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THE IMPLICATIONS OF BHAGAVAD GITA IN MANAGEMENT
BY ANOOP MOHAN
DOCTORAL RESEARCH SCHOLAR (PT)
PSGR KRISHNAMMAL COLLEGE
ABSTRACT
The Bhagavad-Gita is an ancient Indian spiritual and philosophical text and is more than 5000
years old. It is one of the most popular and accessible of all Indian scriptures, which is to be
studied by anyone interested in Indian philosophy. Arjuna got mentally depressed in the battle
field when he saw his relatives with whom he has to fight.To motivate him the Bhagavad-Gita is
preached in the battle field Kurukshetra by Lord Krishna to Arjuna as counselling to do his duty
while multitudes of men stood by waiting. Arjuna faces the problem of conflict between
emotions and intellect. Gita teaches Honesty, Sincerity, and Truthfulness etc. Bhagavad Gita also
shows how challenge as an opportunity to find the way to success, it only depends on you and
you are your own alchemist. The Bhagavad Gita teaches how one’s aim in life can be achieved;
howsoever it may be difficult. The greatest significance of the Bhagavad Gita lies in the fact that
it proposes a solution to a central typical problem of human life that presents itself at a certain
critical stage of development. We may say that Arjuna to whom the teaching is addressed is a
representative man, and the problem that he faced arose at a certain height of ethical concern in
the midst of an actual and symbolic battlefield Kurukshetra, which is also Dharmakshetra.
Modern management is more concerned with productivity and prosperity. These are achieved
through planning, direction, motivation coordination etc. These actions are generally called
management functions. Bhagavad Gita contains beautiful ideas about the principles of
management. All verses are interpreted inducing immense interest to our modern managers. All

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these verses have their own reflections on management functions. It has the techniques to
improve the knowledge, skill and education of the common man and make him more efficient
and competent. It has the capacity to transform the productive potential into productivity.
Key words: Bhagavad Gita, Business management, Leadership, Decision making.
INTRODUCTION
One of the greatest contributions of India to the world is Holy Gita. The Bhagavad
Gita is preached in the battle field Kurukshetra by Lord Krishnato Arjuna as counseling to do his
duty while multitudes of men stood by waiting. It has got all the management tactics to achieve
the mental equilibrium and to overcome any crisis situation. The Bhagavad Gita can be
experienced as a powerful catalyst for transformation. Bhagavad Gita means song of the Spirit,
song of the Lord. The Holy Gita has become a secret driving force behind the unfoldment of
one's life. In the days of doubt this divine book will support all spiritual search.This divine book
will contribute to self reflection, finer feeling and deepen one's inner process. Then life in the
world can become a real education—dynamic, full and joyful—no matter what the circumstance.
May the wisdom of loving consciousness ever guide us on our journey. What makes the
Holy Gita a practical psychology of transformation is that it offers us the tools to connect with
our deepest intangible essence and we must learn to participate in the battle of life with right
knowledge?
The Bhagavad Gita is a message addressed to each and every human individual to help him
or her to solve the vexing problem of overcoming the present and progressing towards a bright
future. Within its eighteen chapters is revealed a human drama. This is the experience of
everyone in this world, the drama of the ascent of man from a state of utter dejection, sorrow and

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total breakdown and hopelessness to a state of perfect understanding, clarity, renewed strength
and triumph.
Management has become a part and parcel of everyday life, be it at home, in the office or
factory and in Government. In all organizations, where a group of human beings assemble for a
common purpose, management principles come into play through the management of resources,
finance and planning, priorities, policies and practice. Management is a systematic way of
carrying out activities in any field of human effort.
Its task is to make people capable of joint performance, to make their weaknesses
irrelevant, say the Management Gurus. It creates harmony in working together - equilibrium in
thoughts and actions, goals and achievements, plans and performance, products and markets. It
resolves situations of scarcity, be they in the physical, technical or human fields, through
maximum utilization with the minimum available processes to achieve the goal. Lack of
management causes disorder, confusion, wastage, delay, destruction and even depression.
Managing men, money and materials in the best possible way, according to circumstances and
environment, is the most important and essential factor for a successful management.
Bhagavad Gita in IIM -Indore
Now Gita becomes a management mantra that is being included in curriculum of
The Indian Institute of Management at Indore. The institute has incorporated the Bhagavad Gita
in one of its courses as a means of providing spiritual guidance in the corporate battlefield — a
way to check western-oriented business ethics going the Enron and Satyam way. The sessions on
the Bhagavad Gita are part of the course module on “Ancient oriental philosophy and
spirituality.” The institute’s first batch of the recently launched one-year full-time Executive
Post-Graduate Program in Management (EPGP) , that took them through the discourses on

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Karma Yog and Raj Yog detailed in the Bhagavad Gita. The sessions were conducted by Swami
Samarpanananda of Sri Ramakrishna Mission Viveka-nanda University (Belur Math), who
imparted lessons on “how to develop and channelize their spiritual and mental energies to
achieve excellence in the field of business management.”
Bhagavad Gita in American university
Bhagwad Gita has become compulsory for every student joining Seton Hall
university in New Jersey, USA. This is a catholic university founded in 1856. The faculty
consists of Muslims, Buddhists, Jews in additions to Christians. The translation of Bhagwad Gita
by Stephen Mitchell is the text. None of the teacher is Hindu.The university wanted a
transformational course that will influence the character and life of the students. So it wanted a
course that seeks answers to perennial questions like the purpose of life, why are we here, where
are we going “The journey of transformation”One third of Seton Halls more than 10,800 students
are non- Christians. Many non-catholic also study here. It has significant no of Indian
students.This is a core course for all students, whatever the discipline.
Bhagavad Gita among Indian Corporates
In October 2013, Tata group chairman Cyrus Mistry and other CEOs had an unusual
session at their annual conclave on ethics in Mumbai. An IIM director made a presentation on
the relevance of the Bhagavad Gita in management. Mistry concurred.
The result: copies of Timeless Leadership: 18 Leadership Sutras from the Bhagavad
Gita, a book authored by this IIM Kozhikode director Debasish Chatterjee, have just been
distributed across the Tata Group as the conglomerate looks to move beyond compliance to
commitment and conscience. What makes the 5,200-year-old text so relevant in today’s business

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and economic context? “The Gita is old in chronology but contemporary in essence. When basic
business principles cease to work and when the rate of change outside is faster than change
within, even businesses need deeper anchor points for decision-making not available in
contemporary literature,” says Chatterjee of IIM Kozhikode.
In the heart of the capital, India’s largest automaker Maruti Suzuki is busy training its
leaders in self-management and time management. The two-day course module, also based on
the Bhagavad Gita, seeks to improve efficiency, effectiveness and effortlessness. Already,
employees are making a beeline for the sessions, believing it will improve personal as well as
professional lives. While the focus of these ‘spirituality in business sessions’ may differ from
company to company, their impact surely goes beyond professional to personal level. A Maruti
employee, who has participated in the course, says it helps draw a great parallel between the
shloka Karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana in corporate life and real life. “Often we
lose our cool over petty issues at work or at home. Practicing the mool mantra eases out things
everywhere, gets things done fast and reduces stress,” he says.
Not too far away, engineering conglomerate, Escorts has roped in a motivation
trainer, and a Bhagavad Gita-specialist, to inspire its 20 union leaders. The leaders have
to work with management and workers, aligning their priorities with both. This makes
their job tough as the company has one of the strongest unions in India. Teachings from the Gita
are expected to ease the task.
State Bank of India, NTPC and NHPC, MMTC are among the growing list of
corporates looking up to the Gita to solve management labyrinths. From mind control to value-
based management, motivation and leadership, it seems to have an answer for everything.

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As things stand, Lord Krishna seems to be emerging as the new Peter Drucker of management in
India. After all, he is the one who imparted the timeless wisdom to his disciple Arjuna when he
was indecisive about taking up arms in the epic battle of Kurukshetra in The Mahabharata.
Vivek Bindra, corporate trainer and director, Global ACT, says, “Gita is beyond time,
place and circumstances. The temporary solutions we are seeking from the West are often
inadequate. And that is turning corporates to the Gita.” Bindra started in 2006 with 10 corporate
clients. That number is over 100 now.
Vice chairman at Piramal Enterprises, Swati Piramal agrees. “I think the importance
of value is being recognised worldwide now.” Her group has, for many years, been following the
values of Gita — knowledge (gyan), action (karma) and care (bhakti). “Our partners tell us that
one of the reasons they want to work with us is because we walk the talk when it comes to our
values.”
Not surprisingly, in 2011, when Vodafone Plc was looking for a partner
to meet shareholding norms in its India operations, it sold 5.5 per cent stake to
Piramal Healthcare in what was termed as a “strange deal”. To the outside world, the
engagement of telecom with pharma was surprising. But to both parties, it wasn’t.Given the
regulatory uncertainty in the Indian operations, Vodafone wanted a partner who not only had
the money but also believed in all the values that would allow Vodafone to focus on operations
without bothering about the future of its shareholding.
And that is the aim of most corporates — to be able to run their businesses smoothly
and effectively. Motivated employees who can improve productivity with a smile are a bonus.
“Spiritual texts often contain sound management principles that can provide vital lessons in a

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corporate set-up. In addition to our regular programmes, we thought we could turn to the
Bhagavad Gita for management insights,” says SY Siddiqui, COO, HR, IT & finance, at Maruti
Suzuki.
The teachings become even more relevant in today’s economic environment where
businesses are saddled with debts and losses while employees are uncertain about their future
prospects. “You need internal cohesion, external resilience, ability to deal with stress and an
ability to operate beyond the ego. And the Gita helps in all of this,” says Chatterjee.
Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation of India (MMTC) has opted for
motivational soft skills programmes to improve their decision-making abilities. “When
employees become push-start managers, learnings from the Gita help them become self-start
leaders,” says Bindra. “This is precisely what Krishna did — he guided Arjuna to decide why
fighting the battle was necessary.”
At India’s largest bank, State Bank of India (SBI), it is the managers of SME branches
(specialising in lending to small and medium enterprises) that require motivation. And so, the
bank has started a course for them based on the principles of Gita. An employee at SBI, who has
participated in the course, says the content is very relevant for today’s lifestyle. “We are seeking
return from every action. The Gita helps us understand the spirit of Karma and focus on doing
rather than expecting immediate returns. It taught me to listen to others and take their perspective
into account — something I had forgotten to do,” she says.
Bindra adds that lives today have become stressful and every day is like a battle.
“Krishna trained Arjun to overcome depression and indecision in 48 minutes. Those similar
questions are visible in today’s life and can be answered through the Gita.”

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B-schools are also going all the way to increase the spirituality quotient in their
courses. Corporate honchos as well as aspiring managers are now making a beeline to
management courses to understand the importance of spirituality in business. IIM Kozhikode, for
instance, has started a course on ‘Timeless Leadership and Self Incorporated’, based on insights
from the Gita. “It is an open-ended course, which runs through the year,” says Chatterjee.
Mumbai’s SP Jain Institute has made compulsory a course on ‘The Science of Spirituality’ under
its executive MBA programme. IIM Indore too has incorporated sessions on the Gita as part of
the course module on ‘Ancient Oriental Philosophy and Spirituality’.
Despite Gita being an integral part of the Hindu culture, managers don’t look upon it as a
religious text. “I clearly believe that this has nothing to do with religion or faith per se. We all
recognise that the programme is management -focused and not on religious dimensions. It is
about identifying the universal principles contained in the Gita and applying them to a corporate
setting,” says Siddiqui. He is quick to add, while the classic management texts provide valuable
insights for people, the Bhagavad Gita and other sacred texts offer fresh perspectives,
contributing to the body of management knowledge.
At the Piramal group, it is not only the values that are based on spirituality, but the
group’s logo as well. The logo is the Gyan Mudra, the universal sign of knowledge. It is the sign
of the hand when one is trying to gain knowledge — the tips of index finger and the thumb join
to make a circle. “We have left the circle open as a symbol of humility. We believe that the circle
of excellence is incomplete and that we want to learn more and keep an open mind,” says

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Piramal. She has translated the teachings of the Gita into practical action. The group’s
partnerships are based on values and quality is paramount — so much so that even the
manufacturing facilities that don’t require approval from the USFDA have been designed in
compliance with those norms. “Sometimes, it leads to delays. But we prefer long-term benefits
over short-term gains,” she adds.
As things stand, spirituality in business seems to be here to stay. After all, when the
economy is down and all else fails, many do turn to the ancient texts for sustenance. And the
trend is catching up outside India too. After 5,200 years, the wisdom of Gita is going global.
Present Global Scenario
Today, tremendous strides of modern science and technology greatly dominate and
decisively determine the life style, living standard and economy of people all over the world. In
the blinding brilliance of globalisation and liberalization, hunger, homelessness, oppression,
unemployment, illiteracy, disease, etc. have fallen out of public visibility and conscience.
Governments of the world over have begun to pursue global capital as their paramount priority,
and have gradually retreated from their primary responsibilities of securing social and economic
justice to the weaker and deprived sections of then-people.
Mighty organizations like Multinational Corporations are guided by the mechanistic
view of life which encourages fierce competition with mania of ‘survival of the fittest’. They are
motivated by the restless desire for accumulation of unlimited wealth and power at the cost of
horrible exploitation of human and natural resources. These Corporations largely control the
legislative process, distort information received by the public through media and determine, to a
significant extent, the functioning of our education system and the direction of academic

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research. Corporate and business leaders are prominent on the board of trustees of academic
institutions and foundations, where they inevitably use their influence to perpetuate a value
system consistent with corporate interests.
The whole world now seems to be in a process of Westernization. Western
competitive and self-assertive model of business management is being followed in almost all
fields of life. General Agreement of Trade in Services (GATS) which was signed by World
Trade Organisation (WTO) initiated the liberalization of trade in services. The GATS has
classified services into 12 sectors and education is one of them which includes primary,
secondary, higher, adult and other education services. So, education has become a big service
industry. As a result, universities which were once supposed to be the centres of learning are now
allured by the idea of salesmanship for their commercial presence all over the world. In such
fierce competitive environment, talented and highly qualified individuals are motivated by an
endless thirst for money and elusive social position.
Thus, the illusion of unlimited power nourished by astonishing scientific and
technological achievements has produced the concurrent illusion of mistaking wealth and power
for peace and happiness. The latter illusion is based on the failure to distinguish between
knowledge and wisdom, between achievement and fulfilment in life. If modern management is
partial in thinking that wealth and power is the final goal of life, then it is committing a blunder.
Science and technology are not to be blamed for it. It is not the fault of technology, but of its
blind use. Not only technology but even religion could be harmful if its purpose is not fully
understood. Instances to illustrate this can be recorded in volumes, butHiroshima, Iraq, Moghul
atrocities and Godhra could be readily cited. So, management science should be in a position to
impart wisdom and vision to the top level modern managers in the world.

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Indian Scenario
Unfortunately, the present Indian management theories and practice, by and large, suffer
from inherent inadequacies of transplanted system to an alien land. Most of our Management
Schools work as factories for producing managers required for the task of creating “surplus” for
their masters. In India, probability of managers belonging to an elite minority is higher than the
developed countries like U.S.A. Pulin Garg and Indira Parikh during their research on Indian
Institute of Management, Ahmedabad’s students found that the sampled respondents had
minimal emotional reaction with their own culture. Most of them were products of western
literature. During their course of study, they are not even made aware of the goals and
commitments laid down in the Constitution of India.
Nowadays, though business ethics is taught in Business Schools, it is taught as a
routine matter, and not as a commitment to social, and ecological awareness. Sampal Singh has
identified three models of education prevalent in the field of management, viz., Professional’s
Model, Pragmatist’s Model and Humanist’s Model. Professional’s Model is based on the
assumption of the existence of a systematic body of knowledge supporting managerial practice.
On the other hand, the exponents of Pragmatist’s model, probably equate management with
street smartness, and hence over emphasize the importance of interpersonal communication and
negotiation skills, working on computers, developing superficial leadership qualities and
impressive personality. Humanist’s model, however, aims at offering prompt service to their
customers. There may be many more models – some extol profit making, some achievement, and
some others evaluate performance in terms of a social benefit oriented economy.

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Towards a Paradigm Shift
All these models now seem to be on the turning point. Recently, management gurus
in India have started discovering profound principles of management theory and practice in our
ancient literature. It is a matter of great satisfaction that there is such an awakening. A welcome
shift in paradigm is on the horizon.
In the Western world also this paradigm shift from mechanistic view of life to the
systems view has been gradually taking place. E. F Schumacher, the author of Small Is
Beautiful maintains that man’s current pursuit of profit and progress which promote giant
organization and increased specialization has in fact resulted in gross economic inefficiency,
environmental pollution and inhuman working conditions. With the emphasis on ‘person’ and
not on the product, he points the way to the world in which capital serves Man instead of Man
remaining a slave to capital. The universal prosperity in the modern sense cannot provide a
foundation of peace, because such a prosperity often increases greed and envy, and destroys
intelligence, happiness, serenity and thereby the peacefulness of man.
A distinguished Scientist Fritjof Capra, in his celebrated books, The Turning
Pointand The Web of Life, explains the emergence of ‘systems thinking’ as a profound
revolution in the history of Western scientific thought. In systems approach, the properties of the
parts can be understood only from the organization of the whole. Systems view prepares the
individual organization, big or small, to visualize its role and evaluate its performance in the
context of a larger whole. This paradigm shift will make us redefine our concepts of Efficiency,
Productivity and Profit, and transform our modern perspective of Managerial Excellence and
Total Quality Management.

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The Challenging Task
Modern Manager is expected to be more creative and innovative. But his creativity
depends on the stimulus of reward in cash or kind. It is more or less a ‘conditioned response’
promoted by Stimulus Response (SR) bond. Several corporates are now willing to create an
atmosphere where creativity and innovation is encouraged. The official term for it is
entrepreneurship. Conceptually, it means a situation where in a company uses the talents and
dynamic abilities of its manager to develop innovative in-house project services. Such
conditioned response has its limitations too. Though it helps creating ‘surplus’ for himself and
for his company, it hardly makes any substantial contribution in the larger context of social
equity and justice. Practically, all progress artistic, scientific, moral or spiritual is the
contribution of individuals who did not work for “rewards”. So, Human Response (HR)
management for the well-being of “ALL” i.e. for the individual and the universe has been the
most important and challenging task before the art and science of management past and present.
The Bhagvad Gita invites us to prepare ourselves for this challenging task.
Secondly, the crisis of our time is a crisis of character. Today we come across
instances where highly qualified managers, executives, bureaucrats working on the most
important positions are involved in corruption, misuse of their power and authority. Some are
reluctant to perform their legitimate duty as a public servant on account of tremendous political
pressures or threats from the underworld. This is the real challenge that threatens the art and
science of management today. It is at this critical juncture that the Bhagavad Gita comes to our
rescue by presenting the holistic vision of life and action for the enlightenment of an individual
who is at the centre of all human endeavours.

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The Bhagvad Gita as Art and Science of Management
The Bhagvad Gita is a world classic, comprised of chapters 25 to 42 from the
Bhishma Parvan of the Mahabharata, renumbered 1 to 18. It is a divine dialogue between the
enlightened teacher and the most earnest truth seeker that succeeded in handling the most critical
situation in life and action. Vyasa excels in his poetic strategy while presenting Krishna’s
universal message of managerial excellence with utmost clarity and simplicity. It is a unique
poem interwoven with profound philosophy and practical wisdom, and with a passionate longing
for the direct vision of Truth. Arjuna represents a lionhearted manager suddenly caught in the
crisis of delusion and dejection. Krishna stands firm as the infallible guide (sarthi), who with the
scintillating strokes of his ‘Yoga of wisdom in action’ scattered the clouds of Arjuna’s dejection
and prepared him for the task of fighting against the evil forces for the welfare of all beings.
The Bhagvad Gita emphasizes the importance of managing oneself whereas
most of the modern management theories and practices deal with the problems of managing the
raw materials, manpower, finances, infrastructure and other external factors. The Gita clearly
points out the strategic role which managing oneself plays in the well being of the individual and
the society. The ultimate goal of human endeavour according to the Gita is sarvabhutahitherata:
‘welfare of all beings,’ and that is to be achieved through selfless action. This goal is more
sublime, much superior than the Western ideal of ‘greatest happiness of the greatest number’
which is to be achieved through altruistic action. The value system in the Gita emerges from
realization of the Self whereas the value system in the modem management theories arises from
the tendency of self-glorification and self-assertion.

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The Gita’s Basic Principle of Management: Know Thyself
For overcoming these human frailties and inferior impulses the Gita emphasizes
the need for realization of Self through direct vision of Truth. The Gita wants us to transcend the
ego-centric little individual self and expand it to the higher consciousness of the Eternal Self; and
ultimately identify ourselves with the Supreme Self, that is, Purushottama. This is what is meant
by being atmavan, possessing the Real Self, or ‘Know Thyself.’ No action is a genuine act of the
self unless it is performed in the wakefulness of the Supreme consciousness. Such action is
called in the Gita as akarm, the Selfless action. It is also termed assvakarm (one’s own
action), svadharm (one’s own duty), svabhavajakarm (action according to one’s own nature or
birth) or varnakarm (caste duty). The art and science of merging the ego-centric little individual
self (jivabhava) into the Universal Self is named as atmayoga, budhiyoga, svakarmayoga,
svakarmayoga, rajavidya, adhyatmavidya or purushottama yoga in the Gita.
The Gita’s Theory of Management: Purushottama Yoga
The Gita develops and presents a profound theory of this Purushottama Yoga in
the last five Slokas of Chapter XV. The Gita finds the Absolute reality in the vision of
the Purushottama. He is both Kshara and Akshara, Mutable and Immutable, and, yet he is other
because he is more and greater than either of these opposites. Purushottama, The Supereme Self,
is capable of being both at once. This Purushottama consciousness is the highest peak of
enlightenment where the individual perceives himself as the ‘Whole Unified Universe’.
Whosoever is awakened in this Supreme consciousness is no longer bewildered by the world of
dvandha (dualities) and moha (delusion); and stands firm in the performance of selfless action
for the welfare of the world. The technique applied for attainment of this Yoga as mentioned in

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the XI Chapter is divyachakshu which means imparting the direct vision of Truth to the aspirant.
The Gita calls itjnanavijnanasamhitam (wisdom fused with vision).
Management by Objectives (MBO)
Modern Management practitioners do not make clear distinction between the terms
goals and objectives. According to the Gita, the goal, i.e., the final destination of all human
endeavour, is sarvabhuthahiteratha, welfare of all beings. This final goal should never be
overlooked while setting varied objectives for the various programmes and activities undertaken
by managements. Gita’s principle of yoga karmasu kausalam is often misquoted and
misinterpreted as ‘excellence in action,’ or ‘a skilful completion of a given task.’ But
the Gita wants us to give a serious thought to the consequences or results brought about by
successful completion of a particular task.
For instance, on 11 September, 2001 when highly talented but flawed human
guided missiles were manoeuvred on an almost impossible trajectory at unimaginable speeds,
they accurately pierced the pre-determined floors of the World Trade Centre in New York with
the precision of a Rolex chronometer. The heat and explosions melted the sturdy steel and
reduced human bone and bodies to mountains of ash! And thereafter with the strategy adopted in
retaliation of the terrorist attack the U.S.A. may have lost more than it has gained! No doubt both
the parties were at their best in executing their managerial skill and excellence. This cannot be
considered as an instance of yoga karmasu kausalam; for, theGita ideal means planning,
organizing, leading, controlling, executing, and performing all activities and programmes in
conformity with wisdom and vision ofPurushottoma consciousness. It stands for devotion
(bhakti), i.e., quality assurance. The action flowing from desire and the consequences of the

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action on the world and the reflexive consequences on themselves are to be in considered in this
holistic vision.
The paradox of modern management is that it allows Bill Gates to be the richest man in
the world; and at the same time it compels a poor Indian farmer to commit suicide for want of mere
subsistence, or on account of his debt. The Principle of sarvabhuthahiteratha alone can help us to
bridge the ever-widening gap between the haves and haves not. According to the Gita every work is
to be performed in a spirit of sacrifice which aims at welfare of all beings; in a spirit of worship of
the Universal Lord – Vishwarupa. They are the great thieves who do not help turning this cosmic
wheel of Sacrifice. This concept of Sacrifice is explained in the Gita.
Organizing
The Gita enunciates the concept of Lokasamgraha maintaining harmony in the
fourfold social order (caturvarnya) of the society according to the nature and functions of Gunas.
This is often mistaken for caste system in India or class system in the developed countries. But it
is the integrated vision of the society which visualizes healthy and harmonious development of
its four major systems; namely, Education (Teachers community), Defence (Warriors
community), Agriculture, Commerce and Industry (Farmers and business community), and
Manual Labour (Workers community). Development and prosperity of a nation depend upon
their full co-operation and harmony. Unhealthy competition amongst these systems or ailment in
any of these systems will paralyze effective functioning of the whole system and ultimately spoil
the individual and social health. This is the most sound principle based on the Gita’s holistic
vision that the ‘whole universe is a living organism’ (purusha idm sarvam)

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Controlling
The Gita’s focus is on the conquest of the self. It does not believe in unnatural
severe austerities or restraints for controlling the mind. It believes in sublimating the senses
rather than suppressing the senses:Whenever the mind unsteady and restless strays away from
the Purushottama consciousness, let him ever and forever lead it to the sweetness and light of the
Self.He who withdraws himself from actions, but ponders on the pleasures of the senses in his
heart, he is under a delusion. He is called a hypocrite.Nowadays most managers have to work
under circumstances which create physical and mental stress and strains. The Gita gives a
practical solution for managing such stress and strains in the following mantra:To him who is
well-balanced in food and recreation; balanced in performing Svakarma, balanced in working
and sleeping (work and rest) this Yoga gives relief from woeful stress and strains.
Vision and Leadership
Visionary leadership is the need of the day that can be developed by acquiring
holistic vision of the Gita. This holistic vision enables managers to delve deep into human
consciousness, to understand, guide, motivate, innovate and inspire their people by practicing the
following profound management principles himself, which set forth the eternal value system.
Whatever the leader (manager) does, others also do the same. Whatever standards he sets forth,
the values he embodies are hailed as the model by his subordinates, staff members. So he must
ever be vigilant in performance of his duties.The leader must be impartial. He can develop
impartial views by practicing the behavioural patterns laid down for
the Sthitaprajna, Yogarudha and Gunatita.

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Decision Making
Modern manager faces many dilemmas as Arjuna faced before the commencement
of the battle of Mahabharata. The holistic vision of the Gitadevelops an ability to analyze as well
as synthesize all aspects of a particular situation to arrive at a particular decision. The man of
steadfast wisdom can hardly commit blunders. That is why the Gita gives full freedom to a
leader and a manager for decision-making.
Work commitment
A popular verse of the Gita advises “detachment” from the fruits or results of actions
performed in the course of one's duty. Being dedicated work has to mean “working for the sake
of work, generating excellence for its own sake.” If we are always calculating the date of
promotion or the rate of commission before putting in our efforts, then such work is not
detached. It is not “generating excellence for its own sake” but working only for the extrinsic
reward that may (or may not) result.
Working only with an eye to the anticipated benefits, means that the quality of performance of
the current job or duty suffers - through mental agitation of anxiety for the future. In fact, the
way the world works means that events do not always respond positively to our calculations and
hence expected fruits may not always be forthcoming. So, the Gita tells us not to mortgage
present commitment to an uncertain future.
Some people might argue that not seeking the business result of work and actions,
makes one unaccountable. In fact, the Bhagavad Gita is full of advice on the theory of cause and
effect, making the doer responsible for the consequences of his deeds. While advising
detachment from the avarice of selfish gains in discharging one's accepted duty, the Gita does
not absolve anybody of the consequences arising from discharge of his or her responsibilities.

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Thus the best means of effective performance management is the work itself. Attaining
this state of mind (called “nishkama karma”) is the right attitude to work because it prevents the
ego, the mind, from dissipation of attention through speculation on future gains or losses.
Motivation and self-transcendence
It has been presumed for many years that satisfying lower order needs of workers -
adequate food, clothing and shelter, etc. are key factors in motivation. However, it is a common
experience that the dissatisfaction of the clerk and of the Director is identical - only their scales
and composition vary. It should be true that once the lower-order needs are more than satisfied,
the Director should have little problem in optimising his contribution to the organisation and
society. But more often than not, it does not happen like that. (“The eagle soars high but keeps its
eyes firmly fixed on the dead animal below.”) On the contrary, a lowly paid schoolteacher, or a
self-employed artisan, may well demonstrate higher levels of self-actualisation despite poorer
satisfaction of their lower-order needs.
This situation is explained by the theory of self-transcendence propounded in the Gita.
Self-transcendence involves renouncing egoism, putting others before oneself, emphasising team
work, dignity, co-operation, harmony and trust – and, indeed potentially sacrificing lower needs
for higher goals, the opposite of Maslow.
“Work must be done with detachment.” It is the ego that spoils work and the ego is the
centrepiece of most theories of motivation. We need not merely a theory of motivation but a
theory of inspiration.
The Great Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941, known as "Gurudev") says
working for love is freedom in action. A concept which is described as “disinterested work" in
the Gita where Sri Krishna says,

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“He who shares the wealth generated only after serving the people, through work done
as a sacrifice for them, is freed from all sins. On the contrary those who earn wealth only for
themselves, eat sins that lead to frustration and failure.”
Disinterested work finds expression in devotion, surrender and equipoise. The former
two are psychological while the third is determination to keep the mind free of the dualistic
(usually taken to mean "materialistic") pulls of daily experiences. Detached involvement in work
is the key to mental equanimity or the state of “nirdwanda.” This attitude leads to a stage where
the worker begins to feel the presence of the Supreme Intelligence guiding the embodied
individual intelligence. Such de-personified intelligence is best suited for those who sincerely
believe in the supremacy of organisational goals as compared to narrow personal success and
achievement.
Work culture
An effective work culture is about vigorous and arduous efforts in pursuit of given or
chosen tasks. Sri Krishna elaborates on two types of work culture – “daivi sampat” or divine
work culture and “asuri sampat” or demonic work culture.
Daivi work culture - involves fearlessness, purity, self-control, sacrifice, straightforwardness,
self-denial, calmness, absence of fault-finding, absence of greed, gentleness, modesty, absence of
envy and pride.
Asuri work culture - involves egoism, delusion, personal desires, improper performance, work
not oriented towards service.
Mere work ethic is not enough. The hardened criminal exhibits an excellent work
ethic. What is needed is a work ethic conditioned by ethics in work.It is in this light that the
counsel, “yogah karmasu kausalam” should be understood. “Kausalam” means skill or technique

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of work which is an indispensable component of a work ethic. “Yogah” is defined in
the Gita itself as “samatvam yogah uchyate” meaning an unchanging equipoise of mind
(detachment.) Tilak tells us that acting with an equable mind is Yoga.
By making the equable mind the bed-rock of all actions, the Gita evolved the goal
of unification of work ethic with ethics in work, for without ethical process no mind can attain an
equipoise. The guru, Adi Sankara (born circa 800 AD), says that the skill necessary in the
performance of one's duty is that of maintaining an evenness of mind in face of success and
failure. The calm mind in the face of failure will lead to deeper introspection and see clearly
where the process went wrong so that corrective steps could be taken to avoid shortcomings in
future.The principle of reducing our attachment to personal gains from the work done is
the Gita’s prescription for attaining equanimity. It has been held that this principle leads to lack
of incentive for effort, striking at the very root of work ethic.
To the contrary, concentration on the task for its own sake leads to the achievement of
excellence – and indeed to the true mental happiness of the worker. Thus, while commonplace
theories of motivation may be said to lead us to the bondage or extrinsic rewards, the Gita’s
principle leads us to the intrinsic rewards of mental, and indeed moral,
satisfaction.The Gita further explains the theory of “detachment” from the extrinsic rewards of
work in saying: If the result of sincere effort is a success, the entire credit should not be
appropriated by the doer alone.
If the result of sincere effort is a failure, then too the entire blame does not accrue to
the doer. The former attitude mollifies arrogance and conceit while the latter prevents excessive
despondency, de-motivation and self-pity. Thus both these dispositions safeguard the doer

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against psychological vulnerability, the cause of the modem managers' companions of diabetes,
high blood pressure and ulcers.
Assimilation of the ideas of the Gita leads us to the wider spectrum of “lokasamgraha”
(general welfare) but there is also another dimension to the work ethic - if the “karmayoga”
(service) is blended with “bhaktiyoga” (devotion), then the work itself becomes worship, a
“sevayoga" (service for its own sake.)
Utilisation of available resources
The first lesson of management science is to choose wisely and utilise scarce
resources optimally. During the curtain raiser before the Mahabharata War, Duryodhana chose
Sri Krishna's large army for his help while Arjuna selected Sri Krishna's wisdom for his support.
This episode gives us a clue as to the nature of the effective manager - the former chose
numbers, the latter, wisdom.
Old truths in a new context
The Bhagavad Gita, written thousands of years ago, enlightens us on all managerial
techniques leading us towards a harmonious and blissful state of affairs in place of the conflict,
tensions, poor productivity, absence of motivation and so on, common in most of Indian
enterprises today – and probably in enterprises in many other countries.
The modern (Western) management concepts of vision, leadership, motivation,
excellence in work, achieving goals, giving work meaning, decision making and planning, are all
discussed in the Bhagavad Gita. There is one major difference. While Western management
thought too often deals with problems at material, external and peripheral levels, the Bhagavad

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Gita tackles the issues from the grass roots level of human thinking. Once the basic thinking of
man is improved, it will automatically enhance the quality of his actions and their results.
The management philosophy emanating from the West, is based on the lure of
materialism and on a perennial thirst for profit, irrespective of the quality of the means adopted
to achieve that goal. This phenomenon has its source in the abundant wealth of the West and so
'management by materialism' has caught the fancy of all the countries the world over, India being
no exception to this trend. My country, India, has been in the forefront in importing these ideas
mainly because of its centuries old indoctrination by colonial rulers, which has inculcated in us a
feeling that anything Western is good and anything Indian is inferior.
The result is that, while huge funds have been invested in building temples of
modem management education, no perceptible changes are visible in the improvement of the
general quality of life - although the standards of living of a few has gone up. The same old
struggles in almost all sectors of the economy, criminalisation of institutions, social violence,
exploitation and other vices are seen deep in the body politic.
Management guidelines from the Bhagavad Gita
There is an important distinction between effectiveness and efficiency in managing.
Effectiveness is doing the right things.
Efficiency is doing things right.
The general principles of effective management can be applied in every field, the differences
being more in application than in principle. The Manager's functions can be summed up as:
 Forming a vision
 Planning the strategy to realise the vision.

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 Cultivating the art of leadership.
 Establishing institutional excellence.
 Building an innovative organisation.
 Developing human resources.
 Building teams and teamwork.
 Delegation, motivation, and communication.
 Reviewing performance and taking corrective steps when called for
Thus, management is a process of aligning people and getting them committed to
work for a common goal to the maximum social benefit - in search of excellence. The critical
question in all managers’ minds is how to be effective in their job. The answer to this
fundamental question is found in the Bhagavad Gita, which repeatedly proclaims that “you must
try to manage yourself.” The reason is that unless a manager reaches a level of excellence and
effectiveness, he or she will be merely a face in the crowd.
The Ultimate Message of Gita for Managers
The despondent position of Arjuna in the first chapter of the Gita is a typical
human situation which may come in the life of all men of action some time or other. Sri Krishna
by sheer power of his inspiring words raised the level of Arjuna's mind from the state of inertia
to the state of righteous action, from the state of faithlessness to the state of faith and self-
confidence in the ultimate victory of Dharma(ethical action). They are the powerful words of
courage of strength, of self confidence, of faith in one's own infinite power, of the glory, of

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valour in the life of active people and of the need for intense calmness in the midst of intense
action.
When Arjuna got over his despondency and stood ready to fight, Sri Krishna gave
him the gospel for using his spirit of intense action not for his own benefit, not for satisfying his
own greed and desire, but for using his action for the good of many, with faith in the ultimate
victory of ethics over unethical actions and truth over untruth. Arjuna responds by emphatically
declaring that all his delusions were removed and that he is ready to do what is expected of him
in the given situation.
Sri Krishna's advice with regard to temporary failures in actions is 'No doer of good
ever ends in misery'. Every action should produce results: good action produces good results and
evil begets nothing but evil. Therefore always act well and be rewarded.
And finally the Gita's consoling message for all men of action is: He who follows My
ideal in all walks of life without losing faith in the ideal or never deviating from it, I provide him
with all that he needs (Yoga) and protect what he has already got (Kshema).

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CONCLUSION
From the above discussions we conclude that much of modern management principles
existing today can be derived from the body of knowledge of Bhagavad Gita. One of the central
ideas of the Bhagavad Gita is the performance of activities without attachment or any
expectation of results. Thus, as the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita is of universal significance, to
study it is to study man himself, to study life lord Krishna gives five stages of instructions in the
Bhagavad-Gita. The Bhagavad Gita, the ancient spiritual text contains recommendations for the
modern practice of management. The first stage is the general teachings for everyone. Then in a
very sublime way He gives four more additional stages of teachings each more exalted than the
previous. These teachings although extensive are delineated in a condensed form revealing only
the essence. So after the general teachings there are the confidential teachings and then the more
confidential teachings and then and then the most confidential teaching of all which Lord
Krishna reveals in the super most confidential verses in the whole Bhagavad-Gita.. According to
modern management principles, goal can be achieved through coordination of efforts. Bhagavad
Gita also emphasizes this aspect emphasizing that prosperity can be attained through
cooperation. If one does this natural duty with devotion and dedication, Gita says,one can attain
not only growth and development, but success , prosperity and progress. It is time that modern
management thinkers should embrace the importance of ancient Indian ethos in filling the gaps
that exist in the existing paradigms of leadership and management.

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REFERENCES
Swami Vivekananda: 1901, The Vedanta Philosophy: An Address before the Graduate
Philosophical society at Harvard University on March 25, 1896 (published by The Vedanta
Society, New York)
Radhakrishnan S:1962, 'Bhagavad Gita' published by Rajpal & sons, Delhi,
Radhakrishnan S:1993, The Bhagavada Gita (Harper Collins Publishers)
Bhawuk Dharam P.S:2011, Spirituality and Indian Psychology: Lessons from the Bhagavad-Gita
(Springer)
Websites
www.vedantainstitute.co.in
www.vedpradip.com