Episode # 1304 – Importance of “Trust” in Leadership – Bhishmachaarya beautifully brings out!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of Bhishmachaarya’s accord on “Raaja-Dharma”, particularly in the context of thirty-six important qualities of a leader. Till now we’ve witnessed around eighteen of them and in yesterday’s episode, we had witnessed Bhishmachaarya explaining that whenever a “Dharma-Kaaryam” is done towards the people’s welfare (Any sort of developmental activities), secrecy should be maintained with regards to the commencement and progress of the project as far as possible. If this is not done, it gets into a lot of hurdles and eventually gets very difficult and challenging for successful completion. Of course, when the project has been completed and people have started reaping the benefits out of it, the leader can always talk about it in public and take credit. 

Moving on further, Bhishmachaarya explains thus, “Oh Yudishtra! While giving “Dhaanam”, you should be careful enough not to give anything to greedy people! If you start giving these greedy people, they will never be satisfied with whatever you give, and will constantly keep cribbing about you. This will eventually create a lot of negativity, which might be detrimental to the kingdom!” This is extremely true, even in today’s context as well. There are several people like this amidst us whom we come across in everyday life. Some people are extremely difficult to satisfy. No matter whatever we give them or take care of them in several innovative ways, they will never be happy! When it comes to money / finances, we can witness this characteristic in many of us as well. No matter how much ever salary we receive, we are still not going to be satisfied. We are going to compare our salary with some others’ and keep raising our voices that we are not getting enough. In olden day marriages we would have seen this – No matter how much the bride’s family does to the groom’s, the latter is never satisfied with the former’s. In Indian marriages, the concept of “dowry” was extremely popular in olden days, however of course, it has faded away in recent years. Without analyzing the practicality of the situation and the family, the groom’s side would put forth unreasonable demands to the bride’s side. If the bride’s side is unable to fulfil those demands for whatever reason, the bride would be tortured emotionally by her in-laws after the marriage is over. This has been habitual in traditional Indian families for several decades. If we look deep into such situations, it is evident that all these problems stem from something called “greed”. Thus, we’re seeing here very clearly that this “greed” leads us to several problems, and particularly in these kinds of cases, we see several families breaking down because of unreasonable demands not being met!  

So, the point here is, there is no point in giving anything to a person who is an epitome of “greed”. Moving on further thus, Bhishmachaarya continues further – “Oh Yudishtra! You should never trust a person who has done an “Apakaaram” (Hinderance). You should ensure that you keep only those people who do “Upakaaram” (Help) at crucial junctures amidst your inner circle!” This is extremely important again, as “trust” is a major factor when it comes to successful leadership. Several key policy-making decisions revolve around trust at various levels of the management – Both from top to middle to lower levels. If we have people who create stumbling blocks at every level and who create hindrance in everything that is being planned and implemented, the work gets stalled and the leader ultimately has to own responsibility for it! This is exactly what Bhishmachaarya is explaining here, and for a leader to be successful, he / she should ensure that trusted people are deployed at several key levels for effective planning and implementation of “Dharma-Kaaryam”. 

So for today, let us understand up to this point, and we shall continue this discussion forward in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂 

Episode # 1303 – “A leader should maintain secrecy while performing a “Dharma-Karyam”!” – Bhishmachaarya explains!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of Bhishmachaarya’s accord on “Raaja-Dharma” and within that, he is explaining thirty-six important qualities of a leader. We’ve seen around sixteen to seventeen of them, and in yesterday’s episode, we had witnessed how a leader should avoid taking help from an enemy or from a person following “Adharma”, even at crucial times. We’ve seen several examples in this accord, with regards to King Shalya and Bhagawan Krishna. On one hand, we saw how King Shalya right royally walked into Duryodhana’s trap by consuming his food and drinks at a critical hungry time, while on the other, we saw how Bhagawan Krishna expertly avoided Duryodhana’s hospitality and instead went and stayed with Vidura. While King Shalya had to be on Duryodhana’s side during the Kurukshetra war as an obligation of accepting his hospitality, Bhagawan Krishna never had such problems, even though Duryodhana tried playing tricks on Him to somehow bring Him to the Kauravas’ side. 

Moving on further, Bhishmachaarya narrates the next important pointer. Here he says thus, “Oh Yudishtra! Whenever you commence doing something good (“Dharma Karyam”), you should never publicize it. People should know about the “Dharma-Kaaryam” that you are doing, while experiencing the result of it. You should never do any propaganda that you are doing something great for the kingdom! If you do so, you will lose the eligibility to continue as a righteous king!” This is an extremely important point, which we see quite a lot in today’s context! Especially in India, we will see politicians organizing a grand ceremony to commence any “Developmental work” for their constituency or in the state or even at the country level. For instance, if there is an infrastructure project like a “Metro Rail” or an airport project, we will see that a grand “Bhoomi Puja” celebration will be organized. While doing a “Bhoomi Puja” is never a wrong thing to do, creating propaganda amidst the public is something that should be avoided. 

After reading this, many readers might wrongly assume that I’m telling something against “Bhoomi Puja”. I’m never saying that. Performing “Bhoomi Puja” before commencing any developmental work is extremely important, wherein we invoke the “Anugraha” of Bhagawan before starting something. This is mandatory and per our “Sanaatana Dharma”, it brings enormous significance to whatever we do. However, the point that Bhishmachaarya is highlighting is different. Making a loud announcement amidst everyone that such a project is being started is what is wrong here. We might wonder why Bhishmachaarya is saying this at length. The moment we publicly announce that we’re commencing something good, there will always be ten people here and there to pull us down and to stop our pursuit. With this, there will be unwanted challenges that we have to face during the pursuit. For instance, we see every time in the news that several government projects hit various types of hurdles and they get inordinately delayed! This is primarily because of the propaganda that political parties in power do. While they do this to garner public attention and votes, the challenge here is the effective implementation. For instance, the moment a ruling party makes an announcement that an infrastructure project is going to be implemented, will the opposition parties keep quiet? They will start counter propaganda by saying that this project is being implemented at the cost of poor people’s lives and livelihood! They will try and create a sympathy wave for themselves and look to earn brownie points for their progress. We’ve seen this several times on several occasions. 

This is the reason why Bhishmachaarya is explaining that it is better to keep the commencement of any “Dharma-Kaaryams” confidential in nature. Once the work is about to get completed and when people are starting to reap the benefits out of it, the government can publicize it and garner advantage. Until this point, the leader should be patient enough, not to get carried away by the flare of getting political mileage. Moreover, if the project gets stalled for some reason after a grand inauguration, what will happen to the name and image of the government? Again, the same opposition parties will build a narrative that this government doesn’t have the capability to implement anything! Hence, it is always to maintain secrecy while undertaking any “Dharma-Kaaryam” and after the successful completion, one can always talk about it! 

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

Episode # 1302 – “Never ally with those who deviate from “Dharma” during emergencies!” – Bhishmachaarya explains!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of Bhishmachaarya’s important accord on “Raaja-Dharma”. Within this, he is talking about thirty-six important qualities that a leader should definitely possess within himself / herself. In this regard, we’ve discussed around seventeen of them so far, and particularly in the last episode, we’ve witnessed Bhishmachaarya explaining that as a leader, we should be ready to appreciate and recognize others’ achievements with utmost generosity. However, when it comes to our own achievements, we should not boast too much about them. Of course, we shall talk about our own achievements in the form of “experience sharing” with others, but that should be done with a fine balance. The important point here is that, “experience sharing” should not become “boasting” or taking “self-pride”. Secondly, Bhishmachaarya was talking about helping and protecting “Saadhus”and the needy in the kingdom, however, this should not come at the cost of exploiting others who might earn sufficient wealth through legitimate means. We’ve seen a direct application of this point in today’s context wherein the “freebie” culture is completely ruining our Indian economy. “Freebie” is nothing but “giving something for free at the cost of the taxpayers’ money”, which directly accounts to what Bhishmachaarya is explaining here. Providing “freebies” and making people lazy is grossly against “Raaja-Dharma” and people should have this awareness. 

Moving on further, Bhishmachaarya explains thus, “Oh Yudishtra! Whenever you have a situation wherein you’ve to depend upon someone else for your living and survival, it should always be with those who are “Sath-Putras” (People who follow the path of “Dharma”). Never in your life should you depend on “Asath” people (People who walk the path of “Adharma”) for your survival, even for a single day. This will bring down your reputation substantially in the minds of the people!” This is an extremely important point here, even for our modern day context. Just because we do not have money, should we go and borrow from anti-social elements or people who might potentially be of danger to us and to the society? Just because we are in need of wealth, should we align with such people? Isn’t this opportunistic behavior? Especially in the military, we see this quite often wherein, enemy camps use this strategy to obtain defence secrets. The enemy camp might potentially target those who are vulnerable to get carried away with enormous sums of money, women, etc. Thus, by giving them whatever is their requirement, they will grab all the important secrets from them slowly and steadily. This happens in many walks of life as well and it is important that the leader doesn’t get carried away easily like this. 

We’ve seen such a case in the Mahabharata story itself. When King Shalya was travelling somewhere, he suddenly started feeling hungry. At the point where King Shalya had this feeling, Duryodhana had been camping for some reason, pretty much at the same location. Upon seeing King Shalya in this position, Duryodhana immediately offered help through his spies, and without proper investigation about who was offering this help, King Shalya accepted it. However, it was later that he discovered that the help had come from none other than Duryodhana himself. Initially, even though King Shalya was firmly on the Pandavas’ side, he had to shift to Duryodhana’s side for the Kurukshetra war. We’ve seen this in our earlier episodes as to how King Shalya was tricked by Duryodhana to be pulled into his fold! This is what happens when we’ve to take any kind of help from an enemy. We become bound to them if we accept. 

However, when the same situation confronted Bhagawan Krishna, how did He handle it? We’ve seen that when Bhagawan Krishna visited Hastinapura to broker peace between the two camps as a last-ditch attempt, Duryodhana had invited Bhagawan Krishna for a grand feast, with enormous varieties of food dishes and reception. However, Bhagawan Krishna, being all-knowing, understood Duryodhana’s underlying intention here. By providing such great hospitality, Duryodhana was trying to pull Bhagawan Krishna to his side. Bhagawan did not want this to happen, and hence, declined Duryodhana’s hospitality. Instead, He preferred to stay that night at Vidura’s place. Vidura being a “Dharma-Atma”, Bhagawan Krishna preferred his company, rather than Duryodhana’s! Hence, the point is very clear here – If we are in need of anything, we should never align with those who do not walk the path of “Dharma”, else, this would make us bound to them permanently for life! 

Next, Bhishmachaarya is explaining to Yudishtra thus, “Oh Yudishtra! If there is something wrong that is happening in your kingdom, and if it comes to your notice, you should not give a knee-jerk reaction and immediately go for punishment. You should investigate the matter thoroughly to understand who is really at fault, before rendering your final punishment verdict. Of course, punishment is important, but the wrong person should not get convicted at any cost!” This is also a very important point, and this is perhaps one reason why court processes across the world take enormous time to come to an end. 

So for today, let us understand these important points, and we shall wait till the next episode to continue with this discussion further. Stay tuned! 🙂 

Episode # 1301 – “‘Performing Dhaanam’ shouldn’t be at the cost of extortion from someone else!” – Bhishmachaarya explains!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of Bhishmachaarya’s accord on “Raaja-Dharma”. Inside this bigger discussion, we are seeing a beautiful explanation on the thirty-six important qualities / characteristics of a leader. Till now over the past few episodes, we’ve seen around fifteen of them, and particularly in the last episode, we’ve witnessed Bhishmachaarya explaining to Yudishtra that while he performs all the “Dharma-Kaaryams”, he should ensure that there is no harm or hindrance for anybody in the kingdom during this important pursuit. In other words, doing something good is welcome, but that action should not create any kind of hindrance or a nuisance for others. Secondly, Bhishmachaarya explains that a leader should not disclose anything and everything about himself / herself to others. This might be quite dangerous, wherein some people might not take it in good sense. They might end up misusing our private information to their favour and ultimately target us for no fault of ours. We’ve seen these things happening quite frequently even in today’s context. 

Moving on further, Bhishmachaarya continues thus, “Oh Yudishtra! You should ensure that you talk about the good characteristics of others and appreciate them generously. However, you should ensure that you do not end up talking about yourself in the process!” This is a very important quality of a leader. Even in today’s context, we talk about “motivation” in leadership and organizational behavior. As a leader, it is very important to keep motivating our people every now and then. While we motivate, we should generously appreciate people’s contributions towards betterment / success of our team / organization. While appreciating, we should ensure that we do it in public, in front of everyone. We should ensure that people feel happy and content while being with us in our team / organization. However, at the same time, we should also ensure that we do not talk much about ourselves in the process. Many of us go wrong here – While interacting with others, many times we end up talking about our own characteristics, our experiences, how we handled situations smartly, etc. While in some contexts it is important to share our experiences with others, this has a fine boundary. We should not end up talking too high about ourselves in the process. As a leader, one should be able to balance this carefully. We might have been enormously smart and experienced throughout our lives, but that doesn’t mean that we start boasting about our achievements and accolades too much in front of others. This will be seen as “pride” and self-centered in terms of our approach towards others. 

As Bhishmachaarya explains this characteristic, he continues with the subsequent one beautifully. He says thus, “Oh Yudishtra! You should ensure that you help anyone and everyone around you who are in dire need. You should ensure that “Saadhus” are well-protected in your “Raajyam” (Kingdom). However, you should not go to the extent of extorting wealth from someone else to protect anyone! You should earn wealth legitimately and help others with whatever you possess rightfully!” This is an extremely important quality of leadership that Bhishmachaarya is explaining here, which we see lacking in many of us, and even in public administration. Especially in the Indian context, nowadays we see a lot of “freebies” being given to people by political parties which come to power, both at the Centre and states. These freebies are primarily to satisfy the political parties’ core “vote banks” and nothing else. The freebies are directly funded from the taxpayers’ money and splurged unnecessarily to those who do not even pay a single penny of tax to the government. This is a clear example of how wealth is “abducted” from the honest taxpayers and given to those who do not deserve even a single penny! In fact, it is primarily due to this ‘freebie” culture, many states in India are going into severe debts, and sadly not many people are realizing it as yet. 

This is exactly what Bhishmachaarya is explaining here – If we have something under our possession, we shall give those who are needy. However, it doesn’t mean that we should abduct wealth from someone and give it to the needy. It is a pathetic plight today that both the Central and State governments in India aren’t prioritizing wealth properly for the real welfare of people. Only if this changes in India, will we be able to progress towards becoming a developed economy! So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall continue this discussion further in the next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂 

Episode # 1300 – “Never disclose your personal information to strangers!” – Bhishmachaarya explains!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhishmachaarya continuing with his important accord on “Raaja Dharma”, wherein he is currently explaining thirty-six different qualities of a leader. As part of this discussion, we’ve seen during yesterday’s episode that a leader should definitely maintain good and healthy relationships with his / her family members, however, there should be a caution that if someone walks the path of “Adharma”, a safe distance should be maintained from that person. Just because relationships are important, it doesn’t mean that a leader should support people for anything and everything that they might do. Secondly, we’ve seen that it is important for a leader to have spies (intelligence agents). However, that also comes with a catch – Those people who are acting as spies, should be the ones who follow “Dharma” systematically. If this is not happening, chances are very high that these spies can leak out important administrative and army-related secrets to the enemy camps. Hence, having spies is a very important aspect of leadership, however, a leader should be very careful while choosing his / her spies. 

Moving on further, Bhishmachaarya explains – “Oh Yudishtra! It is extremely important that you’ve to perform “Dharma-Kaaryam” as part of your administrative responsibilities. You’ve to simultaneously defend your kingdom from enemies. However, just because you are doing something good, it doesn’t mean that your actions should harm others!” For instance, in our house also, we might be waking up early, performing our daily routines, offering our prayers to Bhagawan before sunrise, etc. These are extremely good things and it is a mandate that all of us should follow these routines as much as we can. However, having said that, if there are some aged people at home who are perennially ill – Our actions should not disturb their sleep in the morning, isn’t it? Rather, if we wake up early in the morning, go here and there inside the home, drop some utensils on the floor and create unwanted sounds during the early hours of the morning, the resting period for others might get disturbed. Hence, it is very important that we perform “Dharma-Kaaryam”, but it should be done without any hindrance to anyone. For instance, many places of worship have loudspeakers these days. If there’s any festival occasion, devotional songs of that particular deity would be played through the loudspeakers with enormous sounds early in the morning. Of course, worshipping the deity on important and auspicious days is definitely to be done, however, this should not cause disturbance and hindrance to the others in the neighbourhood. Our actions should never cause any kind of disturbance to anybody, Bhishmachaarya is exactly explaining the same here. 

Moving on further, Bhishmachaarya explains thus, “Oh Yudishtra! You might be exceptionally talented and I know that you yourself are an epitome of “Dharma”. However, there is a catch here – Where will you showcase your knowledge and wisdom? You should do so only amongst those who really deserve to understand you and “Dharma”. You should be very careful in talking about “Dharma” and about your likes / dislikes in a way that these aspects should only reach the right people. Whereas, especially if your likes and dislikes are told to wrong people and through them if your enemy comes to know these pointers, you will be in trouble. Hence, you should keep your likes / dislikes and “Dharma” reserved only to those who deserve to know them!” Even in today’s context this is extremely important. Given that we are in the “age of technology”, communication has become very easy through social media. It is also very easy to connect with anybody around the world through social media – both known and unknown people. We’ve to be very careful if we’re going to connect with people whom we do not know before. We should never reveal our personal details, our likes / dislikes, our interests, etc. to strangers. Many people are falling into the trap of cyber crimes like extortions, blackmailing, etc. and we are seeing this almost every day in the news, aren’t we? Hence, we’ve to be very careful in sharing our personal details, preferences, etc. to unknown people. In other words, it is always better to keep a safe distance from strangers on social media, so as to avoid unwanted troubles later on. 

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

Episode # 1299 – Who can be a “spy” for a leader? – Bhishmachaarya beautifully explains!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhishmachaarya continuing with the discussion on the thirty-six important qualities of a leader. We are witnessing two or three of these thirty-six every episode, and in yesterday’s, we’ve seen how a leader should be smart, well-learned, etc. however, he / she should not use this in the wrong way, that is, to take others for a ride and cheat them. In other words, it is important for a leader to be intelligent, but should not be a pervert. Secondly, we’ve seen that a leader should be capable of building and maintaining good relationships with people around, but at the same time, these relationships should only be with those who follow the path of “Dharma”. On the other hand, if the leader has amicable relationships with those who are “Adharmic” in nature, the reputation of the leader goes for a toss. Hence, this fine balance is very important. 

Moving on further, Bhishmachaarya explains further – “Oh Yudishtra! You should ensure that all your relatives are kept happy by you. However, if any relative of yours is walking the path of “Adharma”, it is better to keep a safe distance from him / her. While maintaining a safe distance, even if that person wants to pick up a fight against you, do not react. Try to avoid that fight, because you will be wasting your precious time in it!” We see this in today’s context as well – Not all our relatives might be well-wishers, isn’t it? Upon seeing our success, some of them might be genuinely happy for us and will wish us more success. However, a vast majority of them might not be this way – Instead, they might be cribbing about our success and might feel jealous that their son or daughter is not up to the mark to challenge us. If we see such relatives, it is always better to maintain a safe distance from them. Of course, I’m saying that we should completely avoid people. We should know what to talk with them and when. Also, we should know how to ensure that we do not go into their bad looks. This is important. 

Moreover, some of our relatives might come and ask for some “favours” from us, when they see us being in successful positions. For instance, we might be in a big position in any organisation, and some of our relatives might come to us seeking help to obtain jobs in our organization. Of course we should help our relatives, but with the condition whether they are really eligible / deserving for the job or not. Just because they are our relatives, we shouldn’t be crossing the line. Moving on further, Bhishmachaarya explains – “Oh Yudishtra! It is part of the “Raaja Dharma” to have a spy. However, that person who acts as your spy should always be walking the path of “Dharma” at all times. If you have a spy who is “Adharmic” in nature, you might never know when he would become the spy of your enemies! Hence, you should be very careful about whom you pick to be your trusted spy!” 

In today’s context too, governments across the world have a separate department called “Intelligence Bureau”. People who work here should be extremely trustable and dependable. Anybody and everybody cannot be here, because it involves secret and confidential information sharing about enemies, their movements, strategies, etc. to attack us. In our Indian context, Intelligence is an integral part of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Defence and also the Police forces in the states. The inputs that the Intelligence agencies give are extremely important to track any kind of enemies in the form of terrorists, drug cartels, illegal smuggling of any banned substances, etc. However, we see in a few instances today that a few of the intelligence officers are corrupt, taking money from the cartel and allowing smuggling to happen. Of course, this is just less than 1%, but this too has to be effectively weeded out every now and then. Else, even that 1% lapse can cost the safety and security of lakhs of people in the country, isn’t it? This is exactly what Bhishmachaarya is trying to explain here – It is extremely important for a leader to have spies, but these spies should always be trustable and dependable at all times. 

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

Episode # 1298 – “Knowledge & wisdom should make a leader more humble!” – Bhishamchaarya explains!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of Bhishmachaarya’s all-important accord on the thirty-six qualities of a leader. In this, we’ve witnessed around nine qualities and in yesterday’s episode, we had seen how a leader should be extremely powerful, but at the same time, he / she shouldn’t boast about it. In other words, power should be shown through actions and not through words. Subsequently, we’ve also seen how a leader should be an epitome of “Dhaanam”, but again, there is a catch here – “Dhaanam” should be performed only to those who deserve it. It should not make someone lazy. If a person is for instance, handicapped, homeless, destituted, etc. then of course, giving  “Dhaanam” to such people is welcome. However, if a person is not having any of the above characteristics, and his only job is to sit and eat without working, “Dhaanam” should not be given to him. If we do so, it is only going to make him more lazy, and with whatever he gets, he is going to go to the liquor shop (in many cases) and waste the resources that are given to him. This is why Bhishmachaarya is very categorical here in explaining the pro’s and con’s of every aspect of “Dharma” that we are seeing here. 

Next, moving ahead, Bhishmachaarya explains about a very important quality – “Pragalbha”. This term means being extremely smart and well-informed of what is happening around. This is an extremely important quality that a leader should have. A leader should not only be well-read (“Panditaha”), but also be a “Pragalba” (well-informed). There is a subtle difference between the two. Some people might be well-read. They might be great scholars in their respective domains. However, they might not be smart enough to apply their knowledge in practical life. Thus, a leader should have both – Knowledge and application. This combination makes a leader very smart and astute in whatever decisions he / she is making. While Bhishmachaarya is saying this, as usual, he puts a word of caution too along with it. Bhishmachaarya says thus, “Oh Yudishtra! You have to be a “Pragalba”, but at the same time, you should not use your scholarliness and smartness to cheat others and take them for a ride!” Now this is extremely important. We are seeing this happening in our present day as well – Several people who are intelligent and well-read, tend to use their knowledge and smartness in the wrong ways to exploit others. We are seeing politicians and bureaucrats who are corrupt in nature. Aren’t they well-educated and smart? If we’ve to become a bureaucrat in government circles and become responsible for policy decisions, it is not easy. Clearing the Civil Services examination (IAS) isn’t an easy task by any means! Only those who excel in their academics and also in their smart-thinking can crack such difficult examinations. But having done that, how many of these bureaucrats work genuinely for the welfare of the people? Only a handful! The only reason behind India still being under-developed in many walks of life is because of the gross corruption and misuse of power by these politicians and bureaucrats at several levels! 

This is gross “Adharma” and this is exactly why Bhishmachaarya is cautioning Yudishtra here. Obtaining more and more education / knowledge should make a person more and more humble and grounded! This is the true value of education. Next, Bhishmachaarya explains – “Sandathicha anaaryai” – Here, Bhishamchaarya continues from his previous point – “Oh Yudishtra! You’ve to be friends with everyone and maintain a good working relationship. But at the same time, you should ensure that this friendship doesn’t extend towards people who are “Adharmic” in nature!” This is also a point wherein many of us go wrong! In fact, in the same Mahabharata story itself, why did Karna meet such an unfortunate demise? We’ve analyzed this earlier as well – Karna was an epitome of “Dharma” in several ways. However, his bad companionship (with Duryodhana) led to his downfall. Bad friendship / companionship has the potential to completely ruin all the effects of “Dharma Kaaryam” that we perform! Hence, as a leader, it is very important that we maintain good personal / working relationships, but only with those who follow the path of “Dharma”. 

So for today, let us ponder upon these two important pointers spoken by Bhishmachaarya and we shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion forward! Stay tuned! 🙂 

Episode # 1297 – “Being powerful is important, but avoid boasting about it!” – Bhishmachaarya explains!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhishmachaarya continuing with the thirty-six important qualities of a leader. We’ve seen two more important qualities here – Firstly, a leader should be passionate to earn wealth, but that wealth shouldn’t come at the expense of threatening or extorting the people of the kingdom. Secondly, we’ve seen that a leader can experience desires in the form of luxuries, etc. however, this should be under strict control. The desire can be experienced through the wealth earnt via the legitimate way and not through corruption of any sorts. We’ve witnessed modern day’s applications of these two points in our previous episode as well. 

Moving on further, Bhishmachaarya says – “Priyam bruyath aakripanaha!” – Here, Bhishmachaarya explains that a leader should talk pleasingly with everyone, but at the same time, he should ensure that nobody takes him for a ride. This is a very important quality here. When a leader talks to his subordinates, he / she should ensure that no unparliamentary words or harsh language is used. This would demotivate people and ultimately the work would suffer. Moreover, a leader should constantly keep encouraging his people to strive for more and more achievements. This should come through good words and pleasing language. However, there is a sign of caution here – While talking pleasingly, a leader should ensure that people do not end up cheating him. Just because a leader is seen as a “laughing stock”, some people can drive their personal agenda into the work and create unwanted situations. Thus, the leader should be able to talk pleasantly, at the same time, the leader should also be able to punish and confront those people who deviate from the path of “Dharma”. 

In all these explanations that we’ve seen so far, it is very interesting to see that Bhishmachaarya is subtly trying to focus on a fine balance in all qualities. While we were witnessing Valmiki Maharishi’s accord on leadership qualities, he straightaway mentioned them as specific “characteristics”. But here, Bhishmachaarya is trying to build a definite narrative behind every quality. From the first quality till the fifth one (discussed just now), we are able to see both the positive and the negative aspects of that quality. Firstly he said that a person should follow “Dharma” at all times, but that doesn’t mean that he would always have a frowning face at all times. Secondly he says that while “Sneham” (Affection) is important, it should not come at the cost of compromising one’s “Dharma”. Thirdly he says that a leader should definitely earn wealth, but that wealth should not come in the form of corruption and extortion. Fourth, he says that desires are important, but that shouldn’t go beyond permissible limits. Here also, Bhishmachaarya explains that a leader should be pleasing in language, but at the same time he should ensure that nobody takes him for a ride. Thus, in all these explanations, Bhishmachaarya is trying to strike a balance! He explains the “Dharma”, but at the same time, explains the other end of the spectrum too, which makes it very interesting here. 

Moving on further, Bhishmachaarya explains thus, “Oh Yudishtra! You’ve to be extremely powerful with extreme valor! However, you shouldn’t boast about your power to anybody!” This is yet another important point here. It is very important for a leader to exert power. But that power should be shown through performance and not through mere words. At any cost, we should never boast about our capabilities to the outside world through our words. If we have unique and specific capabilities, we should show them through our actions. For instance, I might be a great musician. I should showcase my talent through my singing and related stage performances. However, there is no point in constantly telling everyone that I’m a great singer! Thus, being exceptionally talented is very important, but that should come with humility. 

Further, Bhishmachaarya explains thus, “Oh Yudishtra! You should give a lot of “Dhaanam”. However, you should ensure that you do it for the right and deserving people!” This is also very important. Even in today’s context, we talk very high about “Dhaanam” (Donation) and helping needy people. Of course, this is very important and all of us should do it. In fact, “Manu-Dharma-Shaastram” says that every person should allocate atleast one-sixth of the portion of his / her earnings for performing “Dhaanam”. This is not only talked about in our “Sanatana Dharma”, but also in other religions like Islam and Christianity too. Hence, “Dhaanam” is important. But having said that, we should know to whom we are giving the“Dhaanam” to, isn’t it? We cannot just give something randomly to someone. We should know what we are giving, and to whom. For instance, there might be several beggars lined up in the entrance of many temples. Some people might be handicapped, or very physically challenged due to old age, etc. Donating something to them is absolutely welcome! However, there would be some others who have very good physical capabilities, but still they would choose the easier and lazier path of earning money (through begging), without doing any work. If we give something to these people, we are indirectly making them more lazy, aren’t we? Hence, we should not encourage such people to beg in the streets. Instead, they should be motivated to learn something and earn money through that to sustain their living. 

Thus, the point here is that, while “Dhaanam” is important, we should identify the right and deserving people to offer it. “Dhaanam” is not for anyone and everyone in this world. So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall continue this discussion further in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂 

Episode # 1296 – “Wealth is important, but never loot the people!” – Bhishmachaarya explains!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhishmachaarya commencing an important explanation on the thirty-six important qualities of a leader. We’ve seen Bhishmachaarya being provided with Bhagawan Krishna’s divine “Anugraha” to commence with the hallmark accord on “Raaja-Dharma”. As part of this broader discussion, we are currently witnessing this segment wherein Bhishmachaarya explains several qualities of a “Dhaarmika” leader. We’ve seen the first three of them in our previous episode, wherein Bhishmachaarya explains that even when the leader has to compulsorily be a “Dhaarmika”, it doesn’t mean that he would be a very reserved personality amidst people. A leader should exhibit warmth, love, affection towards everyone, while being a “Dhaarmika”. At the same time, a “Dhaarmika” leader should not be carried away by the “Sneham” (Love) from others by compromising on the “Dharma” that he / she has to perform. Hence, a fine balance between “Dharma” (Duties in this context) and “Sneham”. 

Moving on further, Bhishmachaarya explains the next quality of a leader thus – “Anrushamschaschare artham”. So what does this mean? A leader should earn wealth (“Artham”). However, that earning should not be through the way of harassment of others. It should be through kindness and compassion. Of course, taxes are important to run a country in the legitimate way such that infrastructure and several other social schemes could be implemented for the people. However, while collecting the taxes from people, it should be done in a way that people voluntarily come forward and pay them. Rather, if the taxes are being collected by force or through extortion (Like how it is done today in India), people will lose interest in living here. In fact, this issue of “High taxes for nothing” in India is driving away several youth to other foreign countries in today’s context, and sadly not many people talk about it or recognize this! India is losing high quality talent, primarily because of lack of opportunities, an unreasonable “reservation system” wherein merit has no value in India, and also with enormously high taxes (Both direct and indirect)! Even though India collects high taxes from its citizens, do we enjoy world-class facilities? The answer is sadly a “No”! If such is the case, how are we going to retain talent in this country? This is a very important point that the government should give a thought about, and this is exactly what Bhishmachaarya says here too – Tax revenue is important, but at the same time, it should not become an extortion from people. 

Next, Bhishmachaarya explains – “Chareth kaama anudritaha”. This is a very important point here. Bhishamchaarya explains that as a king, it is not wrong to experience desires, but should not cross the boundary. A leader should be responsible enough to know when and how desires should be experienced. This is what is lacking in today’s context. Especially in the Indian context, we’re witnessing politicians and bureaucrats across the length and breadth of the country, infamously known for corruption. Of course, earning money, experiencing the luxury that is derived out of it is not wrong – But at the cost of what? It should never be by looting public taxpayers’ money. But, are we realizing this today? Unfortunately, this is the sad state of affairs in India today, and this is the main reason why even after seventy-five years of freedom, we are still struggling as a country even for basic requirements like food, water, shelter, drainage facilities, basic road infrastructure, etc. To complement these corrupt political and bureaucratic systems, the judiciary also plays a very important role by not bringing any corrupt person to justice! These are ominous signs of a deteriorating and a rotten system pulling down a great country like ours and sadly not many of us understand this! 

Hence for today, let us understand up to this point, and in the next episode, we shall continue further with this important discussion of Bhishmachaarya! Stay tuned! 🙂 

Episode # 1295 – Thirty-six important qualities of “Dharma” for a leader – Bhishmachaarya commences!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhishmachaarya commencing his important accord on what is “Raaja-Dharma” and how Yudishtra to carefully adhere to the same while discharging his duties as a king of Hastinapura. These aspects of “Raaja-Dharma” are not just for Yudishtra, but also for all of us who are in various leadership positions in our professional lives, and also for our personal lives in several aspects as well. In this way, Bhishmachaarya commenced with two important terms – “Purushaartham” and “Prayathnam”. While “Purushaartham” means “End-goal” or the “Long-term” goal that one can have, “Prayathnam” means the effort that we’re taking to reach the “Purushaartham”. Moving on with this, Bhishmachaarya spoke about how a leader should be transparent with all his communications and dealings administratively. He should be approachable to everybody in the kingdom, however, he should be able to maintain a safe distance from individuals. In other words, the leader should not get carried away by the “buttering” done by a few individuals, which they do for their own personal brownie points. Thus, the leader should always maintain a neutral stance in whatever he / she does. 

Moving on further, Bhishmachaarya is now going to explain thirty-six different qualities of a great king! We’ve seen a very similar discussion like this in the “Valmiki Ramayana” project wherein Valmiki Maharishi listed down sixteen important characteristics of a great leader. Bhishmachaarya is now going to list thirty-six of them in just ten Shlokas. We shall witness those thirty-six and then try to understand which of them are possible for us to follow. Bhihsmachaarya begins by saying – “Shareth Dharma Akootukaha”. This means, a person who is in an administrative position should be an epitome of all possible aspects of “Dharma”, but at the same time, he doesn’t need to be angry or strict or yelling at others at all times. In other words, following “Dharma” is important, but at the same time, we should also be having a pleasing appearance with a pleasing demeanour, so that people can easily approach us. We would have seen in our everyday lives, a few people who would be great “Dhaarmikas” (Ardent followers of “Dharma”), but if we look at them, they will never even be smiling at us! Just because one is a “Dhaarmika”, it doesn’t mean that happiness / smile / pleasing demeanour should be compromised. This is exactly what Bhishmachaarya is explaining here. He says that the leader should be a “Dhaarmika”, but at the same time, the leader should exhibit a pleasing appearance with a bare minimum of a smiling face when people come towards him / her. This would serve as a good balance between following “Dharma” and being approachable. 

Next, moving on further, Bhishmachaarya explains – “Muncheth Sneham na cha aasthikaha!” For this, Bhishamchaarya gives a beautiful explanation here. He says thus, “Oh Yudishtra! When I previously said that you’ve to be a “Dhaarmika”, it doesn’t mean that you should sacrifice your love (“Sneham”) and affection for others. You should exhibit “Sneham”, but at the same time, you should be careful not to compromise your principles of “Dharma”!” This is an extremely important point here. Many of us would have this problem – We would talk very nicely with people, but we would let go of our duties! For instance, our best family friend would have come home to visit us and it would be an evening time for our regular “Sandhyavandanam”. Now we will be in a “Catch-22” situation here – Should we give priority to our “Sandhyavandanam” or should we spend time with our friend? Definitely we cannot do both at the same time! Hence, what would we prioritize? Many times, our priority would be the second one – Spending time with our friend! This is exactly what Bhishmachaarya says that we should not do. At any cost, we should never leave our “Dharma” and sacrifice it for any other person / priority. We should stick to our “Dharma” at all times, however, we should also spend time with our friend and be approachable to him / her. Rather than sacrificing our “Sandhyaandanam” for our friend, we can always politely say that we would join back after finishing our duty, can’t we? This is how we’ve to balance. 

So for today, let us understand these four important aspects of “Dharma” that Bhishmachaarya is explaining here, and we shall continue this discussion in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂