Editor-In-Chief’s-Choice

"Earlier civilisations flourished because of organised human efforts, so management of men has naturally received much importance and attention in the human society. Applicability of ancient Indian concepts in modern business management is of relevance because without strong management techniques, India could not have seen an organised and culturally advanced civilisation"

The Mahabharata is not a management text. Yet the tenets mentioned in them and the advice of the Indian sages given to the kings of the times have relevance today. They spoke of proper planning, strategy, decision making, human and natural resource management, agriculture and trade. People were advised to live in harmony with all the natural forces without disturbing the balance of an organisation. The morals of kings, generals, administrators, planners and policymakers of that period can still guide us in our daily lives as well as in the business world

Management is a process that involves integrating and coordinating the work of others so that the goals of an organisation are achieved efficiently and effectively. It is an interdisciplinary field with contributions from Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, Economics and Finance. Contemporary management also includes issues related to cross cultural management and international management. Increasingly, the understanding of management is coming to depend on analysing and predicting organisational behaviour which is the basis of human resource management. Earlier civilisations flourished because of organised human efforts, so management of men has naturally received much importance and attention in human society. Applicability of ancient Indian concepts in modern business management is of relevance because without strong management techniques, India could not have seen an organised and culturally advanced civilisation. The Indian culture throughout was very much organised and had its own leadership style and management system. The Indian epics can inspire every manager and leader to reflect, investigate and cogitate.

The study of the Mahabharata reveals management topics which are the same in today’s management system. The genesis of modern management found in the Mahabharata is useful beyond doubt. For instance, it says, “There are certain virtues a king should have. Only by attaining them will he acquire merit. The king should perform his duties without wrath or malice, he should not abandon kindness, he should acquire wealth without persecution or cruelty, he should pursue pleasure without attachment.”

This epic depicts lessons on spirituality and ethics through dialogue between Lord Krishna and the warrior Arjun, who is at a great crisis of his life. The Karma Yoga, SamkhyaYoga, Bhakti Yoga, the notion of the three Gunas, have very important implications in the context of ethical leadership, decision making and other management techniques.

The few hidden factors that made the Pandavas win over the Kouravas despite their having more resources than the Pandavas were:

Ethical Leadership: The leader in the story of the Mahabharata is Lord Krishna who guided the Pandavas all through their tough times and kept their spir-its high by reminding them of their duties and objectives. Though Krishna was the leader, he never played any role in the battle. Instead, he acted as a beacon to the Pandavas and stood up to John Maxwell’s definition of a leader:“Leaders become great not because of their power but because of their ability to empower others ”

The qualities of a leader of a king are defined many times in the Mahabharata.“He is the best of kings who has wisdom, who is possessed of liberty, who is ready to take advantage of the weakness of his foes, who is conversant with what is bad for each of the four orders of his subjects, who is prompt in action, who has his wealth under control, who is not vindictive, who is high minded...he is the best of kings whose men live fearlessly, like in the house of sires.” A good example of distributed leadership is seen in the war of Mahabharata. Likewise, if it is followed in organisations, it will be beneficial to both the individual as well as to the organisation. A good leader will always share responsibilities so that he focuses on their work and achieves the goal. The Pandavas had distributed leadership among seven commanders Virat (king of Matsya), Drupad (king of Panchal), Sahadev (king of Magadh), Dhristketu (king of Chedi), Satyaki (only warrior of Dwarka) and others for the seven divisions. That meant one-man command for one akshouhini.

"A good example of distributed leadership is seen in the war of Mahabharata. Likewise, if it is followed in organisations, it will be beneficial to both the individual as well as to the organisation. A good leader will always share responsibilities so that he focuses on their work and achieves the goal"

Planning and Strategy: Planning, the first of managerial activities, had drawn the attention of the composer of the epic Mahabharata in these words:

Krityani purvam parisankhyay sarvanyayvyaye chanurupaam cha vrittim Sangrahneeyaadnurupaan sahaayaan sahaayasaadhyaani hi dushkaraani

In the beginning, the exact dimensions of work, the budget, reasonable wages etc. should be looked into, decided and settled. Thereafter, able and qualified helpers should be recruited for the reason that even the toughest work can be accomplished with the assistance of competent helpers.

The message given by Vidur to Dhritrastra is known as ‘Viduropadesh’, which is the part of Mahabharata when he was terribly confused, whether to support his son Duryodhana who was practising adharma or support Yudhisthira who was the embodiment of dharma. Here, we present only the main strategy points in short, which are:

The individual has no right to destroy the organisation, even if he himself has founded it. Knowledge, qualifications, method of action and attitude should also complement each other:

The qualities that any person ought to possess in order to be a successful and effective leader have been enumerated in the Mahabharata thus:

Atmajnanam samarambha stitikshaYamrthanna paskssranti Dharmanit yata savai panditucayat

The person who possesses the knowledge of the real self, has the capacity to bear the agony, remain engaged in the performance of duty and is never distracted is called a pandit, a learned one.

Take calculated risks but always have dynamic strategies: At the beginning of the war, Yudhishthira went to ask for the blessings of the elders, who invariably revealed the secrets of their defects. The Pandavas and Kouravas both took risks but while Duryodhana’s decisions were whimsical and egoist, the Pandavas took calculated risks which mostly paid off.

How to communicate: Even denying some favour, if it is not done wisely, may go to the extent of causing verbal injury which is worse than bodily injury. A wound may get healed in due course of time, but a verbal injury may not.

"An organisation which does not cultivate a culture of innovation or at least knowledge sharing, does not have a proper compensation structure, people lack passion (Rajas), tend to engage in corrupt and unethical practices (lack of Sattva) and tend to find reasons for inactivity fosters ‘Tamas’ in its culture and hence may soon be out of business"

Principle of Decision Making

The Indian ethos is based on cooperation to grow along with others and to share with others. An organisation which does not cultivate a culture of innovation or at least knowledge sharing, does not have a proper compensation structure, people lack passion (Rajas), tend to engage in corrupt and unethical practices (lack of Sattva) and tend to find reasons for inactivity fosters ‘Tamas’ in its culture and hence may soon be out of business.

The Guna theory states that the three ‘gunas’ that form the Prakriti are

Sattva sanjayate jnanam rajas olobhaeva ca Pramada mohoutam asobhavato jnanameva ca

Which means that from ethical and moral conduct comes wisdom (Sattva); passion leads to greed (Rajas); ignorance and inactivity leads to illusion.

Principles of control and Vigilance: The concept of Self was elaborated in the Karma Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita where Lord Krishna said:

Which means,“The senses are said to be superior to thebody, the mind is superior to the senses, and intellect is superior to the mind and that which is superior to the intellect is Self (Atman) .”

People who never realise their Self are controlled by their senses instead of their mind or intellect. And hence take decisions based on temptations and invariably make mistakes.

Bhishma, when he was steadily dying on the bed of arrows (sharshaiya), sermonises Yudhishthira about governance as narrated in Shanti / Anushasa Parva of the great epic. He says that vigilance is the main attribute of governance.

The second tenet is selfdiscipline. Bhishma gives 36 components of it and expected the king to have selfcontrol over himself. Bhishma had already lectured Yudhishthira on impartiality as a tenet of governance. Trust is another attribute as it is said, “It is the duty of the king to make sure that there are no signs of any distrust among the people and officials.”

The Mahabharata is also concerned about public wealth and taxation. It says that taxation should be handled as bumblebee does a flower, extracts its sweetness but does not damage it. Fear is the next tenet and Bhishma has two concepts. When Arjuna said that the social edifice would crash without the fear of law and rules, Bhishma agreed and added that the king should also be afraid of the hands of the law which could hook him; similarly, an adharmi should have this fear but a dharmatma should always enjoy freedom from fear.

The Mahabharata also emphasised on the proper balancing of Kshama (Reconciliation) and Bala (Force). Bhishma says in the Shanti Parva that a king should be like an autumn sun which is neither very hot nor very cold, i.e., he should neither be too harsh nor extremely gentle

Human resource management and importance of other resources: In the Mahabharata, ‘Arth’ means natural factors like the subjects of the five senses, i.e. Eyes, Ears Nose, Tongue and Skin. It means that it is dark if one does not recognise the importance of ‘Arth’

Apajnanam tamobhoot prajnanamtu prakashita Further it is stated in the same text,

It means that money can bring age, honour and heavenly abode and represents a highly dignified and famous status. It is also well explained in the Mahabharata that:

Money drives away many problems and evils, and therefore, rich persons can enjoy leisure in their life. Despite all these, the Mahabharata also says the following

Yudhishthira made allies with those who believed in the righteousness of his going to war. Lord Krishna joined him, as he knew that the Pandavas were doing their best.

In the Mahabharata, there are certain virtues mentioned that king should have. These are:

“He should never employ persons not devoted to him as his spies and secret agents; he should never seek to accomplish his objectives by means of persecution, he should never disclose his purpose to people who are wicked and he must conduct himself with humility before the gods”. A king should take care of seven things: his own self, his counsellors, his treasury, his machinery for according punishment, his friends, his provinces and his capital.

The Mahabharata proves that any event can have multiple outcomes. This challenges leaders to think of many options as well as accept different results. Every human being wants to feel he matters, and he wants to be given attention. It is well said by Mahamuni Vyasa:

“If men be treated with honour, they can for the sake of honour he may give them, abandon their very wives and sons.”

“The king who, even when overcome with danger and fear, keeps one eye on the duties of all men, earns the merit of the people.”

“The king should himself supervise his spies and counsellors, his treasury and the agency that inflicts chastisement. Upon them, everything may be said to depend.”

All these factors deal with interpersonal relationships and how to maintain good relations with everyone in the organisation. The Pandavas had no wealth, no power of their own but they had made powerful allies all over India. They had relationships with Panchala, Dwarka, Magadh, Chedi, Kekaya, Matsya, the rakshasas and nagas.

"The Mahabharata proves that any event can have multiple outcomes. This challenges leaders to think of many options as well as accept different results. Every human being wants to feel he matters, and he wants to be given attention"

Time management

Time is the most precious resource which needs planned use. Indian thinkers and sages were cautious of this important factor.

“Nishchtya yah prakramate nantravasati karmanahAvandhykalo vashyatma sa vai pandit ucayate”

“One who first decides and plans the work and then starts it, does not stop in between, does not waste time and remains fully attentive, and has self-control is called a learned person.”

Equanimity in the Mahabharata

Equanimity is one of the most sublime emotions, and it is considered as the foundation stone for wisdom and freedom. It is considered as the protector of compassion and love. A mind filled with equanimity is abundant, exalted, without resentment and without ill will. A great leader always maintains equanimity of mind in whatever condition he is.

The seven mental qualities support the development of equanimity. All these seven qualities mentioned are:

Mahabharata And Business Management

Principle of Decision Making

Time management

Equanimity in the Mahabharata