The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sage Naarada commencing his detailed accord on how the Indra Lokha’s “Sabhaa Mandapa” (Courtroom) looks like. He gives a beautiful description about the length and breadth of the courtroom, which is around 1,300 kilometers long and 2000 kilometers in breadth. This is almost the distance of Chennai to Delhi in today’s calculation! Hence, we can see how big Indra’s courtroom would be! Moreover, the height of the courtroom is around 65 to 70 kilometers! We can imagine the enormity of what we’re seeing here! Thus, at the center of the courtroom, there is a beautiful throne upon which Indra sits. He is surrounded by his wife, Indrani and the others who constantly keep fanning him. The other speciality of the Indra Lokha courtroom is that, if anybody sits there, they would be completely devoid of hunger, thirst, etc. and would be completely satisfied with various aspects that we require in life! With this, Sage Naarada highlights the importance of the Indra Lokha to Yudishtra, who was awestruck with Sage Naarada’s description. 

Now moving on further, Sage Naarada is going to commence the next description – The “Yama-Lokha”. Subsequently, he talks about the “Varuna Lokha”, “Kubera Lokha” and finally the “Satya-Lokha” of Bhagawan Brahma. We shall quickly move on further from this description, as we’ve got loads of other important things to discuss here. As Sage Naarada explains all this, he concludes his discussion and is preparing to start! As Sage Naarada departs from Indraprastha, Yudishtra and the others meet together and decide to perform a “Raaja-Suya Yaaga” as quickly as possible. It is only when the king performs the “Raaja-Suya Yaaga” successfully, will he be accepted as a “Chakravarty” (Righteous and a Noble King) by the country and the world. Thus, with the advice given by Arjuna and the others, Yudishtra decides that a Raaja-Suya Yaaga should be conducted very soon. Thus with this, we come to the end of the “Loka-Paalaka-Sabhaa-Aakhyaana Parva”. 

After this Upa-Parva under the main Sabhaa Parva, we now move into the “Raaja-Suya Aarambha Parva”. Here, we have the entire discussion on the various aspects of the planning process as to how to conduct the Raaja-Suya Yaaga and who all should be invited for the same. As the Paandava brothers suggested to Yudishtra that he has to perform the “Raaja-Suya Yaaga” in a grand manner, Yudishtra asks them back thus, “Oh Arjuna and Co. Of course, all of you are right! We should perform the Raaja-Suya Yaaga as soon as possible. But I only have one doubt – Whether will I be able to perform such a huge Yaaga? Do I have the right qualifications to even think about it? Normally, the Raaja-Suya Yaaga is performed by those Kings who are epitomes of “Dharma”. I’ve just taken over as a new king and I do not know whether I’m an epitome of “Dharma” to that extent of those kings, to take up such a huge thing! Anyways, let us do one thing – Let us call some experts and discuss this matter with them. We shall proceed as per what they advise!” 

Hearing this from Yudishtra, Arjuna and Co. agreed to the idea and various Raaja-Rishis and Brahma-Rishis were invited to Indraprastha. As all of them arrived, Yudishtra expressed his concern to them for advice. As Yudishtra expressed himself thus, all the Maharishis unitedly said thus, “Oh Yudishtra! There is absolutely no doubt that you’ve to perform the Raaja-Suya Yaaga immediately. You are completely qualified for it. Please do not delay it further. Instead of doubting yourself as to whether you are qualified or not, please focus on how to perform it meticulously!” As the Maharishis opined thus, Yudishtra was still not very convinced. He asks them back, “Oh great Sages! I understand the point that I’ve to perform this great task. My only concern however is that, if I commence it, what would happen if I’m not able to complete it properly? Won’t it become a great sin? If the Yaaga stops mid-way due to some reason or the other, or due to some fault / mistake from my end, what would happen to the welfare of the kingdom? Won’t an incomplete Yaaga affect the kingdom and it’s people very badly?” 

As Yudishtra expressed further concerns thus, the Maharishis once again join together and advice him. They say thus, “Oh Yudishtra! What you’re expressing is right! However, you should have the confidence within you that you can complete it perfectly. Please do not keep thinking too much on the negative consequences. Imagine this for a moment – If you’re not performing the Raaja-Suya Yaaga, that is also a sin on your part as a king, isn’t it? Hence, instead of fearing the negatives, focus on your positives and start it. Give it a start from your end, and we shall cooperate with you to give the Yaaga the perfect finish! All what is important from your end as a king, is to plan and start the Raaja-Suya Yaaga as soon as possible!” 

As the Maharishis advised thus, Yudishtra was fine with it, but he still had something in his mind. He wanted to ask the opinion of Bhagawan Krishna on this. He wanted to consult and ask Bhagawan Krishna whether He is fine with this idea. Depending on whatever Bhagawan Krishna says, Yudishtra decides to proceed further. Hence, he instructs his officials to invite Bhagawan Krishna to Indraprastha one more time! So for today, let us understand up to this point, and we shall continue further in the next episode as to what Bhagawan Krishna opined on this! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of Sage Naarada’s conversation with Yudishtra, wherein the conversation enters into the second phase. In the first phase, we witnessed various aspects of “Raaja-Dharma” being narrated by Sage Naarada in the form of various questions that he is posing towards Yudishtra. Of course, Yudishtra knows all these as he himself is an epitome of “Dharma”, which Sage Naarada also knows. But still, if Sage Naarada has to talk about all this, it is for people like us who should understand these things. Normally our ancestors would convey important pieces of information only through such ways – Either through stories, or through conversations between two important people, or documenting their own conversation(s) with someone else. We’ve witnessed during our previous “Shri Vishnu Puraana” project, wherein Sage Paraashara is in conversation with his disciple, Sage Maithreya. The entire conversation is documented as “Shri Vishnu Puraana”, which also talks about various aspects of “Dharma” that the subsequent generations of people should know. Of course, Sage Maithreya was a great sage by himself, and he doesn’t really require such advice from Sage Paraashara. Yet, the conversation happened between the two, and the purpose here is that, the message should reach people of subsequent generations. This is exactly the same here as well. Sage Naarada and Yudishtra talk about all these aspects of “Dharma”, for all of us to know and understand. 

Moving on further, Yudishtra asks Sage Naarada about his opinion on the palace of Indraprastha, for which, Sage Naarada explains that he has seen many such magnificent palaces in many other places. Upon hearing this from Sage Naarada, Yudishtra is surprised. He now wants to know which are the places Sage Naarada is referring to here. As Yudishtra asks thus, Sage Naarada pauses for a moment, quickly recollects all what we had witnessed in various “Sabhaas” (Courtrooms) all around the world and slowly starts. He now starts with an elaborate description of the “Indra Lokha”. He says thus, “Oh Yudishtra! Now I shall start with the Indra Lokha. Indra’s “Sabhaa Mantapa” is around 100 Yojanas in length and 150 Yojanas in breadth. (We’ve already witnessed the measurement calculation of a “Yojana” earlier. Readers might recollect that 1 Yojana is around 8 miles or around 12.8 to 13 kilometers in modern day measurement)”. This was Sage Naarada’s first point – If we’ve to translate the Yojana length into kilometers, we can see that Indra’s courtroom was around 1,280 to 1,300 kilometers in length and around 2,000 kilometers in breadth. We can imagine how big it would be! Moreover, the height of the courtroom as per Sage Naarada is around 5 Yojanas, which can be equated to around 65 to 70 kilometers! 

Thus, we can see here the enormity of Indra’s “Sabhaa”. Moreover, Sage Naarada explains further thus, “Oh Yudishtra! If one goes and sits in Indra’s courtroom, he / she would not feel hungry at all! He / she would not feel thirsty at all! He / she would never feel sad for anything! There would always be happiness reigning in at all times! All those who sit in Indra’s courtroom would have a deep sense of satisfaction from within! In the middle of this massive courtroom, Indra would be sitting on top of a huge “Simha-Aasana”, surrounded by his wife Indraani (Sachi Devi) and enormous other people who would be fanning him from all directions! Thus, this is how the Indra Lokha looks like!” 

Thus, Sage Naarada explains how massive the Indra Lokha is, and with this, he moves on to the next description – Now it is going to be about the Yama-Lokha! So for today, let us understand up to this point about the magnificent Indra Lokha, and in the next episode, we shall commence our discussion about the “Yama-Lokha!” Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of the conversation between Sage Naarada and Yudishtra, wherein Sage Naarada is asking questions to Yudishtra on various aspects of “Raaja-Dharma”. In this regard, we’ve witnessed yesterday how significant is “Motivation” as part of the “Raaja-Dharma”. Sage Naarada explains that a king / leader should constantly keep his workers / servants / employee’s, etc. motivated at all times, by recognizing their efforts for the upliftment of the kingdom. Prior to this, we’ve also witnessed how important it is for a king / leader to serve his people first, before serving himself. This simply implies that the king should take care of the dietary requirements of all his employee’s and servants at various levels. We witness both these points occupying prime importance in today’s scenario as well. Even governments at various levels provide free food, ration, etc. for people in the state / district, etc. Similarly, corporate organizations too have cafeterias to provide high quality food items to their employee’s at subsidized rates. Nowadays, “Motivation” at various levels is the talk of the town in business organizations as well. If employee’s are motivated and their efforts recognized, this goes a long way in realizing enormous profits and brand name for the organization. Thus, Sage Naarada’s explanations assume extreme significance in today’s context as well. 

Like this, Sage Naarada has asked several questions in the form of golden words of advice for Yudishtra, who has been sworn in as the new king of the new sprawling city of “Indraprastha”. Yudishtra, after listening to the marathon session of Sage Naarada, was extremely happy and replied thus, “Oh Sage Naarada! I do not know how to thank you for all the important pieces of advice that you’ve given me! In fact, I was thinking how fortunate I was to host you as my esteemed guest. Now, I’m feeling that I’m more fortunate to listen to whatever you’ve told me! Certainly I shall implement all your words and will try and establish a “Dharma-Raajya” at Indraprastha. However, I only have one request to you – You’ve spoken a lot about “Raaja-Dharma”, but you’ve never described how this palace looks like, isn’t it? You had come for this purpose mainly and hence, can you tell me your opinion on how this palace looks like? As you might be knowing – This palace was carefully built under the divine supervision of Bhagawan Krishna Himself! Hence, I’m sure you would like it as well!” Yudishtra had to request Sage Naarada for his opinion on the palace, because, after the advice on the “Raaja-Dharma”, Sage Naarada almost got up from his chair to leave! 

We might also face this in our daily life too – If we cook a nice dish for breakfast by slogging meticulously for over 2-3 hours in the kitchen and if the people of the house just take one or two spoons of it and walk away in urgency, how would we feel? We would feel bad and let down for not getting the due appreciation and recognition, isn’t it? This is exactly how Yudishtra started to feel when Sage Naarada got up to leave. Yudishtra had in fact, invited Sage Naarada to visit the palace and comment upon it, however, he was talking about something else, except for the comments on the palace! Of course, Yudishtra was extremely happy to listen to Sage Naarada’s advice on the “Raaja-Dharma”, but ultimately the purpose of his visit should be served, isn’t it? Hence, Yudishtra voluntarily asked Sage Naarada for his opinion about the Indraprastha palace. As Yudishtra asks thus, Sage Naarada replies: “Oh Yudishtra! Of course, the palace looks very nice. I looked around it the moment I entered inside. However, I’ve seen better places than this! Perhaps, you’ve only seen this one and you think it’s the best. Of course, I’m not saying it is bad. But what I’m saying is that, there are many other places having equally or better palaces than this!” 

As Yudishtra heard this from Sage Naarada, he was extremely curious to know which places had better structures than this. He replied thus, “Oh Sage Naarada! Is it? I would like to know which places have more beautiful structures than this one, and who are those people owning them!” Normally, if we listen to something like this, immediately we would become jealous about those people having better things than what we have. However, Yudishtra was zero in jealousy and he was only interested genuinely about who had better palaces than his. So for today, let us understand until this point and in the next episode we shall witness Sage Naarada’s important accord on various beautiful palaces across the world! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode we had witnessed an important discussion with regards to how a king / leader should take care of servants, workers and employee’s in a way that they are satisfied with whatever they do and whatever they get. This is also a part of Sage Naarada’s advice on “Raaja-Dharma” to Yudishtra. Sage Naarada explains that compensation (Salary) is not the only one that makes employee’s happy. Of course, salary is important and there’s no denying that. However, employee’s should like the work that is assigned to them, should like the work environment in which they are working, and many more factors as well. Hence, “Job-Satisfaction” or “Work-Satisfaction” is something that a leader should take care of amongst all his people and in today’s scenario too, this is being widely spoken about in almost all sectors of the corporate / industry. Once employee’s are satisfied, profits and revenue would automatically start flowing in. This is where sadly many employers aren’t understanding. Just to get work done, employers go to any extent today to harass people. This should not be done. Leaders should understand that employee’s too have families and children at home. Leaders should have empathy towards people and understand their problems and grievances and try to accommodate them in the best way possible. 

Moving on further, Sage Naarada explains yet another important point here, with regards to treating workers / employee’s. Sage Naarada asks thus, “Oh Yudishtra! Are you feeding your employee’s / servants every day properly before you take your meal? Are you following the “Dharma” of ensuring that your workers are happily satisfied with whatever you give them? Are you motivating them constantly by appreciating their contributions to your kingdom’s welfare?” These are extremely important golden words of advice from Sage Naarada isn’t it? Even today we have this practice – If someone visits our home as a guest, it is important that we serve them with the best possible food variety first, and only then consume food for the day (“Atithi Devo Bhava”). This exactly applies to our servants and workers as well. This is why in large manufacturing setups, we still have this practice of offering free food to all the hundreds and thousands of workers who slog every day in the shop floor. Even in corporate organizations, we have something called “Cafeterias” which provide a good variety of food at a very subsidized rate, so that all the employee’s can easily afford it every day. All these practices pertain to what Sage Naarada explains here – As a leader / CEO / General Manager or whatever we might be, it is our duty to look after our workers / servants in the best possible way. Food is one important way through which we can take care of people nicely. 

More than the food aspect, the organization should also take care of other employee needs such as medical, counseling, mental conditioning, etc. as well. Due to the current stressful work pressures that we have today in many organizations, there are always possibilities that employee’s might get overwhelmed with enormous work in their hands. As a result, they might get stressed out / burnt out! Such kinds of problems are addressed through proper recreation activities like Yoga, Meditation, some indoor sports / games, etc. Thus, it is the duty of the leader to ensure that such facilities are created and well-maintained so that employee’s can make use of them to relieve their stress. Moreover, there might be some employee’s who might have some acute family issues, which would in turn affect their productivity at office. Such employee’s should be adequately taken care of by providing them with some counselling services. Many organizations today have in-house counselors and mental conditioners, whose main job is to help such employee’s to come out of their problems. Organizations today even have gym facilities for employee’s within their premises, or they might even have contracts with some outside gyms for their employee’s on subsidized rates. All these are some measures with which employee’s can be taken care of, apart from just the salary part. 

Moreover, a token of appreciation for what employee’s do for the organization is of paramount importance. Employee’s should always be “motivated” to perform and achieve more. The leader should encourage employee’s to come forward and take proactive steps to ensure better productivity. If employee’s do so, they should be appreciated in the public forum in front of everybody. This would boost the morale of employee’s and they would feel that belongingness with our organization for a long time. Such measures would also ensure that our organization doesn’t lose talented employee’s to the competitor ones. This is exactly what Sage Naarada is explaining here too – He says to Yudishtra that if a king doesn’t pat his servants / ministers on their shoulders constantly, chances are very high that these people would switch ships! In other words, they would easily be grabbed by other kings and through these people, the kingdom’s secrets (“Raajya-Rahasyam”) would be leaked out to the enemy! This is where the leader should be very careful. 

So for today, let us understand these points clearly and in the next episode, we shall continue this discussion forward. Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of Sage Naarada’s advice to Yudishtra on various aspects of “Raaja-Dharma”. In due course, we had witnessed Sage Naarada’s important accord on how a leader should take care of his people. He explained an important concept, which in modern-day management is referred to as “Empathy”. A leader becomes a “people’s leader” when he / she puts himself / herself in the shoes of others and understands their problems and grievances, while making decisions. A leader in an organization or in a government should not focus his / her sole aim on making money. Of course, money is important – In an organizational setup, profits are important, whereas in a government setup, taxes are important. But the point here is, how this money is made! Is the money made by harassing people? If this is the case, then neither the organization nor the government is never going to be successful. Organizations should make sure that they charge money for the value that they offer in terms of their products / services. Similarly, governments should collect taxes nominally from people and should not harass them with exorbitant taxation. This, according to the “Raaja-Dharma”, is extremely detrimental to the country’s growth and welfare. 

Moving on further, Sage Naarada raises the next important question to Yudishtra thus, “Oh Yudishtra! Please understand that “Salary” is not the only thing that would make your servants / employee’s satisfied. There are various other things that you’ve to take care, along with the salary part. Are you doing all of it properly?” This is an important question raised by Sage Naarada which explains a great deal about “Job Satisfaction” and “Employee Satisfaction”, which we frequently talk about today in all organizations across the world. Of course, as I mentioned earlier, salary and money are integral components for an employee to be satisfied with the job. It is a known fact that all of us work to make money for our survival. This is something that is constant, and nobody is running a charity here. Hence, let us make this point very clear upfront. 

But apart from salary and money, there are other aspects as well – First of all, employee’s must have a good work environment. Employee’s should be made comfortable – both physically and psychologically. When I say “Work environment”, it includes a good physical workspace, ventilated / air-conditioned office spaces, good ambience and infrastructure for people to carry out their work, etc. These parameters contribute directly to the physical work environment. Moreover, the organization should be free of unwanted power struggles and politics. This is often better said than done. We witness in almost every organization, some sort of a power struggle and politics happening and hence, we as employee’s should also learn to live with it in some way or the other. Of course, politics can be tolerated until a certain level, but if it goes beyond, employee’s might start quitting the organization. 

\Moreover, the employee’s should be happy with what they’re doing. This is where in Human Resources Management (HRM), we have this concept of allocating the “Right job for the right person at the right place and at the right time”. These four parameters are very important to be taken care of by the leader. For instance, depending upon the qualifications and experience that employee’s hold, jobs should be allocated, because they can use their experience and knowledge in giving better performance on the job, which would directly result in increase in productivity and profits for the organization. Similarly, everyone would have a “comfort zone”, working in a particular place – This place might be viewed in terms of geographical locations or even physical locations within the office premises. Moreover, due to the current pandemic situation, many of us are used to this concept of “Remote working” or “Working from home”. Many of us find that this arrangement gives us a better work-life balance and hence, organizations should give such options to employee’s to choose whichever way they would like to work. 

Finally, the employee’s should have a good amount of respect for the leader. This can be ensured in many ways – First of all, a leader must be accessible to his / her employees at any time for anything. Going back to my earlier point on “Empathy”, a leader should go down to the level of his / her people and understand what is going on in the ground. Only then, a leader would be able to gain the respect of people and at the same time, make informed decisions. Thus, through all these points, Sage Naarada is explaining to Yudishtra how to transform himself from just a “Leader” to a “People’s leader”, which is extremely important for all of us in today’s scenario as well! So for today, let us understand these points pertaining to “Employee Job Satisfaction” and we shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sage Naarada giving the final pieces of advice to Yudishtra wherein he was giving some tips for effective financial management. He had explained how a king / leader should be smart enough while investing in properties, bonds, etc., which is applicable even in today’s scenario as well. The holistic approach towards investments is that a minimal amount of investment should yield maximum returns. Moreover, Sage Naarada explains that whatever investments the leader makes, they should be of full benefit to the people of the country, and not just the leader personally. This is where we see a gap in today’s scenario – We pay enormous amounts of taxes, but sadly without any accountability on any front. For the amount of taxes that we pay, we as people are entitled for high quality medical treatments in government hospitals, high quality education in government schools, excellent infrastructure in terms of transportation and other sectors, etc. – But at the end of the day, the question is – Do we really get to enjoy all of this for the exorbitant amounts of direct and indirect taxes that we pay! The pathetic plight in today’s scenario is that we still struggle with poor roads, medical treatments being expensive and beyond reach of the common man, zero quality education in government schools, etc. Then the question that arises in the minds of the people is why at all do we even pay taxes! Where is our money going? The simple answer in today’s context is that, this money goes into the hands of crooked politicians who roam around in luxury cars and enjoy exorbitant amounts of benefits, which should have otherwise gone into the hands of the common man! 

This is exactly what Sage Naarada is advising Yudishtra not to do. Whatever taxes that are being collected from the public, should entirely be spent only on the benefit of the people and not on scoring some personal brownie points. This is the prime difference between a leader being selfless and dedicated, as against a leader being selfish and corrupt. I really hope the message is loud and clear for everyone! Moving on further to the next point, Sage Naarada asks Yudishtra thus, “Oh Yudishtra! Are you taking care of your servants, workers, employee’s, etc. in such a way that you understand their problems and concerns? Are you attending to their grievances regularly and addressing them in the appropriate ways?” This is another extremely important point to be noted by all leaders – A leader can be deemed to be successful only if he / she has this unique quality called “Empathy”. In modern day management, we define “Empathy” as a quality wherein we put ourselves in another person’s shoes and try to understand his / her problems or grievances. 

Are we having this quality of “Empathy” today? In many cases, the answer is a stinging “No”! Most of the times, leaders become selfish and their only focus is on profits and not on people! This is the main reason why employee’s quit in today’s organizations. A leader should realize that it is the people ultimately who run the organization and not the process or machines. Hence, people’s grievances should be looked into as a paramount parameter of importance. Only if people are happy, will the organization be able to grow and flourish. Once people are taken care of, profits would start accumulating automatically. There are enormous amounts of research in the present day which correlates with this point – An organization with happy people creates a happy and a vibrant work environment, which in turn results in increased productivity, which in turn increases the profitability of the organization. 

This is not only applicable to businesses, but also for governments as well. As I had mentioned earlier as well, governments’ only job is not to keep collecting taxes. The government should understand when and how to collect taxes from people and how much should be collected as well. At a time when the economy is slowing down due to the after-effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, at a time when many people across India have lost their jobs and livelihoods because of the lockdowns, at a time when people’s disposable incomes are at a record low across many sectors of the industry, is it fair on the government to collect exorbitant amounts of taxes on petrol and diesel at this crunch situation? This is where the problem is – Such senseless anti-people measures are being imposed by the government of the day because of the fact that the government machinery lacks empathy. As crooked politicians who are filthy rich run the government, there is no way that they would realize the sufferings of those in need. This is where the disconnect is. These politicians think that by giving “freebies” (Free ration, free electricity, free gas, etc.), they can keep winning elections and at the backdoor, loot the people in terms of taxes. Such is the disheartening and pathetic plight of India today. Of course, for certain readers this might be a hard pill to chew, but irrespective of whether we like it or not, this is the mess that we are in. 

This is exactly what Sage Naarada is explaining here – As a leader, one should possess empathy upon his / her people by understanding their needs, problems, grievances, etc. and should take them along in a way that their problems are addressed. So for today, let us understand this point very clearly and we shall move on with the next point in the next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of the interaction between Yudishtra and Sage Naarada, wherein the latter is giving important pieces of advice pertaining to effective “Raaja-Dharma”. In this way, we had witnessed yesterday how it is important for a king to maintain his territorial borders intact. It is extremely essential that a king keeps a constant vigil on the borders of his kingdom on all the directions, just to make sure that no enemy invades inside all of a sudden. Even though it might not be an open invasion, there are a few enemies who might silently come and occupy a portion of the territory just like that! If this is not checked in due time, that enemy would silently start enjoying that territory forever! This is a huge danger and this is exactly what is happening with one of India’s neighbors today! This is exactly what Sage Naarada is warning Yudishtra about. 

Moving on thus, of course, there are so many extraordinary discussions like these as part of this important conversation, but due to lack of time and other limitations, I’m moving on with this further. Readers can have a detailed understanding as you go through the book along with the various commentaries that are available for more information on this. But before we move on, Sage Naarada explains one last point to Yudishtra, which is extremely important in terms of how to manage the kingdom’s assets and coffers. In short, Sage Naarada is advising Yudishtra on certain aspects of effective financial management. He says thus, “Oh Yudishtra! When you wish to invest in something, make sure you start with a minimal amount of investment. Do not put all your coffers into one investment completely. If in future that investment fails to pick up, you would be in trouble! There would be some places wherein you would only keep putting your bets (money) in it, but it would never give you any return on investment. This is a dangerous thing and you should avoid it. Thus, if you wish to invest in something, invest step by step and do not go “hammer and tongs” on it. You should be able to make more money with less investment!” 

This was a wield statement made by Sage Naarada here. Again, this is a “Mlecha Baasha” (Secretive coded language) to indicate a potential threat that is approaching and to give a statutory warning to be careful. All of us know what Sage Naarada is referring to in this context – The upcoming event of the gambling game with Duryodhana and Co.! Upon foreseeing it, Sage Naarada gives this advice. Now we should be able to connect the dots – Sage Naarada says that while investing, one should be careful not to invest too much, without seeing any return. This is exactly the trap where Yudishtra fell into! Even though he came to know during the initial stages of the gamble itself, Yudishtra fell into the trap of pledging more and more of his wealth and playing it. Yudishtra knew that Sahuni was creating a ploy in such a way that Duryodhana would keep winning at all instances of the game, and yet, his ego and desire made him pledge more and more! This is exactly what Sage Naarada warns him now itself, well in advance! 

Moreover, Sage Naarada highlights one more important point pertaining to the same context thus, “Oh Yudishtra! Whatever business and investments you make, they should be in some way a benefit to your people. You should never do a business with your own personal interest at stake! You should always make investments with your people in mind and how their lives can prosper through this!” This is also an important point that pertains to the current day as well – Nowadays we witness a lot of “Foreign Direct Investments” coming into India and with this, many Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) are investing a lot of money in India to set up their operations. Of course, the government (Both Central and State) are the nodal agencies through which these investments come into the country. Thus, we can see here that the more investments come in, more employment opportunities for our people get created. This would ensure that our talented and learned youngsters get jobs according to what they are good at. This is extremely important thus, for the nation’s overall growth and prosperity! 

So for today, let us understand these points clearly and in the next episode we shall move on with the next point. Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of the discussion between Sage Naarada and Yudishtra with regards to certain key aspects of “Raaja-Dharma”. Sage Naarada pays a visit to Indraprastha, immediately after Yudishtra was crowned as the king. Of course, as we all know, Yudishtra had taken oath as the king of Indraprastha – Courtesy Bhagawan Krishna and Mayan after the magnificent palace was built. After Bhagawan Krishna left for Dwaraka, Sage Naarada makes his way into Indraprastha to render certain important points of advice on Raaja-Dharma to Yudishtra. In this way, we were discussing different sets of items / people that a leader / king should be extremely concerned with / taken care of / handling them without earning their anger or frustration, etc. In similar lines, we had witnessed yesterday how important it is for a king to have people with truckloads of experience and knowledge on Raaja-Dharma in the courtroom. Sage Naarada also explains how a king should conduct independent consultations with each of them, as well as a group consultation with all of them in the courtroom, so as to ensure transparency in decision making. These points might have been explained some 5000 years ago by Sage Naarada, but till today, all of these points are widely applicable for maintaining effectiveness in administration. 

Moving on thus, Sage Naarada explains to Yudishtra that as a king, he should be extremely careful not to let an enemy abduct even an inch of land from the kingdom in either direction. A king should ensure tight vigil in protecting the kingdom and even a small piece of land should not be foregone at any cost. This is a very important piece of advice, not only for Yudishtra, but also for all Kshatrya princes. Even today, we see how modern day administrators are extremely careful in this regard. If we take into account the current tensions between India and two of our neighbours, the government is very careful that even an inch of land from the Indian territory is illegally occupied by either China or Pakistan. If something like this happens even by chance, the Indian army is extremely alert and is on constant vigil so that the occupation attempt is immediately thwarted. Even in the case of the currently ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, we’re witnessing how Ukraine is giving a stiff resistance to Russia to protect their territory to whatever extent possible, even if it means mass destruction and other related war-crimes that are prevalent. Hence we can witness here that when it comes to protecting the country or any part of the territory, every government is extremely careful in this regard. 

Moving on thus, Sage Naarada elucidates yet another important point here – A Kshatrya warrior should possess desires, and a Brahmana should have ultimate control on desires. This is also very important, in the sense that if a Kshatrya ruler is devoid of desires, where is he going to protect the country and amass the required wealth in the coffers? If the Kshatrya king is desire-less, then the enemies would start eating up into the kingdom and loot the entire coffer within no time! Hence, the Kshatrya king should always have the desire to do more for his kingdom and to protect the people in the best way possible. In similar lines, a Brahmin should control desires as much as possible. Of course, having a family, children and all this is fine, but a Brahmin should not go beyond this in terms of desires. This should be ensured in the kingdom as per Sage Naarada. 

In these lines, Sage Naarada is explaining many other important points, and there are around 80-100 slokas with regards to this. Of course, we do not have the bandwidth to discuss each and every sloka here in detail, however, if this interests the readers, you can patiently go through the book and slowly understand the in-depth meaning of what Sage Naarada says. However, there is just one more important point to look into, before we move on into the next section. This pertains to an important concept in modern-day business management. We shall witness that in the next upcoming episode! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of Sage Naarada’s accord to Yudishtra, reminding him on various aspects of “Raaja-Dharma”. In this way, we had witnessed seven important people with whom a king / leader should never have any sort of enmity. They are “Swami”, “Mantri”, “Mitra”, “Kosham”, “Raashtram”, “Durgam” and “Sena”. We had witnessed a detailed description on this in our yesterday’s episode and readers can recollect it quite easily. In due course, we had also witnessed a key difference between a “Dhuta” (Servant) and a “Mantri” (Minister), as narrated by Sage Naarada. Along with this, we’ve also witnessed how these points are applicable in our modern-day context as well, and we can see how Sage Naarada’s advice exactly fits to today’s ways of administration. Of course, we should understand here that the overall holistic procedures of administration remain the same across various “Yugas” and they are never going to change. In those days, these principles were known as “Raaja-Dharma” or “Raaja-Neeti” and in today’s terminology, we give the name “Principles of Management”. But the content is the same under all the headings. 

Moving on thus, we shall witness some other important questions that Sage Naarada is going to ask in the form of “Raaja-Dharma”. Now Sage Naarada asks thus: “Oh Yudishtra! Are your ministers and “Dhutas” completely devoted to you and are they of service 24*7 for you? If there is a problem for you, will they stand up for you to protect you by giving their life for you? Are they totally loyal to you at any point in time?” This is our first point of discussion today. At any point in time, a leader should have a group of “loyalists” around him / her. It is only with this group of loyalists, can the leader execute his / her agenda for the others. We can see this a lot in politics today. If we see some successful political leaders, they would have a huge clout of people around them at all times, who would be extremely loyal to their leader and their political party. Of course, not everybody in today’s scenario are that way – There are of course people who are opportunists, who keep switching sides every now and then. We’re not talking about such people here, and if the leader’s subjects are opportunists in some way or the other, the leader is never going to be successful! In fact, if his ministers / servants are opportunists by nature, the leader’s life and position is constantly at threat, because nobody knows at what time the true colors of these people around him would be exposed, isn’t it? Thus, Sage Naarada highlights the important point to Yudishtra that he should always keep only those people around him as ministers and servants, who would be completely loyal to him at any point in time. The problem wouldn’t come when everything is going well. People would obviously be loyal when things are happening in the way it has to. However, when a problem arises, this is the time when the leader can understand who is a loyalist and who is an opportunist. 

Moving on to the next point, Sage Naarada asks Yudishtra thus, “Oh Yudishtra! Are you keeping with you, people who are elderly to you, and who are experts in various aspects of “Dharma” in your courtroom? You should always consult with them whenever you are in a dilemma with regards to any aspect of administration!” This is yet another important point and a fine example of this is King Dasharata again. As all of us know, King Dasharata had a huge courtroom adorned with great sages who were experts in “Dharma” in various ways. King Dasharata had Guru Vasishtaachaarya as the captain of the ship! This one person is enough as he is an epitome of all aspects of “Dharma” put together! Apart from Guru Vasishtaachaarya, King Dasharata had others like Sage Kashyapa, Sage Vaamadeva, Sage Jaabaali, Sage Goutama, Sage Vijaya, etc. who were extremely intense in terms of penance and spiritual expertise. It is only with their advice did King Dasharata run his entire administration at any point in time. This is exactly what Sage Naarada is trying to remind Yudishtra here. Thus, even though the leader might be an expert himself in various aspects of “Dharma”, he / she should have the humility to listen to elders’ advice and experience to run the show. All of us know of King Dasharata’s power, knowledge, valor and experience. Yet, King Dasharata would not disobey a single word what Sage Vasishtaachaarya tells him. This is how a leader should conduct himself! 

Moreover, Sage Naarada adds another important point to the same context here – He says that a leader should conduct a discussion separately with each of the ministers / experienced Sages in the courtroom and get their opinion on the problem / issue that is prevailing. It is important for the king to consult and involve everybody in the courtroom. However, the king should not stop there. He should have a joint consultation with all of them in the courtroom as well. Thus, we can see here that both individual and group deliberations are of paramount importance. This is because, if we go and talk individually to people and not as a group, people might take this as an opportunity to cheat. If not for cheating, more often than not, different people might have different views on a single problem. Of course, each and every view is important, but a group deliberation is necessary to arrive at a consensus, isn’t it? In a group discussion, all of them would put forth their points on the table and then each point would be deliberated upon. Of course, all the points might be valid, but some of them might not be implementable at that point in time, owing to certain constraints. Such points need to be put aside for the moment for further deliberation and consideration at a later point in time. This is exactly what Sage Naarada wants Yudishtra to do – As a king / leader, Yudishtra should conduct individual consultations with experts, as well as a group consultation with all experts under one roof! This would ensure transparency in decision-making, by providing an opportunity for the leader to obtain a holistic view of the issue in hand. 

So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of Sage Naarada’s explanation to King Yudishtra on the various aspects of “Raaja-Dharma”. As part of this detailed accord, Sage Naarada had narrated six important qualities that a leader should possess, fourteen important items that need to be under constant vigil and now, eight important aspects that are required for effective administration of the kingdom / country. We had witnessed this section in the last episode wherein Sage Naarada spoke in detail about “Krishi” (Farming and agriculture) , “Vanigam” (Trade / Business), “Durgam” (Building bridges and other connectivity constructions to enhance transport), “Kunjara-Bandhanam” (Building places to protect elephants), “Kanyaakaaram” (Creating mines for extracting precious metals like silver, gold, diamonds, etc.), “Karaadhaanam” (Taxes that are levied from people), “Shunyam” and “Nivechanam”  (Some remote places which can be converted into beautiful residential areas). We had understood how these eight items are nothing but eight important pillars of administration and its applicability to the modern-day scenario as well. 

Moving on thus, Sage Naarada explains the next number – “Seven”. He says that a king should never have any sort of enmity with these seven people. Now who are these seven people? Sage Naarada gives an accord thus – “Swami”, “Mantri”, “Mitra”, “Kosham”, “Raashtram”, “Durgam” and “Sena”. Of course, many of us might know the meaning of these common words. I shall just elucidate two or three important items and we shall move on further. For instance, a minister (Mantri) should always be kept in the “good looks” by the king – Simply because the minister is someone who would know the “intricacies” and “insider secrets” of the king’s administration. If the minister becomes the king’s enemy, all the kingdom’s secrets and the king’s weaknesses would be known to the outside world, which might become very dangerous for the king’s existence itself! Similarly, the “Kula-Guru” (Swami) should be of paramount importance. A king should respect his “Kula-Guru” in similar lines as he worships Bhagawan. We’ve witnessed during our previous Ramayana project as to how King Dasharata worshipped and obeyed Sage Vasishtaachaarya’s words. Sage Vasishtaachaarya was King Dasharata’s “Kula-Guru” and he obeyed each and every word of Sage Vasishtaachaarya. Hence, there shouldn’t be any enmity between the king and the Guru, because the Guru is the ultimate source of proper guidance. 

Thirdly, a king should never forgo friendship with his good friend (Mitra). This is also very important. Friendships go a long way and they should be respected in the way it has to be. As the proverb says, “A friend in need is a friend indeed”, true friends are those who would always come to our rescue whenever we are amidst a problem.  Moreover, the king should always have a good relationship with all his subjects, army men and commanders. This is also very important because these three are the support systems for an effective administrator. If people aren’t by your side, then what is the use of being a king or a leader? Whom are we going to lead, if we do not have anybody to support us? Also, if the leader doesn’t have a good rapport with his military, this also might lead the king towards danger. Thus, all these seven people should be under the good looks of the king / leader. There should be no enmity with any of them at any point in time. This leads to a good and an effective administration. 

Moving on thus, Sage Naarada asks a few other questions to Yudishtra, which are also important for us to understand. He asks Yudishtra thus, “Oh Yudishtra! Do you have people around you who would work for you without raising unwanted questions to you? Moreover, are you having a group of ministers who analyze your points well and advise you based on that?” We can see here that Sage Naarada is asking two contrasting questions here. One set of people are the “Dhutas” (Servants or Executors) who shouldn’t keep asking questions to the king. Whereas, “Mantris” (Ministers) should not be this way. They should ask meaningful questions and raise meaningful deliberations to the king for whatever he says. On one hand, if the servant starts deliberating meaningfully, it would become a problem for you. No work would happen on the ground and the servant will only be deliberating day after day! Thus, the “Dhuta’s” job is only to execute whatever the king says and he is not the person who can ask questions or do deliberations. Whereas, the “Mantri” is a person who should ask meaningful questions to the king, if the king is seemingly deviating from the path of “Dharma”. 

A classical example of this is Hanuman. As a “Rama-Dhuta”, Hanuman’s job was only to find the whereabouts of Mother Sita in Lanka and come back. He was not instructed by Bhagawan Rama to kill Ravana and bring back Mother Sita. Hence, even though Hanuman could have single-handedly achieved this feat, he came back to Kishkinta, explained the whereabouts of Mother Sita and took Bhagawan Rama and Lakshmana to Lanka for waging the battle against Ravana. However, Sugriva on the other hand was a “Mantri” to Bhagawan Rama. Even though Sugtiva was the king of the Vaanaras, he wanted to be Bhagawan Rama’s Mantri. Hence, Sugriva had the authority to explain all the routes and whereabouts of Ravana and how should the Vaanaras go by in the searching process of Mother Sita. Thus, we can clearly understand here the key difference between the “Dhuta” and the “Mantri”. So for today, let us understand until this point and we shall wait till the next episode to witness this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂