Bhagavad Gītā and Leadership: A Catalyst for Organizational Transformation

307 Pages·2019·3.737 MB·English

by  Satinder Dhiman

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Palgrave Studies in Workplace Spirituality
and Fulfillment
Series Editors
Satinder Dhiman
School of Business
Woodbury University
Burbank, CA, USA
Gary Roberts
Robertson School of Government
Regent University
Virginia Beach, VA, USA
Joanna Crossman
International College of Management
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Satinder Dhiman
Editor-in-Chief
Gary Roberts and Joanna Crossman
Associate Editors
By way of primary go-to-platform, this Series precisely maps the terrain of the
twin fields of Workplace Spirituality and Fulfillment in the disciplines of business,
psychology, health care, education, and various other allied fields. It reclaims the
sacredness of work—work that is mind- enriching, heart-fulfilling, soul-satisfying
and financially-rewarding. It fills the gap in scholarship in the allied disciplines of
Workplace Spirituality and Flourishing. Using a comprehensive schema, it invites
contributions from foremost scholars and practitioners that reflect insightful
research, practices, and latest trends on the theme of workplace spirituality and
fulfillment. The uniqueness of this Series lies in its anchorage in the moral and
spiritual dimension of various positive forms of leadership—such as Authentic
Leadership, Servant Leadership, Transformational Leadership, and Values-Based
Leadership.
We welcome research monographs and multi-authored edited volumes
representing myriad thought-positions on topics such as: Past, Present and
Future Directions in Workplace Spirituality; Workplace Spirituality and World
Wisdom/Spiritual Traditions; Culture Studies and Workplace Spirituality;
Spiritual, Social and Emotional intelligence; Nature of Work; Mindfulness at
Work; Personal Fulfillment and Workplace Flourishing; Workplace Spirituality
and Organizational Performance; Inner Identity, Interconnectedness, Community
and Transcendence; Managing Spiritual and Religious Diversity at Work;
Spirituality and World Peace Imperative; Sustainability and Spirituality;
Spirituality and Creativity; and Applied Workplace Spirituality in Health Care,
Education, Faith-based Organizations, et al.
More information about this series at
http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/15746
Satinder Dhiman
Bhagavad Gıta
̄ ̄
and Leadership
A Catalyst for Organizational Transformation
Satinder Dhiman
School of Business
Woodbury University
Burbank, CA, USA
Palgrave Studies in Workplace Spirituality and Fulfillment
ISBN 978-3-319-67572-5 ISBN 978-3-319-67573-2 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67573-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018958763
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त्वदीयं ्वस् तुगोव्वनद:
्भतु यम्वे समर्पये
tvadıȳaṁ vastu govinda
tubhyameva samarpaye
O Lord! I offer unto Thee
What is really Thine only!
|| ए्ेन म ेवनबन्ने ावर्प्ा ्वै गरुतु दवषिणा ||
|| etena me nibandhena
arpitā vai gurudakṣiṇā ||
Whatever I have composed here,
I offer as a tribute to all my revered teachers.
श्री कृष्णार्प्मस्तु
Śrı̄ Kṛsṇ ̣ārpaṇamastu
This book is humbly dedicated to Śrı̄ Krṣ ṇ ạ , the master creator of
the Song Celestial who, more than 5000 years ago, proactively
impelled change from the prevailing unjust order to that of
righteousness and showed the path of liberation
through Self-knowledge.
A
cknowledgments
The goal of life is to manifest the Divinity already within us. (Swami Vivekananda)
Śr¯ı Śaṅkara (788–822 CE), the preeminent Vedānta philosopher, counts
association with great seer-saints among the rarest of the rare blessings:
दरतु ्पभ ंत्रयम्वे ै्द््वे ानग्रतु हह्े कतु म ्।
मनषतुयत्वं ममतु षितु ततु्वं महाररुतु षसंश्रयः ॥ ३॥
durlabhaṁ trayamevaitaddevānugrahahetukam /
manusỵ atvaṁ mumuksụ tvaṁ mahāpurusạ saṁsŕayaḥ //3//
These are three things which are rare indeed and are due to the grace of
God—namely, a human birth, the longing for liberation, and the protecting
care of a perfected sage.1
I have been very fortunate to have the blessed opportunity to sit at the lotus
feet of a few such illumined sages.
This book is the direct result of the abiding Grace of the Lord, received in
the form of the holy association with these seer-saints. In these pages, I have
tried to be an “empty reed,” just echoing what I have received from the lips of
my preceptors in life and spirit. They gave me what cannot be taken. The effect
of their teachings can only be described by the Biblical phrase, “The scales fell
off from my very eyes.”
But how can one recount one’s debt to the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa2:
Thy Benediction has made me captive of Thee;
No ransom will ever be sufficient to redeem my debt.
1 Swami Madhavananda, trans., V ivekacūḍāmaṇi of Śrı ̄ Śaṅkarācārya: Text with English
Translation, Notes, and Index (Calcutta, India: Advaita Ashrama, 2007 reprint), 2.
2 Nara meaning “human” and āyaṇa means “direction/goal.” Narāsya-āyaṇa iti Nārāyaṇa:
That which is the final goal, the ultimate end, of all humans is Nārāyaṇa.
ix
x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Likewise, my debt to Śr¯ı Śaṅkarācārya is ineffable. His illuminating
commentaries on the triple canon of Vedānta—the Bhagavad Gıt̄ā, Upanisạ ds,
and Brahma Sūtras—have been the guiding light and solace of my life.
I am particularly indebted to Paramsŕaddheya Swāmı ̄Rāmsukhdāsjı ̄Mahārāj,
whose commentary on Śr¯ımad Bhagavad Gıt̄ā, entitled, “Sādhaka-Sañjıv̄ aṇı,̄”
is unparalleled in the Hindi language;3 Swāmi Śharṇānandjı ̄ Mahārāj, whose
revolutionary spiritual teachings illumine my path, every step of the way;4
Swāmı ̄Brahmātmānand Saraswati, my root Vedānta teacher, whose profound
silence continues to echo in my soul; Swāmı ̄ Gyānajıv̄ andāsjı ̄ and Śr¯ı Dyālu
Swamıj̄ı,̄ whose simplicity, blessed love, and affection continue to be the source
of my strength; Swāmı ̄Dayānanda Saraswati jı ̄and Swāmı ̄Paramārthānanda,
whose discourses on the Gıt̄ā and Upanisạ ds represent some of the finest
traditional Vedānta teachings currently available in the English language; Br.
Shri Pranipāta Chaitanya, who patiently taught me the Bhagavad Gıt̄ā Śaṅkara
Bhāsỵ a over Skype for a period of three years; and Swāmı ̄Satchidānandendra
Saraswati, whose writings in Sanskrit, Kannada, and the English language
present Śaṅkara’s liberating teachings in their most pure, pristine form.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Pujya Śr¯ı Sreenivas̄ a Mur̄ thy
jı—̄ my present Vedan̄ ta teacher, who has been generously and lovingly teaching
me the art and science of realizing the truths of Vedan̄ ta in one’s own direct,
intuitive experience (svan̄ ubhava), by taking a stand in the Self, the changeless,
conscious principle. His objective, “threadbare” analysis of the deepest truths of
Vedan̄ ta has provided an alchemic crystallization to my four decades of relent-
less spiritual search. Using himself as a mirror and a sounding board, he vividly
demonstrated the difference between being a mantra-vit, a mere knower of the
3 I was given the blessed opportunity to translate some of Swam̄ ıj̄ı’̄s writings, which are as follows:
S. Dhiman, trans., Kripam̄ ayi Bhagavad Gıt̄a:̄ The Benedictory Gıt̄a ̄(selection and compilation,
Rajendra Kumar Dhawan) (2014). Based on Paramsŕaddheya Swam̄ ıj̄ı ̄Shrı ̄Ram̄ sukhdas̄jı ̄Mahar̄aj̄’s
discourses (Gorakhpur, India: Gita Prakas̄han). http://gitaprakashan.com/englishbook/1.pdf
S. Dhiman, trans., Sahaja-Gıt̄ā: The Essential Gıt̄ā (selection and compilation, Rajendra Kumar
Dhawan) (2013). Based on Paramsŕaddhey Swāmıj̄ı ̄Shree Rāmsukhdāsjı ̄Mahārāj commentary on
Śrimad Bhagavad Gıt̄ā, entitled, Sādhaka-Sannjıv̄ anı ̄(Gorakhpur, India: Gıt̄a ̄Prakāshan). http://
gitaprakashan.com/englishbook/3.pdf
4 I was provided the opportunity to translate some of Swāmıj̄ı’̄s books into English:
S. Dhiman, trans., Krāntikārı ̄Santvānı:̄ Alchemic Aphorisms of a Revolutionary Saint: Precious-
Select Sayings of the founder of “Mānav Sevā Sangh,” Brahmaleen Pujaypād Swāmı ̄Shrı ̄Sharnānandjı̄
Mahārāj (Karnal, India: Karnal Manav Seva Sangh, 2018).
S. Dhiman, trans., Prashnōttarı ̄(Santvānı)̄: Answers to Questions Asked by Spiritual Aspirants to
the Founder-Saint of “Mānav Sevā Sangh,” Sant Pravar Brahmaleen Pujaypād Swāmı ̄ Shrı̄
Sharnānandjı ̄Mahārāj. E-book. (print-version, in preparation, 2015).
S. Dhiman, trans., Sant Jıv̄ an Darpaṇ: Inspirational Episodes and Reminiscences of the Founder-
Saint of “Mānav Sevā Sangh,” Swāmı ̄Shrı ̄Sharnānandjı ̄Mahārāj. E-book (2014).
S. Dhiman, trans., Prabodhani: A Brief Introduction of the Founder-Saint of Man̄ av Seva ̄Sangh:
Brahmleen Pujaypad̄ Swam̄ ı ̄Shrı ̄Sharnan̄ andjı ̄Mahar̄ aj̄. Compilation by Devakıj̄ı.̄ E-book (2014).
S. Dhiman, trans., Sant Hridayod̄ gār: Brahmleen Pujaypād Swāmı ̄Shrı ̄Sharnānandjı ̄Mahārāj
ke Hridyasaparashı ̄Udgār (2014).
These books can be accessed in pdf form, free of charge, here: http://www.swamisharnanandji.org/
Also see Swāmıj̄¯ı’s wiki page for more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami_
Sharnanandji
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi
scriptural lore, and being an at̄ ma-vit, a knower of the truth of the Self. For,
only knowers of the Self, says mother Sŕ uti, transcend sorrow.5
In fine, the wisdom belongs to my teachers; I claim only the errors as my own.
The following Sanskrit verse splendidly captures my sentiment:
यदत्र दोषनम ्वकन्चत्तन ््ेषाम ्माम्वे ्् ्।
यदत्र भषू णम ्वकवन्च् ््त्त तु्ेषाम ्न ए्व मम ्॥
Yadatra dosạ nam kincattan tesạ ̄m māmeva tat /
Yadatra bhūsạ ṇam kincit tattu tesạ ̄m na eva mam //
Whatever deficiencies are found in this work, they do not belong to the
masters—they are verily mine; whatever excellence is found here is theirs and
certainly not mine.
In the G¯ıtā’s view, the selfless performance of actions, as a service to the
Supreme, purifies the mind and makes it a fit vessel for the reception of Self-
knowledge, which alone is the direct and immediate means to moksạ , spiritual
freedom.6 Śr¯ı Kṛsṇ ̣a, the teacher par excellence in the G¯ıtā, does not merely
want to make us philosophically learned, but aims to help us realize the Truth
experientially (jñānaṃ vijñānasahitaṃ, knowledge combined with immediate
intuitive experience: 9.1)7—not to merely instruct but to make us wise and free.
The Gıt̄a ̄teaches us that only the knowers of the Self are truly wise and ever
free from grief (2.11).
Śr¯ı Krṣ ṇ ạ , the Infinite One, identifies with Arjuna (pan̄ ḍ ạ van̄ am̄ ̣ dhanaṃjayah)̣ ,
with Veda Vyas̄ a (mun¯ınam̄ apy ahaṃ vyas̄ah)̣ , and with the Vas̄ udevah ̣(vrṣṇ ı̣n̄ am̄ ̣
vas̄udevosmi) as well (10.37). The listener, the writer, and the speaker—and the
reader(s)—are all part of one single unitary movement, the Vas̄ udevah,̣ that is All,
sarvam (7.19)—Tad ekam (That Alone)!8
As Śr¯ımad Bhāgavatam, another sacred Indian text that comprises the divine
acts and teachings of Śr¯ı Kṛsṇ ̣a, puts it, “To know the Truth is to see the one-
ness of the Self with God.”
Unless one realizes this oneness (aikyam), one may read a million commen-
taries on the Bhagavad Gıt̄ā, or even write books about it, but the realization
of the truth of the Self of All will still be far away.
Salutations to the Supreme Self (paramātmā) that dwells in all of us!
May the Divinity bless us with this vision of Oneness; may we all be so blessed!
5 ्रव् शोकमातमव्व् ्tarati ´sokam ātamvit: Chāndogya Upaniṣad, 7.1.3.
6 See Śaṅkara’s commentary on Brahma Sūtra 1.1.12: सद्ोमवतुतिकारणमपयातमज्ानम sadyomuktikāranạ mapy
ātmajñānam. “Self-knowledge leads to instant liberation”: V. Panoli, trans., Prasthanathraya,
Volume VI—Bramasutra (Kozhikode, India: Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Co. Ltd.,
2011), 90.
7 In the opening verse of chapter 9, Śr¯ı Krṣṇ ạ declares: “Now, I will clearly expound this most
secret knowledge and its realization, knowing which you will be released from all that is inauspi-
cious” (yaj jñātvā moksỵasesú bhāt). Śr¯ı Śaṅkara’s comment: “On realizing this knowledge, you will
be liberated from the bondage of saṁsāra, conditioned existence.” See: Alladi Mahadeva Sastry,
trans., The Bhagavad Gıt̄ā with the commentary of Sri Shankaracharya (Chennai, India: Samata
Books, 2001), 238–239.
8 It is interesting to note that the English word “small” contains “all.”