In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna’s continued accord on the “Deha-Atma-Viveka-Gnyaanam”, wherein He tries to explain to Arjuna how the “Deham” and “Atman” are different entities altogether, although they coexist with each other. In this way, Bhagawan Krishna explains how the “Deham” is destroyable in nature and the “Atman” is not destroyable at any point in time. This is where Bhagawan adds a connotation to Arjuna by asking a simple, yet a highly philosophical question – Why do people celebrate during birth and mourn during death? The answer is simple – It is because of the unawareness that the “Atman” never has a birth or a death! All of us celebrate birthdays, don’t we? Do we think that our “Atman” has a definitive age? The answer is “No”, because the “Atman” is a permanent entity! Nobody knows when the “Atman” was born and nobody knows when it will cease to exist (if it all it would)! It is only the “Deham” for which the age can be calculated and the birthdays that we celebrate are only for the “Dehams” and not for the “Atmans”. Through this analogy, Bhagawan Krishna is trying to drive home the point that if Bhishmachaarya or anybody is killed in the war today, it is only their “Dehams” that would be destroyed and not their “Atmans”.
Moving on further, Bhagawan Krishna explains thus:
“Maathraas sparshaah tu kaunteya sheetoshna sukha dukkhadaaha!
Aagamaa paayinaa anityaaha taan tithikshasva bhaarata!!”
This is a very important shloka wherein Bhagawan Krishna explains yet another point that all of us need to ponder upon. Bhagawan says thus, “Oh Kaunteya (Arjuna, who is Kunthi’s son)! Please understand one thing – Heat and cold are things that keep coming and going every now and then in this world, depending upon the position of Surya Bhagawan and the distance he travels from the earth, isn’t it? In similar lines, “Sukham” (Pleasures / happiness) and “Dukkham” (Displeasures / sorrows) will also keep coming and going. At these times, what do we do normally? Whenever it is cold, we cover ourselves with warm attire and try to protect ourselves, don’t we? Similarly, when it is hot, we cool down ourselves through many different ways. Similarly here also, when we feel the “Sukham”, we tend to jump with joy and celebrate. Whereas, when we feel the “Dukkham”, we tend to sit in a corner of a place and weep bitterly! Oh Arjuna! As spiritual seekers, this is where we should have the balance! Just because you’re undergoing sorrow, it doesn’t mean that you will sit in a corner and cry, and at the same time, just because you’re happy, it doesn’t mean that you will jump up and down and celebrate! You should always maintain a balance and handle both “Sukham” and “Dukkham” equally in a just manner!”
From this, we can witness a very important lesson for management and leadership here – “Sukham” and “Dukkham” are like achievements and challenges / success and failure for a leader. Of course, in an organisation, all of us experience both success and failures. This is a common feature across the world. However, the important catch point here is how we handle success and failure! Different people have differences in handling success and failure and this is the key factor for evaluating how good / bad a leader is! When Bhagawan says that we need to have a balanced thought process, both during times of “Sukham” and “Dukkham”, He explains to us that as a leader, one should have a balanced thought process while experiencing success and failure. Especially when it comes to decision-making, many of us get carried away by the heat of the moment and we end up making erroneous decisions, which might have a bigger impact later on! This is where, we’ve to be very careful. If there’s an impending problem on the cards, a good leader should always stay calm and composed. The balance starts from here. Further, the leader should consult with experts and others in the know-how of things and brainstorm with all of them collectively. Once the brainstorming session is over, we would always have more clarity in our thought process, isn’t it? Now if the decision is made, the leader would be able to minimise the risk involved and eventually would be able to prepare himself / herself for any adversities that might arise out of the decision. This is the balance that Bhagawan is talking about when He says that we should find the balance between “Sukham” and “Dukkham”.
So for today, let us understand this important pointer from Bhagawan and as leaders / managers in our own capacities, let us try and reflect upon this point for our professional success! We shall continue this discussion in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂
The Indian Dharma 