Bhagavad gita & leadership

1. DR. BALAKRISHNAN MUNIAPAN
Swinburne University of Technology, Malaysia
Email: [email protected]
THE
BHAGAVAD-GITA
FOR
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

2. OBJECTIVE
Thispresentationwillattempttoexplore
the
Bhagavad-Gita
(BG)inthecontext
leadershipdevelopment.

3. LEADERSHIP
1.
Leadershipisauniversaltopic&everyoneofusis
affectedbyitinonewayortheother.
2.
Leadership is an art of ____________ people to
achieveorganizational,societalandnationalgoals.
3.
Several research reveals that there exist a
“leadership gap”in organizations, societies &
countries.
4.
Leadership theories (Western) have evolved over
thelast100years.

4. THE
BHAGAVAD-GITA

The
Bhagavad-Gita
(BG) is adialoguebetween
Sri Krishna & Arjuna, before the commencement
ofKurukshetrawar(morethan5,000yearsago).

The background for the BG is the epic Mahabharata.
The
Mahabharata
with 100, 000
verses was composed by Sri Vyasa Muni & was
written by Sri Ganesa (the longest epic in the
world).

The BG appears in 700 verses (of which 575 are
uttered by Sri Krishna) in
Bhisma Parva
of the
Mahabharata
andconsistsof18chapters.

5. What the BGcan offer to
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT?
The 18 chapters of the BG presents 18
lessons, descriptions, qualities, and also
perspectives about leadership

6. C1 –Yoga of Arjuna’s Crisis
1.
Presents strategic leadership – observing
the armies and analyzing the strengths &
weaknesses.
2.
A call for leadership as Arjuna was
reluctanttofight(intra-personalconflict).
3.
C1 present a challenge for leadersto
eliminate negative culture and enhance
positive culturefor their organization (also
societiesandcountries).

7. C2 –Yoga of Understanding
1.
Leaders must give up such petty weakness of
heartandarise(2.3)
2.
Leaders need to be SELF-AWARE (SA) – e.g.
whotheyare-EQ&SQ.
3.
Leaders with high levels of SA assess their own
strength & weaknesses and are always confident
intheiractions.
4.
Leaders (dhira) must manage change & not to be
deludedbychange(2.13)

8. C2 –Yoga of Understanding

9. C2 –Yoga of Understanding

Leaders should not delve too much into the past but to be
focus on present to create a future & leadership action &
responsibilities need to be focused; not on potential
rewardsassociatedwiththeposition(2.47).

Sthitaprajna
leaders must conquer their enemies within -
lust,anger,greed,arrogance,envyandpride.

Sri Krishna described that from anger, complete delusion
arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When
memory is bewildered, intelligence will be lost and when
intelligenceislostonefallsdown(2.63).

10. C3 –Yoga of Action
Leaders have to be proactive
and work for common good
without selfish interest; the
reward of their selfless work
will take them to a supreme
state(3.19).
Leaders hold the ignition key
to their organizations growth &
prosperityaspeopleingeneral
will follow the standards sets
bytheleaders(3.21).

11. C4 –Yoga of Knowledge

Leaders must know when to act
and when not to act and their
actions done must be with
completeself-awareness(4.18)

For effective leadership to
flourish, a leader has to learn
from a mentor who can teach
values that surpass the
leadershippositionitself(4.34)

12. C5
–
Yoga of Renunciation
of Action
Compassionate leaders promote
equality and fairness among
followers. They see everybody
equally and do not discriminate
their followers(5.18)
This leader (5.18) neither rejoices
upon achieving something
pleasant nor laments upon
obtaining something unpleasant,
who is self-intelligent, who is un-
bewildered(5.20)

13. C6 –Yoga of Meditation
Leaders must themselves by
their own mind and they must not
let themselves to be weakened
under any circumstances or
whenfacingacrisis(6.5).
For leaders who has conquered
themind,themindisthebestof
friends, but for one who has
failed to control their mind, the
mind will be the greatest enemy
(6.6).

14. C6 –Yoga of Meditation
Arjuna said: For the mind is
restless, turbulent, obstinate
and very strong, O Krishna,
and to subdue it is, it seems to
me, more difficult than
controllingthewind(6.34).
Sri Krishna said: O mighty-
armed son of Kunti (Arjuna), it
is undoubtedly very difficult to
curb the restless mind, but it is
possible by constant practice
andbydetachment(6.35).

15. C6 –Yoga of Meditation
In the chariot of the body, the five
horses represent the five senses. The
reins, the driving instrument,
symbolize the mind, the driver is the
intelligence, and the passenger is the
self.
Intelligence gives the power to
discriminate & decide what it is good
for and what is not. A leader of lesser
intelligenceisconstantlydrivenbythe
senses and the desire for sense
objects.

16. C6 –Yoga of Meditation
An untrained mind is very
weak & unstable, as a
result even a small
obstacle coming in its way
may make it lose initiative.
Therefore, leaders need to
use their intelligence to
control their mind
effectively, they should not
let the mind to be
controlledbythesenses.

17. C6 –Yoga of Meditation
Leader’s ultimate friend is
their willpower that
resides within the inner
self.
Strong determination &
perseverance,withoutany
mental reservation or
doubts are the key for
leadershipsuccess(6.23).

18. THE LEADERSHIP OUTCOME
AfterLISTENINGtoSri
Krishna (575 verses),
Arjuna was motivated,
energized and acted
according to Sri
Krishna’sinstruction. This is an outcome
ofLEADERSHIP

19. CONCLUSION
Finally, wherever there
is Sri Krishna, the
masterofallmystics,&
wherever there is
Arjuna, the supreme
archer, there will also
be opulence, victory,
extraordinary power
power, and morality
(18.78).

20. THANK YOU
DR. BALAKRISHNAN MUNIAPAN
Swinburne University of Technology, Malaysia
Email: [email protected]