In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhishmachaarya continuing his important accord on the “Raaja-Dharma”, with specific reference to the functioning of the “Ganatantra Raajyam”. In this context, he is explaining the key success factors behind the “Ganatantra Raajyam” wherein he highlights pointers such as unity, having a common goal, having ministers / bureaucrats who are highly qualified, having those people who are selfless in attitude and with the primary goal to serve the country, more than anything else, etc. In this line, Bhishmachaarya also explains the importance of hierarchy in the government structure. While the first level of the hierarchy will be the people on the ground, the second level will comprise the ministers who will be at constant service to the people. Third level in this hierarchy will be the “Advisors”, who will constantly be monitoring the work of the ministers and the final level will be the leader himself / herself. Thus, the role of the advisors here is to give constant inputs about the performance of the various ministers, and if a minister is straying away from his / her “Dharma”, the advisor should immediately report it to the Prime Minister, who should then warn / fire / sideline the particular person. Only if this hierarchy is maintained, will the “Ganatantra Raajyam” (Democracy) be successful.
In fact, while we discuss this important point, we should also highlight the constitutional structure in India, which is also more or less aligned with whatever Bhishmachaarya explains here. We’ve witnessed a glimpse of this in our previous episode, but extending a leaf out of it, if we look at our “Parliamentary structure”, we have two “Sabhas” as part of it – The “Lok Sabha” and the “Raajya Sabha”. While the “Lok Sabha” will comprise the Members of Parliament (MP’s) who will face the people in elections, the “Raajya Sabha” will comprise the “Members of Parliament (MP’s) who are advisors to the “Lok Sabha” MP’s and Ministers of the Government. Thus in other words, the “Lok Sabha” is the place where the actual government is – Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, along with his / her group of Cabinet Ministers and other MP’s. The “Lok Sabha” is represented by the MP’s from all parts of the country and is subject to elections once every five years. People will choose who will represent them by voting for the candidates who stand in the elections. Thus, we can clearly see how the different levels of hierarchy in the government / constitutional setup gels with whatever Bhishmachaarya explains here – The first level being the people of the country, followed by the second level – Being their representatives in the “Lok Sabha” (Prime Minister and his government), which is further followed by the the third level – Being the representatives of the “Raajya Sabha”, who will not face elections directly, but will constantly monitor the performance of the government and its’ MP’s at all times. This “Raajya Sabha” is directly headed by the “Vice-President” of the country, who is in turn headed by the “President” of the country. Thus, the hierarchy is very clear here, isn’t it?
Moving on further, Bhishmachaarya now explains certain important qualities of a leader in such a setup. Of course, we’ve witnessed thirty-six important qualities of a leader earlier, but this accord on leadership qualities that Bhishmachaarya explains here, suits the context here. Bhishmachaarya explains further thus, “Oh Yudishtra! As a leader of this kind of a setup, you should be a highly motivated individual. You should always be filled with enthusiasm. Secondly, you should be a person who is a “Shoora” (Capability to accomplish any kind of task successfully). This is very important. It is not enough if you are a motivated individual. You should also be able to accomplish tasks victoriously. Moreover, as a leader, you should be thorough with both the “Shaastram” and “Shastram”. Only then will you be able to govern the country well without many hiccups!”
This is a very important point that Bhishmachaarya is explaining here. As a leader, it is very important to stay motivated at all times. While it might be easier said than done, this is where the resolve of a leader is under test. Of course, not everything will go on smoothly as we anticipate. There will always be times wherein challenges would galore from all directions. When the going gets tough, the tough should get going, isn’t it? The leader should never buckle down under any kind of pressure. He / she should be steadfast in continuing with the journey, and not give up at any point of time. For this to happen, the leader should be well-versed in the “Shaastram”, which constantly keeps telling us as to how to walk the path of “Dharma”, despite having to face several challenges. We’ve seen in the entire Mahabharata story till now as to how Yudishtra had to face challenge after challenge all through his life. Yet, he has never given up on his pursuit of “Dharma” as a leader. This is the hallmark of leadership that we should learn from Yudishtra. Moreover, a leader should not only be well-versed in the “Shaastram” , but also should know the nuances of the “Shasthram”. This means, a leader should be extremely smart and sharp to take quick and sensible decisions at crucial times. We call this “Chaanakya-Buddhi”! 🙂 While the leader should be knowing the “Dharma”, he / she should also have the smartness while implementing it and this is exactly what Bhishmachaarya is explaining here.
So for today, let us understand these three important points pertaining to leadership in a “Ganatantra Raajyam”, and we shall continue with this discussion further in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂
The Indian Dharma 