so different from back home where there were hardly anypeople on the road, where streets were neatly arranged, everyone drove cars, and poverty waspracticallynon-existent.ForChristopher,Mumbaifeltlikeamonsterthatneededtobekilledortamed,untilhenoticedthatthepeoplehedealtwithwerenodifferentfromthepeopleinhisnativeland,kindaswellascomplex.Theyargued,negotiatedandofferedsolutions.InMumbai,hediscoveredamarketforhiscompany,amuch-neededlifeline.Thiswasdifferent.Ithadtobedifferent.Inthedifferencelaynew ideas, new thoughts and new challenges. Slowly the fear dissipated.Navagunjara need not befeared;ithastobeadmiredandunderstood.

Wewanttocontrolchange

n theKathasaritsagar,Vikramadityahopes to rule foreverbyasking thathedie only at the hands of a child borne by a girlwho is only two-and-a-half

years old. The impossible happens. One day he encounters Shalivahanwhosemother isbarely two-and-a-halfyearsolder thanhim.His father isVasuki, thekingofserpents.Inaduelthatfollows,Vikramadityaiskilledandhisgloriousreigncomestoanend.

Hindu mythology is replete with stories where the impossible happens.Asurasdemandboonsthatmakekillingthemnearimpossible,andyetsomeonefindsachinkintheperfectarmourandtheyendupdead.

Wecreatestructures,systemsandrulesthatweareconvincedareperfectandwill last forever, but they never do. Eventually, inevitably, they do collapse.Ultimatelysanskritiisnomatchforprakriti.

Buddhismkeepsdescribing theworldas impermanent.Hindussawtimeascyclical,eachcycleakalpacomposedoffouryugas,markingchildhood(Krita),youth(Treta),maturity(Dvapar)andoldage(Kali)beforedeath(pralay),whichis followed by rebirth.And yet, Indra craves amrit and the asuras do tapasya,seekingimmortality.

Organizations go through cycles and restructuring repeatedly. Change inmarket conditions, a new boss, target, merger, acquisition, etc. happensconstantly, changing everything around us. Change can be upstream (bosses,investors, regulators) or downstream (employees, customers). Change can becentral (strategy) or peripheral (market conditions).We ourselves can change,struckbyboredomordesire.Still,everyonehopes tosecure theirposition likeVikramaditya,gettingupsetwhenShalivahaninvariablyappears.

Shekhar likespeoplewhoareorganizedandcompliant.Organizedandobedientpeoplegetahead in

his organization. Now themarket is changing, and old familiarities are going out the window. Heneedspeoplewhocan think in theabsenceofstructures,whocanbeproactiveand takeon-the-spotdecisions.Heneedskartas.But over theyears hehasgroomedonlykarya-kartas.They ensuredhissuccessforalongtime,butinthenewmarketheneedskartasandthereisnoonearound.

Insecurityturnsusintovillains

n the Bhagavat Puran, Kansa is told that his sister’s eighth child will beresponsibleforhisdeath.Sohegoesaboutkillingallherchildrenassoonas

theyareborninthehopeofdefyingfate.IntheRamayan,asRam’sarmynearsLanka, Ravan gets increasingly intolerant and demanding. When his brother,Vibhishan,pleadswithhimtoletSitagotosaveLanka,RavanviewsthisasanattackonhismentalimageandkicksVibhishanout.Ontheotherhand,Ravanstarts to increasingly rely onKumbhakarnwho does not challenge hismentalimageandkeepsagreeingwithhim.

In the Mahabharat, Duryodhan tries to poison Bhim and sets fire to thepalace in which the Pandavs are sleeping. He believes that with the Pandavsgone,hisclaimonthethroneofHastinapurwillbesecure.Hewantstobeking.Heneedsthatsocialbodyandwilldoanythingtodestroythosewhothreatenit.Kansa fears forhisphysicalbody,Ravan forhismentalbody,andDuryodhanfor his social body. In their own eyes, they are victims, fighting for survival.Noneacceptsthatdeathisinevitable.

Here, death is a metaphor for change. We do not want to accept theinevitable—thatonedaywewillbereplaced.Wegoaboutensuringthereisnorival,orthreattoourexistence.Wecreatestructuresandsystemsthatsecureourroles,henceourself-image.Butinsecuringourselves,weenduphurtingothers.Webecomevillains.

Rakeshthinksheisverysmart.Hecancomputebetterthanothersandcanorganizethingsbetterthananybody else. If anybody challenges his system, he gets furious. He does not appreciate criticism,viewingitasoppositionandachallenge.Smartpeopleleavehisteamorsitthereresentingeverythinghesays,allowinghimtomakestupidmistakes,becausetheyknowhewillnotlisten.Rakeshisabully,heneedstobeaggressiveanddominatingbecausethisenableshimtogetDurgaforciblyfrompeopleandfeedhisownsenseofinadequacy.Indoingso,hedestroysallrelationships.Heremainsaloneandvulnerable,withnoonearoundtohelphimwhenhereallyneedssupport.

Ourstabilitypreventsotherpeople’sgrowth

henJarasandha,kingofMagadha, learnsthatKrishnahaskilledhisson-in-law Kansa, the dictator of Mathura, and that the people of Mathura

rejoicedathisdeath,heisfurious.HeordershisarmytokillKrishnaandsetthecityaflame.KrishnaandthepeopleofMathuraareforcedtotakerefugeinthefarawayislandofDwaraka.

Yearslater,afterthePandavsbuildthecityofIndraprasthawiththehelpofKrishna,Yudhishtir,theeldestofthePandavbrothers,declarestheirdesiretobekings. Krishna says, “As long as Jarasandha is alive that is not possible.Jarasandhahassubduedallthekingsoftheland.Untilthosekingsareliberated,untiltheyarefreetoattendyourcoronationandrecognizeyoursovereignty,youcannotbeking.”

Jarasandha isachakravarti, anemperorofall the landshesurveys. InJainchroniclesheisprati-vasudev,theenemyofvasudev(Krishna)andhispacifistbrotherBaladev.Jarasandha’scontrolandsystemsdonotletotherkingsthrive.Hemayhaveestablishedstabilityandorderbutthestabilityandorderservehim,notKrishnaorthePandavs.Naturally,thevasudevconsidersthechakravartiastheprati-vasudev.

Without realizing it,ourstructuresendupcurtailing innovation. Innovatorshate institutions and yet institutions are built on the principles of fairness andequality. Inanequalworld,noonecanbe special.An innovator, though, seeshimself as different. From his different point of view come new ideas andinnovationthatwillchangetheoldorderofthings.

Wecall theinnovatorarebelbecausehedoesnotalignwithauthority.Wecall the innovator a prophet because he challenges authority. But eventually,everyinnovatorbecomesachakravartiandinstitutionalizeshisrules.Andwiththat he becomes a prati-vasudev or enemy to young entrepreneurs and otherinnovators.

Revant liked the licence raj era when business was assured from the government. Now, withliberalizationhehas togive tenderseveryyear,dealwithofficersandprovehiscapability timeandagain,astheofficerskeepchanging.Theysaythiscompetitiveenvironmentisgoodforthecountry.Butweren’ttheservicesheprovidedoftopquality?WhatRevantdoesnotrealizeisthatbecauseoftheoldsystem,manytalentedbusinessmenweredeniedopportunitiestogrow.They,inturn,resentedthelikesofRevantwhosefamilyhadbenefittedfromBritishruleandsubsequently,underthesocialistgovernments.Revant saw himself as a chakravartiwho creates order and stability around him.ButambitiousmenlikeBilvamangalsawhimasoldmoneythatdoesnotlikenewmoney:aprati-vasudev,whouseshispowertocreaterulesthatblockothersfromrising.

Wewouldratherchangetheworldthanourselves

hishupalawasborndeformedwithextralimbsandeyes.Theoraclesrevealedthathewouldbecomenormal thedayhewaspickedupbyamanwhowas

destined to kill him. Thatman turned out to beKrishna. Shishupala’smotherbeggedKrishnatoforgiveahundredcrimesofherson.Krishnapromisedtodoso.

At thecoronationofYudhishtir,Shishupala insultedKrishnaseveral times.Krishnadid not say anything andkept forgivinghim, but eventually, after thehundredthinsult,Krishnawasundernoobligationtoforgivethelout.HehurledhisSudarshanChakraandkilledShishupala.

WhileShishupala’smothergot an assurance fromKrishna, at nopoint didShishupala’s mother tell her son never to upset Krishna. Shishupala’s mothergainsDurgafromKrishnabutdoesnotinvokeShaktiinherownson.Shereliesonexternalpowersforprotectionandhasnofaithininternalpower.Theburdenof invoking inner power is too great. It demands toomuch effort. Like Indra,Shishupala’smotherseeksexternalinterventiontosaveherduringcrisis.

InthePuran,Indraneverchanges.Despitecrisisaftercrisisandtherepeatedattacksofasuras,hedoesnotchange.HekeepsaskingforhelpfromhisfatherBrahma who asks Vishnu for help. When Vishnu solves the problem, Indrareturnstohisindulgentways.Wewantproblemstobesolved,butwerefusetodevelopdivya-drishtiorrealizethatwewanttochangeonlytheobjectiveworldandareconvincedthesubjectiveworldneedsnoimprovement.

WhenAtulresignedandmovedtoanotherfirm,Derekwasfurious.HeravedandrantedaboutAtul’slackofloyaltyandhisbetrayal.“Weshouldneverhireprofessionals,”hetoldhisson.Inhisrage,hegavemorepowers to thosewhowere loyal tohim,not realizing that itwasprecisely thisbehaviourthathadalienatedtheverytalentedAtul.Derek’sinsecuritymeanthewasalwayssuspiciousofpeoplewhodidnotdemonstrateloyalty.Hewantedtohedgehisbetsandsogaveequalvaluetothoseloyalaswell as thosewhowere talented.Hewanted theworld tobe loyal tohim,butdidnothing toevokeloyaltyinmenlikeAtulbygivingthemthefreedomandspacetheyneededtoperform.Hebelieved,likeShishupala’smother,thattheproblemwaswiththeworld.

Whenthecontextchanges,wehavetochange

ishnuisatoncemortalandimmortal.Eachofhisavatarsgoesthroughbirthanddeath,yetheneverdies.Theavataradapts totheage.Jaisayug,vaisa

avatar (as is the context, so is the action). With each avatar his social bodyundergoesachange.He isat firstanimal (fish, turtle,boar,half-lion)and thenhuman(priest,warrior,prince,cowherd,charioteer).

WhenHiranayakshadragged theearthunder thesea,Vishnu took theformoftheboarVaraha,plungedintothewatersandgoredtheasuratodeath,placingtheearthonhisownsnout,raisingitbacktothesurface.Thisconfrontationwashighlyphysical.

Hiranakashipuwasadifferentkindofasura.Heobtainedaboonthatmadehimnearinvincible:hecouldnotbekilledeitherbyamanorananimal,eitherinthedayorinthenight,neitherinsideadwellingnoroutside,noronthegroundnoroffit,andnotwithaweaponortool.Tokillthisasura,Vishnutransformedhimself into Narasimha, a creature that was half-lion and half-human, neithermannorcompletelyanimal.Hedragged theasuraat twilight,which isneitherdaynornight,tothethreshold,whichisneitherinsideahousenoroutside,andplacinghimonhisthigh,whichisneitheronthegroundnoroff,disembowelledhimwithhissharpclaws,whichwereneitherweaponsnortools.Thiscomplexconfrontationwashighlyintellectual,abattleofwitsifyouwill.

ThencameBali,anasurawhowassonobleandsogenerousthathisrealmexpandedbeyond the subterranean realms to include theearthandsky.Toputhimbackinhisplace,VishnutooktheformofthedwarfVamanandaskedhimfor three paces of land.WhenBali granted thiswish, the dwarf turned into agiant andwith two steps claimed the earth and sky, shovingBali back to thenetherregionswiththethirdstep.Thisbattleinvolvednotsomuchdefeatingtheopponentasitdidtransformingoneself.

A study of these avatars of Vishnu indicates a discernible shift in tactics.FromVarahatoNarasimhatoVamanathereisashiftfrombruteforce,tobrainoverbrawnand, finally, an exercise inoutgrowing rather thanoutwitting.Thedemonsbecomeincreasinglycomplex—Hiranayakshaisviolent,Hiranakashipuis cunning and Bali is good but fails to see the big picture. Each one forces

Vishnu to change, adapt and evolve. There is no standard approach, eachapproachiscustomizedasperthecontextdeterminedbytheother.Atalltimes,Vishnu’sintentiondoesnotchange.

Narsiknewthatsomeproblemscouldonlybesolvedbyforce.Sohehiredasecurityfirmknownforstrong-armtactics.Healsohadateamofpowerfullawyersbecauseheknewmanyproblemscouldbepreventedbywatertightcontractsand fearof litigation.When theheadofhismarketingdepartmentwas being too impudent, Narsi decided to change the proportions of the business relationship. Heappointed a senior groupmarketing head to oversee themarketing operations of all his businesses.Suddenly,themarketinghead,onceabigfishinasmallpond,foundthathehadbecomeasmallfishinabigpond,andstoppedbeinganupstartandcreatingtoomuchtrouble.SomepeoplethinkNarsihas multiple-personality disorder. Sometimes he gives people complete freedom. Sometimes hecontrolseveryaspectoftheproject.Sometimesheiskindandunderstanding.Sometimeheshoutsandscreams. Narsi told his nephew, Vishal, that he changes his management style depending on thesituation and the person in front of him. “Some situations demand creativity and others demandcontrol.Somepeopleneedtobeinstructedwhileotherscanbeinspired.Weneedtochangeasperthesituationandthepeoplearoundusinordertosucceed.”NarsiisVishnuwhoknowseverycontextisayugaandeveryyugahasitsownappropriateavatar.

Unlesswechange,wecannotgrow

here was once a serpent called Kaliya who poisoned a bend of the riverYamuna. No cow, cowherd or milkmaid could come near the stretch of

waterinhabitedbyKaliya.KrishnajumpedintothewaterandchallengedKaliyatoaduel.Afterafiercefight,Krishnasucceededinoverpoweringtheserpent;hedancedonKaliya’shooduntiltheserpent,veryreluctantly,agreedtomove.

“What is the problem?” asked Krishna, out of concern for Kaliya. Kaliyaexplainedthattheeagle,Garud,wantedtoeathimandbecauseofaspellcastbya sage on that particular bend of the river Yamuna, he could not follow himthere.“ThisistheonlyplacewhereIamsafefromGarud.ThatiswhyIdonotventure out of this place.” Fear had made Kaliya cling to a location. Thislocation was his Durga. His refusal to move made the waters poisonous anddeemedhim a villain in everyone’s eyes, thoughhe felt hewas a victimonlytryingtosavehimself.

Kaliyafeels likeanabandonedchild.Heseeksayajamanwhowillprotecthim.Findingnone,hehastoprotecthimself.Heistheanimalintheforestwithnoonetoturnto.ThebendintheriverYamunasymbolizestheorganization,theroleandrulesthatguaranteehisself-image.Herefusestomoveon.Herefusestogrow. Growth demands changing himself and the world around him. Thatfrightenshimunlessitisonhisownterms.Hefeelssafeintheoldfamiliarwayandresistsanyattempttomakehimcrossovertothenewunfamiliarway.

Buttheworldisconstantlychanging.Thingswillneverremainconstant.Ifwefocusonlyon thecomingandgoingof fortune,wewillalwaysbeanxiousand frustrated.On theotherhand, ifwe focuson learningwith every rise andfall,wewillkeepgrowingandgeneratinginternalShaktiratherthandependingonexternalDurgaforoursurvival.

Shivkumar got transfer orders a week ago and he is upset. For years he has served the companyloyally, takennotasingleday’s leave.Hemade it toofficeevenwhenhehadfever.Allhis lifehestayedinLucknow,inhisfamilyhouse.Hewalkedtoworkandenjoyedtheneighbourhood.Nowthis!Howcouldtheydothistohim?HowcouldtheytransferhimtoAllahabad?Yes,thenewofficeneededsettingup,butwhyhim?Hehadnottakenapromotionsothathecouldstayhere.Hewasevenwillingtotakeapaycuttostay.HejustdidnotwanttogotoAllahabad.ButhisnewbosswhohascomefromDelhi is a scoundrel and refuses to listen to reason. “Youmust go toAllahabad, Shivkumarji. Thecompanyneedsyoutodothis.AndIneedyoutodothis.Anditisforyourowngood.”Howcanitbefor his good?Moving to a new place, a new neighbourhood, a new house, the headache of schooladmissions, thepainof shifting furniture.Andwhowould lookafterhis familyhousewhilehewasaway?Andhisparents?Would theyalsohave tomove?Hismotherwouldneveragree.ShivkumarbelieveshisbossfromDelhiisKaliyawhoneedstobekickedbackbyKrishna.But,infact,heistheKaliya himself. His boss has recognized his potential—his ability to contribute, not just to theorganizationbutalsotohimself.Shivkumarsellshimselfshort.Hehidesbehindapparentcontentment.Deepdown,heisenviousoftheyoungonesinthecompanywhohavebeenpromotedandgivenbetterbonuses and incentives. He gets upset when bosses accept transfers, when the houses in theneighbourhood are broken down to make way for new structures. Things are changing every dayaroundShivkumar,butheisrefusingtoadapt.Beforehimisanopportunitytoexperiencesomethingnew,butheisafraid.Garudlurksbeyondthebendofhisriver.HeisangrywithKrishna.Hedoesnotwanttogo.ButKrishna’sdancewillnotstop;thetransferorderwillnotberevoked.

Wewillalwaysresistchange

ntheBhagavatPuran,itissaidthatonedayacharioteercalledAkruracomestoVrindavantofetchKrishnaandtakehimtoMathura.AsKrishnaprepares

toleavewithhisbrotherBalaram,themilkmaidsofthevillagebreakintotears.They throw themselves before the chariot and cling to its wheels, beggingAkruranottotakeKrishnaaway.Krishnarequeststhewomentolethimgoandassuresthemthathewillcomeback,buthedoesnotreturn.

Thiseventmarks theendof theBhagavatPuranand the startofKrishna’sroleintheMahabharat.Theranga-bhoomiofVrindavan,fullofsonganddance,inthemiddleoftheforest,isreplacedbytherana-bhoomiofMathura,Dwaraka,Indraprastha,HastinapurandKurukshetra.

Everyyear,thechariotfestivalatPuri,Orissa,isafestiveexpressionofthedesireofdevoteesforKrishnatoreturn.Hedoessoforabriefperiodandthenreturnstohistemplesonceagain.Forultimately,thegopikashavetoletgo.

ThegopikashadfoundgreatsecurityinthecompanyofKrishna.TheyhadgrowntodependontheDurgahegavethem.But,byleaving,Krishnacompelsthem to grow, find Shakti within themselves. It is time for them to becomeKrishnaforothers.Itistimeforthemtobelessdependentandmoredependable,moveawayfromtamas-gunatowardssattva-guna.

Krishna leaves his beloved Radha behind because duty beckons him inMathura.By lettinghimgo, shegrowsbybeingmore independent.By lettinghergo,hegrowsbybeingabletobearmoreresponsibility.Butthechangehasconsequences. Never again will Krishna play the flute as he did in Radha’spresence.

Wecannotstaydependentforever.Wehavetolearntobeindependent.LikeHanumanwhofoundRaminhisheart, thegopikashavetofindKrishnainsidethemandcreatetherasa-mandala,thecircleofjoyandsecurityaroundthem.

Duringaconferenceofentrepreneurs,Kalraspokeonthevalueoflettinggo,allowingpeopletogrowupand take responsibility.“WhenIhad fiftypeopleworking forme, I interfered ineveryaspectofbusiness.WhenIhadfivehundred,Ihadtochangeandthey,too,hadtochange.Ihadtoletmanagersthinkforthemselves, transformfrombeingkarya-kartastokartas.Andtheonlywaytodothis isby

becomingayajaman,allowingotherstotakethedecision.Unlessweletgo,thedependentwillneverbecomedependable,andneithertheynorwewillevergrow.”

Adaptingtochangeisnotgrowth

nimalsadapttocircumstances.Somehibernate,somemigrate.Humanscanchangewith circumstances, too.Organizations have to change to keep up

with the new realities of themarket and industry, and that compels people tochange,learnnewskills,adapttoneworganizationalstructures.Butsuchchangeisadaptability,notgrowth.

Adaptability is the ability to changewith the context to achieve the sameend-result. Growth is change in mindset, when the same context can be seendifferently.Adaptability enables the conversionofBhudevi (naturalwealth) toShridevi(personalwealth)nomatterwhatthecontext.GrowthisturningDurga(dependence on external power) to Shakti (dependability by invoking internalpower).

In the Treta yuga, the enemy isRavan. In theDvapar yuga, the enemy isDuryodhan.Fromasubjectivepointofview,neitherisdifferentfromtheother.Botharefrightened.Theydifferfromanobjectivepointofview.RavanisstrongwhileDuryodhaniscunning.SoRavanopenlyconfrontsRamwhileDuryodhanusesguiletooverpowerthePandavs.

Likewise, Vishnu changes his tactics when dealing with Ravan andDuryodhan. For the rule-breaking villain, he chooses to be the rule-followingRam and for the rule-following villain, he chooses to be the rule-breakingKrishna.Thesetacticalchangesindicateadaptability,notgrowth.

Growth happens when Brahma’s sons (Daksha, Indra, Ravan andDuryodhan) make the journey to Vishnu, when intention shifts from self-preservation,self-propagationandself-actualizationtoagreaterconcernfortheOther, a greater inclusiveness. This can only happen by invoking Shakti andoutgrowing fear. Such growth can never be collective; it is always individual.Buttheyajamancancreateanecosystemwheresuchgrowthisencouragedandenabled.

Amanager isexpected toadapt tochanges in theorganization.A leader isexpected to change the circumstances, havegreatervision.A followerdoes astold.

In Jainmythology, a vasudev thinks in terms of growth and a chakravarti

thinksintermsofadaptability;thetirthankartakesbothintoconsiderationforheunderstandsthevalueofbothadaptabilitytocontext,andgrowth.

Followingthemerger, thecompany’sfocuschangedfromcommodity-sellingtobrand-creating.Thismeantthatthesalesforcenowhadtosellconcepts,notproducts.Everyonewasexpectedtochange.Manypeoplewhocouldnotadapt to thechange left theorganization.Rajivadapted to thesituationand continued to serve as manager. Rohit, on the other hand, was curious to know why theorganizationhadchanged its strategy.Hewanted toknowwhatchange in themarkethadpromptedsuchachangeinthecompany.Hiscuriosityenabledhimtoexpandhismind,appreciatethethoughtprocessofthecompany.Hisshiftwasnotjustbehavioural.Rajivismerelyamanager,butRohithasthepotentialofaleader.

Conclusion

Modern management is all about chasing a target, the Promised Land ofAbrahamic mythology, the Elysium of Greek mythology. Hindu mythology,however,warnsagainstchasingLakshmi,thegoddessofwealth;itwillresultinconflict.InsteadtheyadvisemakingoneselfattractivetoLakshmi,worthyofheraffectionandauspiciousness,soshewalksourway.ForthatwehavetobelesslikeIndra,kingofthegods,whoisconsumedbyhisownhunger,andmorelikeVishnu, preserver of the world, who is consumed by other people’s hunger.Vishnuknowsthathumanhungeristhreefold:forwealth,powerandknowledge.

Aswehaveseen,at theheartof theIndianapproachtomanagement is theritualofyagna, theoldestofHinduritualsmentionedintheveryfirsthymnoftheRigVeda.Itiscommonlymistranslatedassacrifice,orworship,butinfactmeansexchange,thecornerstoneofanyeconomy.Whenwegiveinordertoget,wearetheyajaman.Whenwegiveonlyaftergetting,wearethedevata.When

weseekwithoutgiving,weare theasura.Whenwegrab,weare therakshasa.When we hoard, we are the yaksha. When we do not exchange, we are theshramana,orthehermit,whohasoutgrownhishunger,andsodoesnotseektobefed,norfeeds.Vishnuisthebhagavan,hewhogivesdespitehavingoutgrownhishunger.Hereceivesonlytomakethedevatafeelsignificant.

The yajaman is a social being: the entrepreneur, the professional, thebusinessman,thepromoter,themanufacturer,theservice-providerwhosatisfiesthehungerofastakeholder,be itcustomer,employee,vendor,partner,bossorinvestor,inordertogetwhathewants.Heisalwaysconsciousofhumanhunger,whichifnotcateredtocanplungetheworldintoviolence,asweseeallaroundustoday.

Modernmanagementhasbeentodayreducedtolookingatbusinessasasetof targets,orasasetof tasks.Butbusiness isessentiallyaboutasetofpeoplewhosatisfythehungeroftheshareholderatoneendandconsumersattheother.Every stakeholder in business, employees and entrepreneur included, are

essentially animalswho can imagine.Like every hungry predator, s/he suffersfromthefearofdeathbystarvation,henceseeksfood.Likeeveryhuntedprey,s/he suffers from the fear of deathbypredation, andhence seeks security andpower.This is further fuelledby the imagination,hencecreating the insatiableyearning forwealth and power in humans. Further, humanswonderwho theyare, why they exist, and whether their lives have meaning. This fear ofinvalidation consumes us. Hence, every yajaman needs to have an intimateknowledge of Lakshmi,Durga and Saraswati, the goddesses ofwealth, powerandknowledge,thehungerforwhomexistsindifferentproportionsindifferentstakeholders.

Together the three goddesses (LDS, or LSD, in short) constitute the threearms of human happiness. To make the world a happy place should be theultimateaimofeveryyagna,henceeverybusiness.For thisbusinesseshave tobeapproachedasyagnaswherewesatisfytheother’shungerinordertosatisfyours.Thatisdharma.

Notes

Withnewwordsarecreatednewworlds,astheyarevehiclesofnewideas.Theyenabletheprocessofexpandingthemind.Thewordsandtermsexplainedbelowarecommontothebooksinmysutraseries—BusinessSutra,TheSuccessSutra,TheLeadershipSutraandTheTalentSutra.

Businesscontext Conventionalcontextagni thatwhichisusedtotameand

controlnaturefiregod

Amravati theidealgoalwhereallneedsaremetwithouteffort

Indra’sparadise

ankush atoolusedforpushingpeopletodotheirjob,andpullingthemback

elephantgoad

Arjun onewhoarguestoomuch,shootingcounterquestionslikearrowswhenquestioned

thethirdPandavwhoisaskilledarcher

asura onewhofeelshisentitlementhasbeendenied,resultinginrageandambition

eternalenemiesofthedevas

avasarpini pessimisticgaze waningperiodofaneraavatar roleadaptedtothecontextfor

thebenefitoftheOtherdescentofVishnu

bali whatisdestroyedintheprocessofcreation

sacrifice

bhagavan abeingwhoisnothungrybutpaysattentiontoothers’hunger

abeingwhoisneverhungrybutfeedsothers

bhaya insecurities fearBhim Onewhowantstoactrather

thanthinkthesecondPandavwhoisverystrong

thatwhichsatisfieshunger consumption

bhog thatwhichsatisfieshunger consumptionBhoj aleaderwhobalances

creativitywithaccountabilityalegendaryking

Brahma subjectofthesubjectivetruth thecreatorbrahmanda imaginedreality subjectiveworldchakravarti thekingwhocontrolshis

kingdomwithrulesemperoroftheworld

Chandra onewhoisverymoodyandhasfavourites

themoongod

Chaturbhuj theonewhomultitasks anothernameforVishnuindicatinghehasfourarms

Chintamani thatwhichsatisfieseverywish wish-fulfillingjewelofparadise

Daksha onewhoisobsessedwithrules thepatronoftheyagnadarshan observingthesubjectof

subjectiverealitygaze

deva hewhoseeswhatcomestohimasentitlement

Brahma’ssonswholiveinluxuryabovethesky

devata hewhorespondstothetransactioninitiatedbytheyajaman

thedeitybeinginvoked

Draupadi onewhohastodealwithmultiplebossesandsubordinates

thecommonwifeofthefivePandavs

drishti observingobjectivereality visionDurga powerthatgrantssecurityand

authoritygoddessofwar

dushama bust negativeperiodGanesha onewhocaneasilywearmany

hatsandsocommunicatebetweenmanydepartments

theelephant-headedgodwhoremovesobstacles

Gangu-teli theonedoingamonotonousjob

legendaryoilpresser

garud-drishti strategy,widevision,long-termthinking

bird’s-eyeview

Gauri organizationbasedonrules thedomesticatedformoftheGoddessKali

Goloka sustainablehappybusiness paradiseofcowshewhodoeswhatheistoldto legendarydumbcharacter

Gobar-ka-Ganesh

hewhodoeswhatheistoldtodowithnoviewofhisown

legendarydumbcharacter

grama-devata themanagerwhoadaptsprinciplesofthecentretotherealitiesoftheperiphery

villagegod

Halahal thenegativeoutputofanyaction

poisonthatcomeswithnectar

Hanuman hewhoobeysunconditionallyandwithoutquestion

themonkeywhoservesRamandisworshippedinhisownright

Indra hewhowantshighreturnoninvestmentalways

kingofdevas

ishta-devata onewhograntsuspersonalfavours

personalgod

Kailas wherethereisnohunger abodeofShivaKali marketplacewithno

regulatorycontrolthewildformoftheGoddessGauri

Kalpataru thatwhichsatisfieseverywish wish-fulfillingtreeKama right-brainactivity,creativity,

whichdoesnotlikestructuregodofdesire

Kamadhenu thatwhichsatisfieseverywish wish-fulfillingcowkarma consequencesofactions thecycleofcauseand

consequencekarta theonewhogivesthe

directivealeader

karya-karta theonewhofollowsthedirective

afollower

Kauravs thosewhostubbornlyrefusetolearn

thehundredbrothersledbyDuryodhanwhoopposethefivePandavs

Krishna hewhobreaksrulestohelpothersgrowontheirterms

cowherdavatarofVishnu

Kubera theonewhohoards kingofyakshaskula-devata onewhograntsus

departmentalfavoursthefamilygod

Lakshmi wealth goddessofwealthMitti-ka-Madhav

hewhodoeswhatheistoldtodowithnoviewofhisown

folkcharacter

onewholooksprettybut thefourthPandavwhoisvery

Nakul onewholooksprettybutdeliversnothing

thefourthPandavwhoisveryhandsome

Narad hewhomakespeopleinsecurebycomparingandcontrasting

trouble-makingsage

Narayan humanpotential GodNarayani resources Goddessnirguna notmeasurable intangiblePandavs studentswhohavemade

mistakesbutareopentolearning

thefiveprotagonistsoftheepicMahabharat

parashu analysis axeParashuram leaderwhopunishesrule-

breakerssternlythewarrior-sageformofVishnu

pasha synthesis stringprakriti materialworld naturepralay endofanorganizationora

markettheendoftheworldwheneverythingdissolvesintothesea

purush imagination humanityRadha leaderwholetstalentgo

withoutbegrudgingthemthemilkmaidwhoisthebelovedofKrishna

rakshasa onewhotakesthingsbyforce demonwhograbsRam hewhofollowstherulesat

anycosttohelpothersgrowontheirterms

theroyalformofVishnu

rana-bhoomi competitiveenvironment warzoneranga-boomi joyfulenvironmentwhere

everybodygrowsplayground

Ravan hewhobreakstheruleforhisgrowthatthecostofothers

kingofrakshasas

rishi onewhohasmoreinsightthanothers

seerwhocanseewhatothersdonotsee

saguna measurable tangibleSahadev onewhoonlyspeakswhen

spokentoeventhoughheknowssolutionstoproblems

theyoungestPandavwhowasverywiseandneverspokeunlessspokento

sanskriti culture societySaraswati humanimagination goddessofknowledge

tactic,narrow-vision,short- snakevision

sarpa-drishti tactic,narrow-vision,short-termthinking

snakevision

sattra anorganizationwithmanyprocesses

acomplexsetofmultipleyagnas

Shakti inbornstrength,capacityandcapability

goddessofpower

Shankar hewhoiscontentandsensitivetoothers

anothernameofShiva

Sharda knowledgeofpurusha goddessofwisdomShekchilli dreamerwithno

accountabilityfolkcharacterwhodreams

Shiva hewhoisindependentbutwithdrawnfromtheworld

Godwhodestroys

shruti personalideasthatcannotbeshared

innervoicethatisheardbutcannotbespokenortransmitted

smriti publicideasthatareexchanged

outervoicethatisspokenortransmittedbutnotnecessarilyheard

sthula-sharira

howweappearphysicallytoothers

thephysicalbody

Surya onewhoisradiantandattractsallattention

thesungod

sushama boom positiveperiodsvaha input thisofmeIofferSwarga Indra’sparadise anothernameforAmravatitapasya introspection,contemplation,

analysisthepracticeofchurningtapa(mentalfire)

tathastu output sobeitutasarpini optimisticgaze upwardsmovementoftimeVaikuntha workplacewhereeverything

comestogetherwithoutconflict

Vishnu'sabodeinthemiddleoftheoceanofmilk

Vaman hewhogrowsbigandthusmakestheOtherfeelsmallandinsignificant

dwarfavatarofVishnu

vasudev onewhoisactiondriven theherowhoisamanofactionwhoseekswealth

facilitatorwhoasksquestions theteacherwhonevergoesto

vetal facilitatorwhoasksquestionsthatprovokethought,butdoesnotknowtheanswer

theteacherwhonevergoestothestudentandwhoprovokesdiscomfortingreflections

Vikramaditya thestudentwhogoestotheteacher

alegendaryking

Vishnu hewhogrowsonhistermsbyenablingotherstogrowontheirtermsattheirpace

Godwhopreserves

yagna theprocessofexchange Vedicfireritualyajaman theonewhoinitiatestheoffer

ofexchangepatron

yaksha onewhohoards Brahma’ssonwhohoardsYama left-brainactivitythatis

highlystructuredgodofdeath

yoga outgrowinghunger alignmentYudhishtir uprightbutnaïveleader theeldestPandav

IndexofSutras

Everydevataimagineshimselfdifferentlyfromnaturalreality9Onlyanotherhumanbeingcanendorsethementalimage12Wedefendourmentalimageatanycost14Weareterrifiedofhowstrangerswillevaluateus16Praiseempowersus18Insultsdisempowerus21Comparisongrantsusvalue23Weseekhierarchiesthatfavourus26Wewouldratherbeuniquethanequal29Cultureprovidesonlyatemporaryframeworkforoursocialbody31Weseethingsnotthoughts37Thingshelpuspositionourselves39Thingsaresurrogatemarkersofourvalue41Thoughtscanbecodedintothings43Weassumewearewhatwehave45Weexpectthingstotransformus48Thelossofpossessionsrevealswhowereallyare51Likethings,talentandloyaltycanalsomakeusfeelsecure53Atransactionisaboutthings,notthoughts55Arelationshipisaboutthoughts,notthings57Therearenothievesinthejungle61Withoutrulesthereisterritory,notproperty63Rulesdomesticatethehuman-animal66Domesticationcanbevoluntaryandinvoluntary69Wedislikethosewhoareindifferenttorules72Rulescanbeoppressive75Rulescreateunderdogsandoutsiders77Rulescreatemimicsandpretenders80Wewanttolivebyourownrules83

Innovationisnotpossibleunlessrulesarebroken85Werespectthosewhoupholdrules87Rulesneednotdetermineourvalue89Whentheworldchanges,oursocialbodydies93Wewantorganizationstosecureoursocialbody96Weresistanythingthatisnew98Wewanttocontrolchange100Insecurityturnsusintovillains103Ourstabilitypreventsotherpeople’sgrowth105Wewouldratherchangetheworldthanourselves108Whenthecontextchanges,wehavetochange110Unlesswechange,wecannotgrow113Wewillalwaysresistchange116Adaptingtochangeisnotgrowth118

ALSOBYDEVDUTTPATTANAIK

BUSINESSSUTRA:AVeryIndianApproachtoManagementInthis

landmarkbook,bestsellingauthor,leadershipcoachandmythologistDevduttPattanaikshowshow,despiteitsveneerofobjectivity,modernmanagementisrootedinWesternbeliefsandobsessedwithaccomplishingrigidobjectivesandincreasingshareholdervalue.Bycontrast,theIndianwayofdoingbusiness—asapparentinIndian

mythology,butnolongerseeninpractice—accommodatessubjectivityanddiversity,andoffersaninclusive,moreempatheticwayofachievingsuccess.Greatvalueisplacedondarshan,thatis,onhowweseetheworldandourrelationshipwithLakshmi,thegoddess

ofwealth.BusinessSutrausesstories,symbolsandritualsdrawnfromHindu,Jainand

Buddhist mythology to understand a wide variety of business situations thatrange from running a successful tea stall to nurturing talent in a largemultinational corporation.At theheartof thebook is a compellingpremise: ifwe believe that wealth needs to be chased, the workplace becomes a rana-bhoomi—a battleground of investors, regulators, employers, employees,vendors, competitors and customers; if we believe that wealth needs to beattracted, the workplace becomes a ranga-bhoomi—a playground whereeveryoneishappy.

Brilliantly argued, original and thoroughly accessible, Business Sutrapresentsaradicalandnuancedapproachtomanagement,businessandleadership

inadiverse,fast-changing,andincreasinglypolarizedworld.

THESUCCESSSUTRA:AnIndianApproachtoWealth

Most humanbeings hunger after riches and success.There are anynumber ofmanagement bookswhich provide theories and techniques on how to becomerich and successful. All of them advise us to chase Lakshmi, the goddess ofwealth,inordertomakeherourown.ButtheIndianapproachtoprosperityandfulfilment warns against the relentless pursuit of the goddess, writes notedthinker andmythologistDevduttPattanaik, as itwill result in conflict.Rather,wehavetogiveinordertoget,wehavetosatisfythehungerofothersinordertosatisfyourown.Ifwelearnandpractisethisfundamentaltruth,Lakshmiwillenterourhomesandourlives.

DerivedfromhisacclaimedbestsellerBusinessSutra,thisbookisfilledwithlessonsand insights intomanagement,businessand thecreationofwealthandsuccess.

THETALENTSUTRA:AnIndianApproachtoLearning(Forthcoming:

November2016)SaraswatiisthegoddessofknowledgeinHinduism,aswellasinBuddhismandJainism.Her

nameisderivedfromthefluidity(saras)oftheimagination.Humanimaginationenablesustoinventandinnovate,visualize,planandde-risk.Yetimaginationisabadwordintheworldofbusinessandmanagement.Itstripsusofcertainty.Wewanttocontroltheimagination

ofthosewhoworkforus,preventtheirmindsfromwanderingfromwork.Yet,everyhumanbeinglivesinanimaginedreality.Recognizingthisenablesustowork

withtalent,buildstrongrelationshipsandnurturepeopletofaceanysituationwithfaithandpatience.Failuretorecognizeimaginationiswhyfamily-ownedbusinesses

areunabletomanageprofessionalsandhowprofessionallyruncompaniesendupcreatingineffective,

mechanistictalentmanagementsystems.Training,learninganddevelopment,arenotjustaboutskillsand

knowledgeandcompetencies,theyareaboutappreciatingthehuman-animal,recognizingthatneitherwenorthosearoundusareprogrammablemachinesthatwecanplugandplay.Managingpeople,hencerelationships,iskeyto

thesurvivalofanorganization.

thesurvivalofanorganization.Derived fromDevduttPattanaik’s influentialbestsellerBusinessSutra, this

bookexploresconceptslikecreativityintheworkplace,nurturingtalent,andtheimportance of teamwork. It will help employers and managers become moreinclusiveleaderswhoareabletocarrytheirteamalongwiththem.

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